Alaska Adult Public Assistance (APA)

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Alaska Adult Public Assistance (APA)

Senior Benefits Information Office

Adult Public Assistance Program was established 15 years ago with the mandate to furnish financial assistance to needy aged, blind, and disabled persons and to help them attain self-support or self-care. People who receive APA financial assistance are over 65 years old or have severe and long term disabilities that impose mental and physical limitations on their day-to-day functioning.

APA Caseload Projection
APA caseload has steadily increased, a trend that is expected to continue. The increase may be attributed to a combination of state population growth, earlier identification of disabilities, increased longevity due in part to advances in medical technology, and the general aging of the Alaska population. The chart below illustrates this growth. Since 1990, the disabled caseload monthly average, including both physical and mental disabilities, has grown an average of 10% per year. The aged caseload average has grown approximately 6% per year between 1990 and 1995. Since 1995, however, the aged growth rate has slowed to 2% per year. The percentage of growth in the overall caseload during this period has averaged 7.2%.

Growth in Average Monthly APA Disabled and Aged Caseloads from 1990 to 1997

Average Benefit
APA provides financial assistance as its primary mission. In FY 97, APA served 11,487 adult Alaskans and distributed $46.4 million in benefits. Program cost increases averaged 7.3% over the five year period. The average per month cost of individual benefits however has leveled off between FY 96 and FY 97.

Policy changes and Issues
The APA population is expected to continue to grow. To qualify for APA disability benefits, an individual must have a long term disability, therefore this population tends to remain beneficiaries of the APA program for their entire adult lives. Continued APA funding provides critical financial assistance to enable program participants to live as independently as possible.

APA beneficiaries touch many other state and federal programs. DPA is trying to better understand all the services this beneficiary group requires, the role of APA financial assistance and the best way to promote self support and self care for this population. To further this work, we have begun to engage with other DHSS Divisions and Departments that provide assistance to this population. Currently, there are a number of initiatives directed toward the adult disabled population underway. The Governor's Council on Disabilities and Special Education recently received funds from the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority for an Employment Initiative Project. Through the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, these funds will be used to work with disabled adults, identify and overcome employment barriers, and assist clients to find and keep work. A research element will explore the demographics of this population, review adult public assistance programs and employment efforts in other states and evaluate the pilot project implemented by DVR.

The Division of Public Assistance has an Adult Public Assistance Project Team composed of staff from Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Social Security Administration, Division of Medical Assistance, Division of Public Assistance, Disability Law Center, and the Division of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities. This group is steering committee charged with developing a plan for a review of the Adult Public Assistance Program to determine both how the program can better serve Alaskans and develop a method to project future program costs.