Governor Proposes Significant Cuts for ACFs

LeadingAge New York is in the process of developing a comprehensive budget summary for all membership categories, but our initial analysis shows significant cuts to Adult Care Facility (ACF) funding. The Governor's Executive Budget proposal eliminates the Enhancing the Quality of Adult Living (EQUAL) quality program, which was funded at $6.5 million last year. EQUAL funding has been available to ACFs that serve recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Safety Net Assistance benefits.

The Executive Budget proposal also fails to explicitly include the SSI enriched housing subsidy, which has been traditionally funded at $502,900. The program pays $115 per month per SSI recipient to certified operators of not-for-profit certified enriched housing programs.  Rather, this is one of several programs that is lumped into one aggegrate appropriation with a cut to the total.  This puts the program at significant risk for significant cuts, even after the budget process concludes.

These cuts are extremely concerning given that they eliminate much of the financial support that ACFs get from the State, and further challenges ACFs to serve low-income seniors. We encourage members to join us for our Advocacy Day on Tues., Feb. 10, to let lawmakers know how important these funds are to the people you serve. Click here for more information, including registration. 

A complete analysis of the budget for ACF/AL members, as well as the rest of our membership, will be available later this week.

Contact: Diane Darbyshire, ddarbyshire@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8828