Significant Progress in ACF and Assisted Living Priorities

We are pleased to report some exciting developments for Adult Care Facility (ACF) and assisted living members. With just a few weeks left of the legislative session, now is the time to let your representatives know you want their support on these initiatives.

As we reported earlier in session, there was a Senate bill introduced to increase the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) rate for ACF residents. This bill, S.7333-Serino, now has an identical bill in the Assembly, A.10224-Brindisi. This is a significant step in the legislative process; if the bill gets passed in both houses, it will be delivered to the Governor. Click here to send a letter to your representatives.

While we have been persistently advocating for an SSI increase, we have also been working on some proactive legislation to provide Assisted Living Programs (ALPs) with access to funds to support operations and make capital investments. To this end, we are pleased to report that Senator Hannon has introduced two bills that, if enacted, would allow ALPs new access to funding. S.7711-Hannon makes ALPs and hospice providers eligible for access funding under the statewide health care facility transformation program, and S.7718 Hannon makes ALPs eligible for access funding under the vital access provider program. We urge members to reach out to their representatives and urge them to support these initiatives. Click here to access information about how to contact your representatives.

LeadingAge NY is also continuing to work on a policy change to enable a Medicaid-eligible ALP resident to be able to access hospice, and remain in the ALP. We recently met with key Department of Health officials on the issue and are working on some solutions to the barriers that exist. We will keep members apprised of our progress on this issue.

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