A Godsend’: This Federal Program Helps Older Adults Get Back to Work

By on May 7, 2026

woman concentrates on computer screen
By

Molly Snow, AARP

Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) is the only federal job-training initiative that exclusively serves older workers with the goal of helping them transition to employment outside the program. To qualify, participants must be at least 55, unemployed, live in a county served by SCSEP and be considered low income. ​

​Job seekers can apply through their local SCSEP office and begin by choosing a career track and developing a personalized plan with goals and skills to ensure they are “job ready” by the time the program ends. SCSEP matches job seekers with paid, part-time assignments at community-service focused agencies or nonprofits. The goal is for participants to use what they’ve learned to eventually go out and find a job.​

​Many build computer and professional skills, earn industry certifications, expand their professional networks, and, in some cases, even learn new languages.

​About 1 in 4 SCSEP workers were employed six months after leaving the program, according to national averages from 2022 and 2023, the latest federal data available. ​

​But budget disruptions and calls to defund the $400 million program risk leaving older adults — and the communities they serve — without this resource. The program awards federal grants to national and state organizations that pay participants’ wages and partner with local nonprofits or public agencies to host workers. ​

In rural areas and states with large aging populations, like Maine, SCSEP jobs are often among the few options for older people who face health issues or disabilities, or a lack of access to employment services that fit their needs. ​

Nationwide, adults 55-plus represent a growing share of the workforce, moving from 15 percent to 23 percent over the last two decades, according data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

​​Still, employment barriers often prevent older workers from filling open roles and easing labor shortfalls nationwide. ​

“SCSEP provides structure, training, community and a pathway to economic stability,” says Elexia Torres, AARP’s assistant national director for programs and fields. “In many ways, it’s not just a workforce program. It’s also a lifeline.”​

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JCA is the SCSEP administrator for Montgomery and Frederick Counties in Maryland.

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