Legislative Bulletin: Continued Advocacy Needed on Priority Bills

Please Continue Your Advocacy on Priority Bills!

In a change from previous weeks, LeadingAge NY’s priority bills saw little movement in the Legislature this week. With less than 20 session days left, however, we expect this to change quickly. Please continue to reach out to your lawmakers and engage them on our critical issues. Several of our key bills, highlighted below, need sponsors. We need your help getting legislators to sign on!

CCRC Revitalization Act: A.6450 (Schimminger)/S.5172 (Hannon) would reform Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) laws and regulatory oversight, eliminating many of the current barriers to developing, expanding, and efficiently operating CCRCs in New York State. LeadingAge NY President/CEO Jim Clyne recently appeared on Capital Tonight to discuss the need for CCRC reform, and our report illustrating the economic benefits of the CCRC model was featured in Politico New York. Click here to access our memo of support and here to send a pre-written letter to your legislators, urging them to sign on to the bill.
Role of the Nurse in Adult Care Facilities: A.2736 (Gottfried)/S.4398 (Hannon) would allow all adult care facilities (ACFs) and assisted living providers that employ nurses the option to provide nursing services directly. Simply allowing nurses to be nurses in the ACF setting would not only improve outcomes and quality of life for seniors, but would also result in significant Medicaid savings. LeadingAge NY’s memo of support is available here, and you can connect with your lawmakers by clicking here.
Capital Funding for Assisted Living Programs: A.1612-A (Magnarelli)/S.6319 (Hannon) and A.1650 (Magnarelli) would enable Assisted Living Programs (ALPs) to access Vital Access Provider (VAP) and Health Care Facility Transformation Program funds allocated in the final 2017-18 State Budget. This would allow ALPs to address increasing workforce and operational costs, tighter budgets, and much-needed capital improvements. Click here for LeadingAge NY’s memo of support and here to send a letter to your legislators.
ALP CON Process: S.5840 (Hannon) would convert the ALP from a competitive solicitation process to a certificate of need (CON) process that awards beds based on demonstrated community need and allow existing ALP providers to add up to nine beds through an expedited process. Despite its growth in recent years, there are still counties with no ALP providers and existing ALPs that do not have enough capacity to serve the current need in their community. The CON process proposed in this legislation would allow expansion of ALP beds to counties that have a demonstrated need in a rational and timely manner. LeadingAge NY’s memo of support can be accessed here, and you can connect with your Senate representative by clicking here.
Affordable Senior Housing and Services Program: The final 2017-18 State Budget allocated $125 million for the development or rehabilitation of 100% senior housing, targeted to low income seniors aged 60 and above. A.6804 (Cymbrowitz)/S.5141 (Little) would establish an Affordable Senior Housing and Services Program with its own rules and scoring criteria and would also provide for optional basic healthy aging services for senior housing residents. This program would help address the demand for safe, decent affordable housing for seniors, while also ensuring that seniors are not unnecessarily placed in more costly and restrictive institutional settings. LeadingAge NY’s memo of support is available here, and you can contact your lawmakers by clicking here.
TBI/NHTD Carve-out of Medicaid Managed Care: The Department of Health (DOH) agreed in a side letter issued last month to delay the transition of the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Nursing Home Transition and Diversion (NHTD) waivers into Medicaid managed care until Jan. 1, 2019. A.2442 (Gottfried)/S.1870 (Hannon) would make this delay a permanent carve-out. There are no cost savings associated with moving TBI/NHTD into managed care, and given the significant programmatic changes absorbed by Medicaid managed care and Managed Long Term Care plans in recent years, LeadingAge NY believes that the interests of all stakeholders would be best served by focusing on current populations and benefits. Click here for our memo of support and here to contact your legislators.

NYSNA and Unions Push for Staffing Ratios Legislation

On Tuesday, the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) and several of its union allies were in Albany pushing for the passage of staffing ratios legislation. The bill, A.1532 (Gunther)/S.3330 (Hannon), would create specific staffing ratios for nurses and other direct care staff in hospitals and nursing homes at a cost of approximately $1.06B to nursing homes statewide. It remains in the Assembly Codes and Senate Health Committees. LeadingAge NY continues to be strongly opposed to this legislation, as there is no available research to suggest that specific staffing ratios result in improved quality of care or quality of life. In fact, the only outcome of the bill would be higher operating costs and less quality of life programming for nursing home residents.

Legislators need to hear your side of the staffing ratios story NOW! As the unions continue their push, it is more important than ever for you to reach out and let your lawmakers know that you oppose this irresponsible mandate on nursing homes. Click here for LeadingAge NY’s memo of opposition and here to connect with lawmakers via email, Facebook, and Twitter.

