Legislative Bulletin: Preparing for Successful Budget Advocacy

February 10, 2023

LeadingAge New York Releases Summary of 2023-24 Executive Budget

On Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, Governor Hochul released her $227 billion ($227B) State Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) budget plan, with a theme of making New York more affordable, more livable and safer. The proposed budget, which covers the period April 1, 2023 – March 31, 2024, seeks to provide a balanced budget that invests in mental health resources, public safety initiatives, assistance to asylum seekers and environmental initiatives. The proposal also includes efforts to address gun and violent crime, make child care more accessible and affordable, increase housing stock and boost the economy.

Yesterday, LeadingAge New York published a comprehensive summary of the health, Medicaid and housing proposals advanced by the Governor that may impact LeadingAge NY members. As readers will see, the Executive Budget includes proposals that are intended to alleviate the financial stress and workforce shortages that LeadingAge NY members are experiencing. This reflects our collective advocacy over the past year. However, given the chronic underfunding of our sector, the investments are insufficient.

It is critical that we sustain our advocacy efforts throughout the budget process to ensure that the needs of older adults, people with disabilities and the providers that serve them are addressed in a final budget agreement. If you have not already set up calls or meetings with your legislators to discuss your top budget priorities and concerns, please be sure to do so as soon as possible!

If you would like assistance in connecting with legislators, and/or want to make sure you are taking part in our membership’s unified message, be sure to sign-up for 2023 Budget Advocacy efforts here!

Budget Handouts Now Available for Advocacy Week, Feb. 13-17!

Our Virtual Advocacy Week has arrived! Monday will mark the first day of a week packed with virtual and in-person meetings organized by LeadingAge New York and our membership. We are still getting a handle on the number of meetings we expect to take place next week – but we thank our membership for making a point to connect with legislators during this critical time.

Over the course of the next seven weeks, legislators will be hearing from stakeholders and constituents on every issue under the sun – education, health care, transportation, clean energy, etc. It is paramount that we keep long-term care and aging services top-of-mind for legislators as they begin to determine what their personal budget priorities will be.

We are urging ALL LeadingAge NY members to connect with their legislators on key budget priorities during the month of February.

Three easy steps to participate in budget advocacy:

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER for LeadingAge NY 2023 Virtual Advocacy Week, Feb. 13 – 17.

It is not too late to register! If you register for budget advocacy now, we will still help you set up meetings and support your advocacy activities!

CALL YOUR STATE SENATOR & ASSEMBLY MEMBER to request a virtual/Zoom meeting for Feb. 13-17. OR indicate on the registration form that you would like LeadingAge NY to set up a meeting on your behalf. As an additional resource for individuals new to advocacy, we have developed this legislative scheduling guide to assist members in setting up meetings.
Send your meeting details to Sarah Daly at sdaly@leadingageny.org, so that we can track our combined advocacy efforts and support you in your advocacy.

Support that will be provided during 2023 Virtual Advocacy Week, Feb 13-17:

Policy team participation in legislative meetings.
Scheduling assistance.
Legislative follow-up/answering questions.
Budget and Advocacy Week Prep Webinar, recording available here.
Service-line specific budget handouts and meeting materials, now available here!

For more details on how to get involved in 2023 Budget Advocacy visit our Virtual Advocacy Week website.

2023 Budget & Advocacy Prep – Webinar Recording Now Available

This morning, LeadingAge NY held a Budget and Advocacy Week Prep Webinar, during which LeadingAge NY policy staff reviewed the Executive Budget Proposal’s potential impact on members, related budget materials, and answered questions from members regarding budget advocacy strategies.

If you are planning on participating in our coordinated budget advocacy efforts, but were unable to join the webinar this morning, a recording of the webinar is available on our website here.

Ask Legislators to Write to Leadership Urging for 20% Medicaid Increase!

At this stage of the state budget process, legislators are beginning to write to committee chairs and legislative leadership urging for their top budget priorities to be included in one-house budget proposals. One-house budget proposals are expected to be released in mid-March, which is already just a month away!

Members are strongly encouraged to call and meet with legislators next week (Feb 13-17) and ask them to send letters to legislative leadership, urging for a 20% increase to nursing home Medicaid rates! Instructions below:

Nursing Home Ask for State Senators:

Ask your Senator to send a letter to the Leader and Senator Krueger. Draft letter for SENATORS TO SEND is available here.

Nursing Home Ask for State Assembly Members:

Ask your Assembly Member to send a letter to the Speaker and Assembly Member Weinstein. Draft letter for ASSEMBLY MEMBERS TO SEND is available here.
Also, if you have a Democrat Assembly Member: Assembly Member Woerner is circulating a budget sign-on letter urging for a “20% increase to the Medicaid reimbursement rate paid to nursing homes, including pediatric nursing facilities, and requiring a rebasing of expenses in 2024 and every 3 years thereafter in this year’s budget.”
- Ask your Assembly Member to sign-on to Assembly Member Woerner’s letter by COB 2/15.
- Assembly Members can contact Nicole Clarke, clarken@nyassembly.gov, by Wednesday Feb. 15, to sign-on.

ACTION ALERT: Psychotropic Medication Bill on Senate Health Agenda

The Senate Health Committee meeting agenda for Tuesday, Feb. 14^th includes S.466 (Sepulveda), a bill that would require an enhanced level of informed consent before psychotropic medications can be prescribed for residents of nursing homes or adult care facilities (ACFs). The legislation makes two major changes in an effort to reduce the use of psychotropic medications:

Requires health care professionals to receive written consent from the resident or the resident’s “lawful representative” before ordering or increasing the order of any psychotropic medication; and
Limits all orders for psychotropic medications to 14 days.

This legislation aims to address issues that are largely already taken care of by federal nursing home regulations, and LeadingAge NY believes it is problematic for nursing homes and ACFs. With that, we have issued a memo of opposition on the bill to the full Senate Health Committee.

The bill has been consistently passed by the Assembly for the last several years, including last year. While it has not recently been passed in the Senate, the fact that it is already on a Senate Health Agenda is cause for concern.

We need to ensure that the Senate understands our reasons for opposing this problematic bill! Please click here to send a message to your lawmakers TODAY opposing further restrictions on the use of psychotropic medications in nursing homes and ACFs!

LeadingAge & LeadingAge New York Coronavirus Resources

LeadingAge NY continues to closely follow all COVID-19 news and we are doing our best to keep members informed of updates, recommendations and guidelines from the Department of Health (DOH).

LeadingAge NY and LeadingAge National Member resources are linked below.

LeadingAge NY Coronavirus Resources

LeadingAge NY COVID-19 Weekly Update calls – Mondays at 11 a.m. Click here to join the call from your computer, android or apple device. Or you can join the call by dialing in: 877 853 5257 (Toll Free); Webinar ID: 852 964 255.

LeadingAge National Coronavirus Policy Updates – Mondays and Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m. Past call recordings are available here and you can register here for future calls.

Contact: Sarah Daly; 518.867.8845; sdaly@leadingageny.org