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

Action Alert

ACTION ALERT
OCTOBER 10, 2003

IT'S IMPORTANT TO GET A BIG SHOWING OF
SENIORS AND STAFF AT THE DFTA HEARINGS

DFTA'S BRONX RFP PLAN THREATENS THE 
AGING NETWORK AND SENIORS THEY SERVE

ISSUES TO HIGHLIGHT:

• Bronx Meals-on-Wheels RFP (see attached talking points). DFTA has made it clear that they want to take the "Bronx model" citywide.
• No salary increases since April,1999
• No "new needs" funding in 4-5 years. Budgets are worth 10% less due to inflation because of no increases. For example, if you have a $300,000 budget, it's worth about $30,000 less today.
• Capital needs of senior centers - The city is developing its 5-year capital plan over the next 8 months. It is important that senior centers and other DFTA funded programs get the capital funding they need.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

• Testify at DFTA's borough hearings - DFTA's website has the dates and their annual plan - www.nyc.gov
• Bring seniors to the hearing to fill the room. Seniors can testify.
• Make 3 minute audio tapes of home-delivered meal recipients talking about the value of the daily delivery and a hot meal. Register their name to testify and bring a tape player to the hearing. This makes invisible people visible.
• Contact your Councilmember(s) immediately - Only Bronx Councilmembers know about this proposed RFP in the Bronx. Tell your Councilmember the situation and your concerns. Invite them to your center.
• Contact the local press - Tell them the story. If they need a citywide view, have them contact Bobbie Sackman, (212) 398-6565, ext.226. Please forward any articles to CSCS.

DFTA HAS MADE IT CLEAR THEY WANT TO BRING THE "BRONX MODEL" TO ALL THE BOROUGHS

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BRONX RFP FOR MEALS-ON-WHEELS
NOVEMBER 12, 2003

DFTA says: Originally, DFTA planned to release an RFP Oct. 27th, but has delayed it. The RFP will reduce 18 MOW contracts to 3 in the Bronx as a pilot program. DFTA is still planning to release the RFP at the end of November.
Response: DFTA has presented no business plan for implementing this change nor has it reported its projected cost savings. There is no plan for what happens if this "pilot program" doesn't work. Meals-on-wheels has three equally important functions: food, health and safety watchdog role, and linking seniors to other services. Separating out just the food pulls apart the total service package for this vulnerable population. The community-based senior center is integral to providing a comprehensive human service. This isn't just about numbers of meals an agency can serve and dollars. This plan would lead to less contractors and a budget driven drive to more frozen food. DFTA has made it clear they plan to do this in all boroughs eventually. There is a plan to divide the city into 21 meals-on-wheels districts.

DFTA says: It will use cost savings to provide more meals.
Response: There is no commitment from the city to use the savings for more meals. DFTA has an $8 million food reduction target that NYC's budget office has required them to meet. Also, with DFTA facing another 3% or $2.5 million cut in November, it is unlikely the city will use savings for more meals. There is concern that the city is looking to help meet the budget deficit by cutting meals-on-wheels funding. As many meals-on-wheels come out of senior centers, this is a cut to senior centers.

DFTA says: DFTA has stated that the average $6 per home-delivered meal cost in NYC is "disproportionately higher" than the rest of the country. 
Response: This is not true. According to the Administration on Aging (AOA), a national per meal cost doesn't exist. There is simply no way to compare localities as each part of the country configures the cost and delivers meals in its own particular way.

In looking at some available statistics, the AOA website reports that the average per meal cost in NY State is $5.75 based on the number of meals served and dollars spent. This is a rough estimate, but gives a ballpark figure. According to DFTA's survey, L.A. spends $6 per meal. According to AOA, the east coast and the west coast have higher costs than the mid-west and south. The drive to more frozen food will be budget driven.

DFTA says: No funds will be cut from the meals-on-wheels budgets in the Bronx.
Response: DFTA's plan is to lower the per meal cost to $5.25 per meal - that's a 14% cut from the $6 average cost per meal. What meals-on-wheels provider can afford to bid for a contract with a 14% cut? As the goal of this pilot project is produce cost savings, it is likely less funding will be available. CSCS estimates that the Bronx would lose about $500,000 and the loss citywide could be over $4 million to meals-on-wheels. (Please note this is an estimate based on information we have. DFTA has not provided any cost savings projection.)

DFTA says: Money can be saved through less than 5 day a week delivery. Seniors who get less than a five day a week delivery will receive telephone reassurance.
Response: There is no citywide telephone reassurance program. Where will the money to pay for it come from? Additionally, telephone reassurance isn't good enough. Many seniors will say they are OK when they are not. Only a face to face visit will show what is really going on. Meal deliverers have saved lives numerous times by discovering someone is ill or has fallen and is in need of help. This is often the only person a homebound senior sees each day.

DFTA says: Each homebound senior will be assessed by a case management agency as to whether or not they can use frozen meals.
Response: Anecdotal information nationally indicates that only about 25-30% of homebound elderly can use frozen meals. This seems to be about the same percentage reported in NYC by case management agencies. At a recent meeting, DFTA stated that its goal was to get as much as 50% of all seniors on frozen food. What will happen to the assessment role if there is a pre-determined target that is rather high? Each meals-on-wheels program will have a different mix of those seniors who can use frozen or need freshly cooked food. This will always change with the mix of seniors being served at a particular time as their medical condition can change frequently.

DFTA says: Seniors like frozen food, even preferring it to hot meals.
Response: This is based on a small pilot program of under 500 seniors around the city who were on waiting lists for meals and cannot be broadened to reflect what seniors prefer citywide. Careful assessment was done to ensure that these seniors could heat a frozen meal and wanted it. There cannot be one cookie-cutter approach to providing home-delivered meals in NYC especially with the diversity of older New Yorkers. While frozen meals can be appropriate is some situations, choice of fresh or frozen food should be up to the case manager, senior center and seniors, not a budget driven decision.

DFTA says: All seniors will be assessed by case management agencies to see if they can use frozen meals.
Response: Case management agencies are already overloaded with caseloads averaging 90 per worker. Additional resources would have to be in place for case management agencies before the changes go into effect. Who will pay for microwaves and train seniors how to use them? What if the health status of the senior changes? Will this create 2 waiting lists - for frozen and fresh food?

DFTA says: It will make agencies whole. Agencies that lose contracts will be given funding so that their infrastructure will not be hurt.
Response: Where will the money come from for this? If DFTA does this, where is the cost savings? Will the money remain after the first year? If the cooks prepare less meals, will their salaries be cut (already low paid with no increase in 5 years)? Will DFTA move later on to make the case that the senior center kitchens don't have to prepare their own congregate meals? An agency would have to be able to provide 600-900 home-delivered meals per day that DFTA would require (DFTA has divided the Bronx into 3 districts). 

DFTA says: Agencies can try to find jobs for kitchen and delivery staff who are laid off.
Response: DFTA acknowledges jobs will be lost - kitchen aides, van drivers and meal deliverers - but to date does not know how many. Many have been on these jobs for a lot of years. Where will jobs be found? If a large contractor hires some of the staff, where are the cost savings? These are low paid staff - local residents - with health benefits who have had no salary increase in five years. Homebound seniors will lose a lifeline connection to the world if staff is laid off.

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

CSCS - FIGHTING FOR YOU EVERY DAY!