LeadingAge Launches Save HUD 202 Campaign

This week, LeadingAge National launched a new campaign centered on the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Section 202 Housing for the Elderly Program. Save HUD 202 aims to prevent cuts to 202, maintain 100% funding for those currently served by affordable housing, and expand funding to create new affordable housing for older adults.

Per the campaign announcement from LeadingAge National: “A large and rapidly expanding population of low-income older adults faces the challenge of finding affordable, safe housing that can accommodate changing needs as they grow older. The 202 program provides funding for housing with services coordination so this population can age in place longer and with better health outcomes. Any cuts would reduce the availability of affordable housing for older adults who rely on it.”

Your participation in this campaign is essential! LeadingAge National is planning to hold a rally at the U.S. Capitol in late June to amplify the Save HUD 202 message, with more details coming soon. Other ways to get involved include inviting your representatives to visit your community or meeting with them in their district offices; attending town hall meetings; calling or emailing lawmakers; participating in letter-writing campaigns; and sharing the Save HUD 202 materials in your newsletters and on social media. With President Trump’s FY 2018 budget request going to Congress on May 22^nd, you might also consider highlighting the need for sufficient funding for the 202 program in a press release or letter to the editor in a local newspaper. In whatever you do, be sure to tell your story!

For more information on Save HUD 202, and to access the campaign materials, please click here.

Action Alert: Ask Your Congressional Representative to Sign on to Nursing Home RoPs Delay Request Letter

Attention nursing home members! Congressman Glenn Grothman (R-WI) is currently circulating correspondence to all House members asking them to sign on to a letter urging the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to “suspend and delay” implementation of the October 2016 nursing home Requirements of Participation. LeadingAge NY supports this action and urges you to call and ask your congressional representative to join the letter. To sign on, lawmakers will need to contact Congressman Grothman’s office by Mon., May 22^nd. Thank you for taking action!

Advocacy Alert: Connect with Congress During Memorial Day Recess

Members of Congress will be back in their districts for Memorial Day recess from May 27^th to June 4^th, offering a valuable opportunity for you to continue your federal advocacy efforts. Lawmakers are considering a number of critical issues impacting seniors and aging services providers, and we need you to make your voice heard! Please call your representatives and schedule appointments to meet with them in their district offices or on your campus during the break.

As you engage with lawmakers, be sure to ask them to:

Oppose cuts to Medicaid, and ensure that the program is not changed to per capita caps or block grants. Now that the American Health Care Act (AHCA) has passed the House, it moves to the Senate, where Republican lawmakers have already laid the groundwork to pass the bill through a process that requires only 51 votes. It is important that we use every opportunity to connect with all Republican senators. Click here to view the list of senators that are a priority. LeadingAge National has set up a toll-free number to connect you directly to Senators Schumer and Gillibrand: 866-460-6413.
Support full funding for HUD programs for FY 2018, expansion of HUD’s Rental Assistance Demonstration for Section 202 properties to help preserve these communities, and expansion of affordable housing resources for older adults.
Support level funding for OAA Title III B Supportive Services, Title III C Nutrition, and Title III E National Family Caregiver Support Program, the Older Americans Act programs that fund Meals on Wheels, Adult Day Services, and in-home care.
Oppose further cuts to Medicare home health and hospice.

To assist you in your efforts, LeadingAge National has developed a “How to Host Your Lawmaker” toolkit with sample letters, issue briefs, and other resources to help you coordinate a successful congressional visit. You can also utilize LeadingAge NY’s 2017 federal issue brief, which is available here. Thank you in advance for your advocacy!

Senator Flanagan Announces Formation of Senate Republican Women’s Caucus

On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader John J. Flanagan announced the formation of the Senate Republican Women's Caucus, to be chaired by Senator Betty Little. According to a press release, the Caucus will “focus on ways to increase economic opportunities for women, including obstacles they face in the workforce; review the state’s efforts to support victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and rape; and examine solutions to make child care more affordable and to help families achieve a better work-life balance.”

Other members of the caucus include Senators Catharine Young, Patty Ritchie, Kathy Marchione, Sue Serino, Elaine Phillips, and Pam Helming.

Assemblyman Farrell Reportedly to Retire

Lastly, it was reported this week that Assembly Ways and Means Chair Herman “Denny” Farrell Jr., who has served in the Legislature since 1975, will not seek re-election next year and may step down before his current term ends. Per sources close to the Assemblyman, the reason for his retirement is a combination of being 85 years old and wanting to spend more time with his young daughter.

Contacts:

Ami Schnauber, aschnauber@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8854

Jeff Diamond, jdiamond@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8821