Legislative Bulletin: CCRCs Host Educational Program for Lawmakers
State's CCRCs Host Educational Program for Lawmakers
Representatives from a number of New York’s Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) came to Albany on Mon., June 2 to host an Educational Program for lawmakers. Those in attendance were Mike Keenan of Good Shepherd Village at Endwell; Bill Wlodarczyk of Fox Run at Orchard Park; Maureen Torelli of Glen Arden Inc.; and Greg Garret of Peconic Landing. Presenters Steve Maag, director, residential communities at LeadingAge and John Kowalik, from J. Kowalik Consulting LLC informed lawmakers of the unique role CCRCs play in delivering senior services and the challenges these communities face in New York. Assembly Majority Leader Joe Morelle and Assemblyman Tom Abinanti spoke at the event and pledged their support for the model. Read more about the Educational Program here.
LeadingAge NY staff and members also met with the Governor’s office and Department of Health staff on Monday morning to discuss legislation that would allow CCRCs to provide Continuing Care at Home contracts to seniors who live in their own homes. The bill has passed in both the Senate and Assembly and will eventually be sent to the Governor for his consideration. Please send a letter to Gov. Cuomo, urging him to approve the bill.
Senate Confirms New U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary
Sylvia Mathews Burwell, previously the White House’s budget director, was confirmed by the Senate in a 78-17 vote to become the new Secretary of Health and Human Services. Burwell succeeds Kathleen Sebelius who directed the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA); it’s expected that Burwell will continue to guide the ACA implementation moving forward. Burwell begins her new role on Monday, after she is sworn in. Read more about the HHS secretary here.
Advocacy Alert! Oppose Nurse Staffing Ratios
There are only 8 legislative session days left and the time for advocacy has never been more critical. If you have not yet discussed the Safe Staffing for Quality Care Act with your lawmakers, please do so immediately. This legislation would mandate nurse staffing ratios in nursing homes and hospitals, creating a significant fiscal impact on the State’s not-for-profit nursing home providers. LeadingAge NY developed a number of tools to guide you in your discussions with lawmakers, including a memo of opposition; region-specific Issue Briefs, which include key points against staffing ratios and regional economic impact data; and a Staffing Ratio Cost Template, which can be utilized to determine the financial impact that the proposed staffing ratio legislation would have on your facility. Also, please don’t forget to send a letter to your lawmakers, asking them to oppose this legislation.
Last Call for Golfers and Sponsors!
The LeadingAge New York PAC Golf Tournament will take place in only 10 days! Tee off is at 12:45 on Mon., June 16 for the 18-hole tournament, followed by a 3 p.m. pro-clinic and 9-hole tournament. If you want to play, but have not yet registered, please do so now. Sponsorship opportunities are also still available. Click here for registration and sponsorship opportunities.
Federal Advocacy Opportunities
- Veterans Aid & Attendance Benefits: Veterans accessing services from assisted living entities and adult care facilities are experiencing a significant delay in Aid and Attendance benefits owed to them by the VA. It is currently taking upwards of two years for applications to be approved, leaving the assisted living or adult care facility to subsidize the cost of care. Please send a letter to your members of Congress, asking them to urge the VA to approve these applications in a timely manner.
- Third Party Liability (TPL): Certified Home Health Agency and Long Term Home Health Care Program providers need your assistance in urging CMS to resume use of a statistical sampling approach or other streamlined methods for purposes of determining Medicare TPL for home health services claims for dual eligibles that were originally paid by New York’s Medicaid program. Please send a letter to your members of Congress, urging CMS to suspend the current, administratively burdensome process for determining Medicare’s TPL for home health claims already reimbursed by Medicaid.
- Older Americans Act (OAA): In 2013, OAA programs lost more than $103 million—a 5.5 percent cut from Fiscal Year (FY) 2012. These programs regained only half of that cut in FY 2014. Funding for FY 2015 is now at a critical point – nutrition programs were the only OAA programs that saw full funding restored in FY 2014 from prior year sequestration levels, and funding for nutrition programs have dramatically lagged behind inflation. Please send a letter to your members of Congress, urging them to restore OAA funding to previous levels.