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S2137Senate2017-2018 Session

Increase Residential Care Payments

Official title

“Increases the enhanced residential care benefits for the aged, and blind and disabled persons”

Sponsor Susan SerinoSD-41+21 co-sponsorsAffects Health
Status
In Senate Committee
Social Services
Impact
6/10
Moderate
Passage
0%

Bill progress

Step 2 of 7

In committee · Social Services

What's happening

This bill increases the enhanced residential care benefit amounts for aged, blind, and disabled persons in New York.

Why it matters

  1. Incremental Increases. The bill sets out a schedule of annual increases to the enhanced residential care benefit for aged, blind, and disabled persons, raising the benefit each year from 2017 through at least 2021. This addresses cost-of-living changes and inflation, helping benefits keep pace with rising expenses.

  2. Couples Included. The legislation ensures that couples receive a benefit amount exactly double that of an individual, acknowledging the higher costs faced by two-person households and ensuring equity in support.

  3. Long-Term Planning. By specifying benefit amounts for multiple future years and establishing a new baseline for ongoing increases, the bill provides stability and predictability for recipients, their families, and care providers, aiding in financial planning and security.

  4. Supports Vulnerable Populations. Increasing these benefits can help safeguard the well-being of some of New York’s most vulnerable residents, potentially reducing the risk of inadequate care, housing instability, and related hardships among seniors and people with disabilities.

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Who cares

Headline styles

Increase Residential Care Payments

Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.

Sponsors

Primary sponsor
Susan Serino

Senator · Senate District 41

Chair, Aging

History

  1. Referred to social services
  2. Returned to senate
  3. Died in assembly
  4. Referred to social services
  5. Delivered to assembly
  6. Passed senateVote 63–0
  7. Ordered to third reading cal.1536
  8. Committee discharged and committed to rules
  9. Reported and committed to finance
  10. Print number 2137a
  11. Amend and recommit to social services
  12. Referred to social services

Full text

2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗

STATE OF NEW YORK

2137--A

2017-2018 Regular Sessions

IN SENATE

January 12, 2017

Introduced by Sens. SERINO, AMEDORE, AVELLA, CROCI, DeFRANCISCO, FUNKE, GALLIVAN, GOLDEN, GRIFFO, HANNON, LAVALLE, LITTLE, MARCELLINO, MURPHY, ORTT, RANZENHOFER, RITCHIE, ROBACH, SAVINO, VALESKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Social Services -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to increasing the enhanced residential care benefits for aged, blind and disabled persons

The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:

Section 1. Paragraph (e) of subdivision 2 of section 209 of the social services law, as amended by section 2 of part O of chapter 54 of the laws of 2016, is amended to read as follows:

(e) (i) [On and after] (1) From January first, two thousand sixteen to March thirty-first, two thousand seventeen, for an eligible individual receiving enhanced residential care, $1427.00; and [(ii)] (2) for an eligible couple receiving enhanced residential care, two times the amount set forth in [subparagraph (i)] clause one of this [paragraph] subparagraph.

(ii) (1) From April first, two thousand seventeen to March thirtyfirst, two thousand eighteen, for an eligible individual receiving enhanced residential care, $1547.00; and (2) for an eligible couple receiving enhanced residential care, two times the amount set forth in clause one of this subparagraph.

(iii) (1) From April first, two thousand eighteen to March thirtyfirst, two thousand nineteen, for an eligible individual receiving enhanced residential care, $1667.00; and (2) for an eligible couple receiving enhanced residential care, two times the amount set forth in clause one of this subparagraph.

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD01962-04-7

S. 2137--A 2

(iv) (1) From April first, two thousand nineteen to March thirtyfirst, two thousand twenty, for an eligible individual receiving enhanced residential care, $1787.00; and (2) for an eligible couple receiving enhanced residential care, two times the amount set forth in clause one of this subparagraph.

(v) (1) From April first, two thousand twenty to March thirty-first, two thousand twenty-one, for an eligible individual receiving enhanced residential care, $1907.00; and (2) for an eligible couple receiving enhanced residential care, two times the amount set forth in clause one of this subparagraph.

(vi) (1) From April first, two thousand twenty-one and thereafter, for an eligible individual receiving enhanced residential care, $2027.00; and (2) for an eligible couple receiving enhanced residential care, two times the amount set forth in clause one of this subparagraph.

§ 2. This act shall take effect April 1, 2017.

Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.

Sponsor's memo

Title of bill

An act to amend the social services law, in relation to increasing the enhanced residential care benefits for aged, blind and disabled persons

Purpose

To increase the Social Security Income Rate adult care facilities receive in order to ensure that these services continue to be available to low income SSI recipients

Summary of provisions

Section 1: Amends Part 0 of Chapter 54 of the laws of 2016 to increase the rate of SSI payment for eligible individuals receiving enhanced residential care in $4.00 per day increments, the first of which takes place April 1, 2017, followed by increases on April 1 of 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, for a total increase of $20.00 per day.

Section 2: Provides an effective date.

Justification

Many low income elderly and disabled individuals in New York live in adult care facilities which are paid through SSI. In the last twenty years, adult care facilities have had one rate increase in 2007 which brought them to the current $40.00 per day. There has been no State COLA during this period and costs to these facilities of providing housing, care and services have continued to go up. For example, since 2007 health insurance costs have gone up 42% and worker's compensation costs are up 13%, not to mention real estate taxes.

The stagnant rate, coupled with rising costs has resulted in closures of SSI facilities. For every displaced SSI recipient who ends up in a nursing home, the daily cost of housing and care raises from $40/day to $150-$250/day in Medicaid costs depending upon the area of the state. Over the past 5 years, 20 facilities have closed their doors. In 2014 alone seven facilities closed. These closures are hard on individuals who lose their homes and owners who lose their businesses, but they are also costly for the state. For example, in December 2014 an adult care facility closed in Onondaga County and eight of the SSI residents moved into higher levels of care, resulting in the state paying approximately $325,000 more for these eight low income seniors. One leading upstate provider recently closed three facilities over an 8-month period resulting in 88 low income SSI recipients having to move to other settings.

With the minimum wage increase this year, costs to these facilities will continue to rise and more will be forced to close. By providing incremental increases in the daily rate to these facilities over a two-year period, this legislation will help keep adult care facilities operational, low income seniors in the community, and avoid higher Medicaid costs which result when residents are displaced.

Legislative history

2016: S.7333 Passed Senate

Fiscal implications

Savings to the state as low income elderly and disabled individuals are maintained in lower cost care settings which do not rely on Medicaid funding. EFFECTIVE DATE : This act shall take effect April 1, 2017.

Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.