MRT Affordable Housing State Funding is More Critical Than Ever
The Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT) Affordable Housing Work Group met on Tues., Dec. 17 to discuss a variety of issues, including the budget for the year ahead and the MRT Waiver as it relates to housing opportunities.
New York submitted the MRT Waiver Amendment Proposal to CMS for approval that would allow New York to reinvest $10 billion in MRT - generated federal savings back into the health care delivery system over five years. Unfortunately, CMS determined that strategies such as capital and rental subsidies in the proposal are “unfundable." Work group members expressed their disappointment of not being able to receive capital and subsidy supportive housing funds from CMS and highlighted the importance of advocacy for state funding for housing investments. Click here for more information on the waiver amendment.
Health homes and supportive housing entities have been struggling to work together due to confusion about roles and the different models that exist in the state, so training is being developed. LeadingAge New York recommended that senior housing and services be considered in the training discussions.
Work group members have been asked to submit ideas for how a potential budget allocation should be spent in the year ahead. As work group members, LeadingAge New York will be advocating to ensure funding is in the budget this year and that senior housing and services will be one of the priority targets for the funding. LeadingAge New York will also be advocating for ongoing support of housing subsidies for the Nursing Home Transition and Diversion (NHTD) and Traumatic Brain Injury Waiver (TBI) program participants. Advocacy Day is one way that you can support our advocacy efforts. Please let us know if you have additional ideas about how the funding can be invested in targeted ways to result in Medicaid savings.
We anticipate that the grant opportunity for capital investments and supportive services in senior housing, which we fought for last year, will be available in January. We urge members to consider how they may be able to make investments that can demonstrate Medicaid savings, as successful projects could lead to future investments.
The presentation materials for the meeting can be found here.
Contact: Ken Harris, kharris@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8835 or Diane Darbyshire, ddarbyshire@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8828