WASHINGTON, D.C. — August 10, 2026 — Argentum today announced a significant expansion of its Invite Your Lawmaker tool, adding all Virginia and Pennsylvania state legislators to the free platform that helps senior living professionals invite elected officials to visit their communities. The enhancement — developed in partnership with the Virginia Assisted Living Association (VALA) and the Pennsylvania Assisted Living Association (PALA) — is the first phase of a multi-state rollout that will bring state-level policymakers into the tool alongside the U.S. Senators and Representatives already supported.
Launched earlier this year, the Invite Your Lawmaker tool matches a senior living community’s address to the elected officials who represent it, drafts a customizable invitation letter, and provides a pre-addressed email path to each lawmaker’s scheduling contact. Every step is designed to remove the friction that has historically kept community leaders from engaging their representatives. With today’s expansion, a lookup for any address in Virginia or Pennsylvania returns not only the community’s U.S. Senators and Representative but also the corresponding state Senator and state Delegate or Representative, complete with official photos, party affiliation, district information, and direct scheduling contacts.
Senior living policy is shaped at every level of government. State legislatures set the standards that govern assisted living licensure, staffing, Medicaid waiver programs, and workforce development — decisions that directly affect the day-to-day operations of communities and the residents they serve. By putting state lawmakers a single click away, Argentum aims to make sustained, in-district advocacy as routine as federal outreach.
“Meaningful policy change starts with lawmakers who have seen the reality of senior living firsthand,” said James Balda, president and CEO of Argentum. “Our members do extraordinary work every day, and the more elected officials who walk through the doors of a community and meet the residents and professionals inside, the better our policy conversations become. Expanding the Invite Your Lawmaker tool to state legislators — starting with Virginia and Pennsylvania, and with more states to follow — gives our members and state partners a practical, no-cost way to build those relationships at the level of government where so many decisions affecting seniors are made.”
Virginia and Pennsylvania were selected as the launch states because of the strength of the partnerships with their respective state associations and the willingness of both organizations to help pilot the integration. VALA and PALA supplied the underlying legislator data, participated in a multi-week evaluation period, and helped refine the user experience before public launch. When a Virginia or Pennsylvania community submits an invitation, the state association is automatically included on the outreach so it can coordinate tour logistics, provide additional talking points, and, where useful, attend alongside the lawmaker.
“One of the best ways for legislators to understand assisted living is to experience it firsthand,” said Judy Hackler, Executive Director of the Virginia Assisted Living Association. “Our communities provide housing, care, and services to tens of thousands of Virginians every day, yet many policymakers have never had the opportunity to visit an assisted living community, meet the residents, or see the dedication of the tens of thousands of professionals who serve them. This new tool helps change that. In just a few minutes, a community anywhere in Virginia can identify its state Senator and Delegate, send a personalized invitation, and copy VALA so we can help support and coordinate the visit. It’s a practical resource that makes legislative outreach easier for our members while helping build stronger relationships between policymakers and the communities they represent. We are grateful to Argentum for developing this tool and making it available to assisted living providers across Virginia. It will make it easier for communities to connect with their legislators and showcase the important work being done in assisted living communities across the Commonwealth.”
“In Pennsylvania, we serve as the collective voice for personal care and assisted living providers, and we know that the strongest advocacy happens when a legislator sees firsthand the care being provided in their own district,” said Susan Saxinger, executive director of the Pennsylvania Assisted Living Association. “With Argentum’s tool now covering every one of Pennsylvania’s state Senators and state Representatives, our members can extend an invitation with a few clicks and count on PALA to help make each visit a productive one. This is exactly the kind of partnership that translates into stronger policy for our residents, our workforce, and our providers.”
The expanded tool is available now at invites.argentum.org and is free to use for anyone in the senior living community. Additional states will be added in the coming quarters as Argentum works with its state partners to bring integrated legislator data online.
About Argentum
Argentum is the leading national association exclusively dedicated to supporting companies operating professionally managed, resident-centered senior living communities and the older adults and families they serve. Since 1990, Argentum has advocated for choice, independence, dignity, and quality of life for all older adults.
Argentum member companies operate senior living communities offering assisted living, independent living, continuing care, and memory care services. Along with its state partners, Argentum’s membership represents approximately 75 percent of the senior living industry, an industry with a national economic impact of nearly a quarter of a trillion dollars and responsible for providing over 1.6 million jobs. These numbers will continue to grow as the U.S. population ages.
Argentum’s programs and initiatives are driven by its membership. For more information about joining Argentum, please visit argentum.org/membership. Learn more at argentum.org.
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