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AARP New Jersey Advocacy Priorities

Protecting affordability. Strengthening care. Preventing fraud.

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New Jersey is one of the most expensive states to live and retire. Older residents are facing rising property taxes, utility bills, housing costs, and health care expenses—making it harder to remain in the homes and communities they built.

AARP New Jersey is focused on advancing practical, bipartisan solutions that help older residents remain in their homes, stay financially secure, and live with dignity.

Financial Security

Protect Property Tax Relief

Property taxes remain the single biggest financial burden for many older New Jerseyans.

According to AARP polling:

95% of older New Jerseyans say property tax affordability is important
Nearly half (48%) have considered leaving New Jersey, with 80% citing property taxes as a reason.

AARP New Jersey supports:

Protecting the full promise of Stay NJ
Fully funding ANCHOR and Senior Freeze
Converting property tax relief programs into a credit
Continuing enhanced ANCHOR benefits for older residents

The Stay NJ program represented a historic commitment to older residents. Many households have already made financial decisions based on the expected level of relief. Reducing the benefit would create real hardship—especially for low- and moderate-income older homeowners living on fixed incomes.

Utility Affordability

Utility costs are one of the most difficult monthly expenses for older households. Rising costs force difficult tradeoffs between basic needs like heat, food, and health care—and make it harder for older residents to remain in their communities.

According to AARP polling:

93% say utility affordability is important
90% are concerned about rising bills
91% are more likely to support candidates who prioritize affordability

AARP New Jersey supports:

Strong oversight of utility rate increases
Transparency in fees and surcharges
Expanded access to assistance programs
Consumer protections against shutoffs
Ensuring residential customers are not on the hook for increased costs from large energy users like data centers
Requiring electric public utilities to apply tariffs on large energy users, including data centers, to protect residential customers S731/A796 (Burzichelli, McKeon, Turner, Beach, Moriarty, Diegnan/ Bailey, Danielsen, Calabrese, Pintor Marin)

Retirement Security

AARP New Jersey supports:

Continuing the full actuarially required pension payment in the annual state budget
Continued implementation of RetireReady NJ to expand access to workplace retirement savings

Long-Term Care Quality and Accountability

Older residents and their families deserve safe, high-quality care—and taxpayers deserve accountability.

Polling shows strong bipartisan support for action:

94% of Democrats and 86% of Republicans support improving nursing home quality
93% of Democrats and 89% of Republicans support financial transparency requirements

AARP New Jersey supports:

Nursing home financial transparency legislation S2980/A4722 (Vitale, McKnight/Speight, Collazos-Gill, Morales), including requiring audited, consolidated financial statements, to make sure taxpayers know where their dollars go
Strengthening protections for nursing home residents S3023/A1752 (Vitale/Verrelli)
Maintaining the Quality Incentive Payment Program (QIPP) to incentivize quality care, including staffing
Let nursing home residents keep more of their own money each month to pay for basics like clothing, toiletries, and phone service by increasing the personal needs allowance from $50 to $140 S1576/A2691 (Amato, Zwicker/DePhillips, Barlas, Speight)
Expanding home and community-based services (HCBS)
Reinstating Any Willing Qualified Provider (AWQP), allowing the state and Medicaid managed care plans to stop sending residents and public dollars to the worst-performing nursing homes—those with repeated serious deficiencies—while preserving consumer choice and ensuring enough providers remain in the network

These reforms ensure taxpayer dollars are spent on resident care—not diverted through complex ownership structures.

Health Security and Caregiving

Support Family Caregivers

Nearly 1.8 million family caregivers in New Jersey provide an estimated $28 billion in unpaid care each year, helping loved ones remain at home and saving the state and taxpayers money by avoiding Medicaid-funded institutional care.

AARP New Jersey supports:

Providing financial relief, including a tax credit for caregivers S572/A577 (Beach/Schaer)
Workplace protections for caregivers
Improve and expand caregiver respite and navigation services
Supporting affordable prescription drugs, including programs like Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD) and Senior Gold

Medicaid and Food Security

Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are critical lifelines for older adults.

Polling shows overwhelming bipartisan support:

90% of Republicans and 93% of Democrats say Medicaid is important
88% are more likely to support candidates who protect Medicaid funding

AARP New Jersey supports:

Full funding for Medicaid
Continued support for SNAP, including the $95 minimum benefit
Investments that help older adults remain in their homes and communities

Livable Communities and Housing

Affordable, accessible housing is essential to aging in place.

AARP New Jersey supports:

Expanding housing options, including accessory dwelling units (ADUs) S1786/A3567 (Singleton, Timberlake/Greenwald, Lopez)
Policies that promote affordability and accessibility
Investments in age-friendly communities