CSCS: Council of Senior Centers and Services of NYC, Inc.

THE SHOE DROPS

AT A PUBLIC MEETING, DFTA COMMISSIONER LILLIAM BARRIOS PAOLI ANNOUNCED THE CLOSING OF 50 SENIOR CENTERS AS OF JULY 1, 2010 - SENIOR CENTERS WILL RECEIVE LETTERS AS OF MAY 15, 2010

$10. 3 MILLION CUT TO EISEP HOME CARE TAKES EFFECT IMMEDIATELY CURRENT HOMEBOUND ELDERLY CLIENTS WILL LOSE HOME CARE HOURS WHILE OVER 700 FRAIL ELDERLY LANGUISH ON WAITING LISTS

Senior center closings:

• The state budget, which begins April 1st, hasn’t been adopted yet and is late. Because there are still potential Title XX and other state cuts, the Department for the Aging (DFTA) is moving ahead with letters sent out on May 15th to 50 senior centers to prepare them to close as of July 1, 2010. Funding for meals and transportation will be maintained and allocated to nearby senior centers. This will be a $6-$7 million cut.
• According to DFTA, all these senior centers operate part-time, 3 days a week and serve less than 50 meals a day, many serving less than 30. The total number of meals is around 1600.
• State AIM funds – Governor Paterson’s budget wants to eliminated all AIM funds to NYC, $301 million. To date, the state legislature would only restore half, $150 million. The Mayor’s contingency plan, if the AIM funds are lost, would cut DFTA by $9.2 million. The $9.2 million reduction, if fully implemented, would cut an additional 30-40 senior centers, bringing the total to 80-90.
• The state has no deadline by which it has to finish its budget and it is not clear when it will be done.

Home care cuts:

• The Bloomberg administration targeted a $10.3 million cut to EISEP home care. As of January, 2010, home care waiting lists were frozen and no new clients have been able to receive home care hours. Case management agencies were directed to re-assess some clients for Medicaid eligibility. Only about 10-15% became eligible.
• Home care hours are being cut immediately because not enough clients were transferred to Medicaid home care.
• It is important to note that even if more clients were transferred to Medicaid, EISEP home care hours would have still been cut since that’s the only way the city would see a “savings”.
• The average age of a home care client is 84, most live alone, and average only 10-12 hours a week of personal care. Some receive 4 hours a week of housekeeping services. Both these types of home care will be reduced immediately. The waiting list will grow making home care an inaccessible service for homebound elderly New Yorkers not eligible for Medicaid. These are seniors who don’t have a lot of money and certainly cannot privately pay for home care. They will be left home alone.

For further information, please contact Bobbie Sackman, (212) 398-6565 x226 or bsackman@cscs-ny.org

CSCS – THE POWER OF AGING!