LeadingAge NY Submits Testimony on Community-Based Non-Medical Services and Programs
On Wed., Dec. 6th, the Assembly Aging Committee convened a public hearing “to explore the ways in which community-based non-medical services and programs provide cost-effective supports to seniors living in their homes and neighborhoods and look at new approaches to delivering these services.” LeadingAge NY submitted written testimony proposing an array of legislative/regulatory changes and financial investments that would enable New York’s growing senior population to access services in the most integrated settings appropriate to their needs, thereby providing them with better care at a lower cost and improving their overall health. The recommendations include:
- The creation of the Senior Housing Resident Service Coordinator Program to be administered by the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) and the addition of $10 million to the state budget to fund service coordinators in 140 senior housing properties around the state;
- Additional funding for Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs) and Neighborhood NORCs;
- Support for the development of the Village model to encourage aging-in-place, improved health outcomes, use of personal funds for long term care expenses, and reduced reliance on Medicaid-funded institutional services;
- Expanded respite benefits, direct financial assistance, greater tax incentives, training programs, and education and community outreach programs for informal caregivers;
- Greater financial support for the Expanded In-Home Services for the Elderly Program (EISEP) and Community Services for the Elderly (CSE) program; and
- The alignment of NY Connects and the Health Insurance Information, Counseling and Assistance Program (HIICAP) to ensure that New Yorkers are aware of the array of long-term/post-acute care (LTPAC) and senior services available through private payment and NYSOFA, as well as Medicaid and Medicare.
Contact: Jeff Diamond, jdiamond@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8821