Advocacy Action Alert!

The State Legislature has adjourned for the upcoming break week and legislators should be in their districts from now until February 24. This provides a great opportunity for you to request a meeting with your representatives in their District Offices to discuss your state budget and legislative concerns. This is the perfect time to engage with them on these discussions before they return to Albany to negotiate a final state budget. Once legislators return to Albany they will be working on their one-house budget bills, which will reflect each houses priorities for the final budget. We need to ensure that our concerns are reflected in the Assembly and Senate one-house budget proposals.

There are several things of great concern to aging services providers in this year’s budget, including:

The need for inflationary adjustments to the Medicaid Cap and Medicaid rates
Adequate funding for wage parity, UAS-NY implementation and managed care contracts with home health services
Rejecting the nursing home standard wage mandate and the cap on Case-Mix Index
Earmarking affordable housing funds for senior housing development and renovation
Restoring EQUAL and SSI Enriched Housing funds for adult care and assisted living facilities
Ensuring all aging services providers have access to Capital Restructuring funds.

While we don’t expect you to discuss all of these issues with your legislative representatives, take some time to think about the issues impacting your organization. What is most important to you? What is your story?

Who/what is your organization and who are the individuals for whom you provide care?
What’s happening to your organization and the consumers and caregivers in your community as health reforms roll out?
What’s the economic and social impact your organization has in the community?
How will some of the governor’s budget proposals impact your community?

Please take the time today or tomorrow to schedule a meeting with your representatives for next week. Bring along, board members, staff, employees, residents – anyone who can help tell your story. Your advocacy efforts will be critical as we move towards a final budget.

You can find legislators’ contact information here: http://capwiz.com/leadingage/ny/state/main/?state=NY

You can print our Issue Brief here: 10 Budget Priorities to Support Seniors and Aging Services Providers

Please contact Ami Schnauber or Alyssa Lovelace if we can assist you with your advocacy efforts.