The mission of the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) is to help older New Yorkers be as independent as possible for as long as possible through advocacy and development and delivery of person-centered, consumer-oriented, and cost-effective policies, programs, and services that support and empower older New Yorkers and their families, in partnership with the network of public and private organizations that serve them.

NYSOFA contracts with a network of 59 local area agencies on aging (AAAs), that serve each county, the City of New York, the St. Regis Mohawk Indian Reservation, and the Seneca Nation of Indians. AAAs directly manage a wide array of federal and state-funded services that support older adults and their families and promote healthy aging and community involvement.