At the request of a CCRC resident, ORANJ undertook a study of meal plans available to Independent Living residents in CCRC communities in NJ. In the summer of 2012, Michael Geran conducted the study. He devised a questionnaire which was sent to 23 communities that had meal plans. All except one responded.
Preliminary results show, as expected, that meal plan options are proliferating. Only about half the CCRCs still offer just one plan; six offer two or more types of plans and five offer a flexible voucher option.
Most plans fall into two types: fixed meal plans where the community sets the number of meals to be included and voucher/credit plans where the community fixes the amount of money available for meals. Sixteen of the fixed meal plans are the traditional one meal per day but 6 offer a reduced number of meals, usually 20 or 25 meals per month. CCRCs vary in the amount charged for meals outside those covered by the plan.
Meal credits are commonly offered by CCRCs with fixed meal plans for residents who are absent from the community for at least 14-15 days. Three CCRCs with fixed meal plans offer no credits. The value of meal credits varies but usually amounts to $4 to $6 per day, except 3 CCRCs that have a $10 per day policy. The credits bear no relation to the cost of purchasing an extra meal for residents or guests.
Voucher programs are a more recent innovation. Five CCRCs currently have voucher programs and two additional CCRCs are considering such an offering. Some voucher programs offer a fixed dollar value for 30, 60, or 90 days and some offer a rollover for unused credits whereas in others such credits are lost.
Four CCRCs offer a plan that includes an option to order luxury items such as steak and lobster. Two of the CCRCs with voucher plans allow residents to use their credits for such purchases.
The value of different meal options depends largely on the number of dining options available at the CCRC. 11 CCRCs have two or more dining rooms and all but 4 now offer an informal, often an a la carte, option e.g. a bistro or cafeteria. An inexpensive alternative to formal dining allows the residents to stretch their dining budgets to cover meals not included in the plan.