Alabama Senior Services by County: Find Your Area Agency on Aging

How Alabama Organizes Senior Services

Alabama routes all community long-term care programs through 13 regional Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs). Each AAA houses an Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC), which serves as the single entry point — called "One Door Alabama" — for Medicaid HCBS waivers, the Alabama CARES caregiver support program, home-delivered meals, and other Older Americans Act services.

Your county determines which AAA handles your parent's case. The statewide access number is 1-800-AGE-LINE (1-800-243-5463), which routes to the correct regional office, but calling the regional office directly is faster.

County-by-County Directory

North Alabama

NACOLG Area Agency on Aging — Muscle Shoals Counties: Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale, Marion, Winston

NARCOG Area Agency on Aging — Decatur Counties: Cullman, Lawrence, Morgan

TARCOG Area Agency on Aging — Huntsville Counties: DeKalb, Jackson, Limestone, Madison, Marshall

Madison County residents contact TARCOG at (256) 830-0818. This office coordinates E&D Waiver intake, Personal Choices self-directed care enrollment, and Alabama CARES respite for the Huntsville metropolitan area.

Central Alabama

EARPDC Area Agency on Aging — Anniston Counties: Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Etowah, Randolph, Talladega, Tallapoosa

M4A (Middle Alabama Area Agency on Aging) — Alabaster Counties: Blount, Chilton, Shelby, St. Clair, Walker

United Way Area Agency on Aging of Jefferson County — Birmingham County: Jefferson

Jefferson County has its own dedicated AAA through the United Way, reachable at (205) 251-5131. It handles Older Americans Act programs (meals, transportation, caregiver support) for the Birmingham metro area. Medicaid waiver applications in Jefferson County still go through the same state Medicaid district office process, but the AAA coordinates intake and case management.

CAAC (Central Alabama Aging Consortium) — Montgomery Counties: Autauga, Elmore, Montgomery

WARC (West Alabama Regional Commission) — Northport Counties: Bibb, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Pickens, Tuscaloosa

South Alabama

LRCOG (Lee-Russell Council of Governments) — Opelika Counties: Lee, Russell

SCADC (South Central Alabama Development Commission) — Montgomery Counties: Bullock, Butler, Crenshaw, Lowndes, Macon, Pike

SARCOA (Southeast Alabama Regional Council on Aging) — Dothan Counties: Barbour, Coffee, Covington, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston

ATRC (Alabama Tombigbee Regional Commission) — Camden Counties: Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Dallas, Marengo, Monroe, Perry, Sumter, Washington, Wilcox

SARPC (South Alabama Regional Planning Commission) — Mobile Counties: Baldwin, Escambia, Mobile

Mobile County residents contact SARPC at (251) 433-6541. This is the intake point for the E&D Waiver, SAIL Waiver, and Alabama CARES services across the Gulf Coast region.

What Your AAA Actually Does

The AAA doesn't approve Medicaid — that's the Medicaid district office. But the AAA is where everything starts:

Intake screening. The AAA conducts the initial interview to determine which programs your parent may qualify for. They'll ask about income, assets, living situation, and care needs.

Case management. Once your parent is approved for an HCBS waiver, an AAA case manager develops the person-centered plan of care, coordinates services, and conducts periodic reassessments.

Alabama CARES. While your parent waits for a waiver slot or if they don't qualify for Medicaid, the AAA administers CARES — temporary respite, caregiver training, supplemental supplies, and information services funded under the Older Americans Act.

Meals and transportation. Home-delivered meals and community transportation are coordinated through the AAA's Older Americans Act programs, separate from Medicaid.

What To Do If You're Not Sure Which County

If your parent recently moved, lives in a border area, or splits time between two locations, call 1-800-AGE-LINE to confirm which county office handles your parent's county of residence. The operator will route based on the residential address.

The Alabama Home Care Navigation Guide maps every step of the AAA intake process, from the initial call through waiver enrollment, with checklists for the documents you'll need at each stage.

See more Alabama guides →