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Elder advocacy makes a difference
By State Rep. Peter Larkin
The budget that was approved by the Legislature after the overrides of Governor Romney’s vetoes represents a victory for the elderly and elder advocates.
Elder Services’ new Executive Director Robert Dean made several trips to Boston to speak with me and other legislators personally. In addition, my office received many calls and letters from Berkshire seniors, not to mention the numerous faxes and emails that clogged our fax machines and crashed my email account! There is no way a legislator can ignore that kind of advocacy.
In the final days of this legislative session, the Legislature overrode Governor Romney’s vetoes for the following programs:
· Home Care for the Elderly: The Governor vetoed $2,416,360 from the budget that provides Home Care for the Elderly. The Legislature restored the funds for Home Care to $94,158,158. If the Legislature had not overridden the veto for this program, this would have caused 875 seniors statewide to lose a year of home care.
· Congregate Housing for the Elderly: Governor Romney vetoed this line item by $1,094,580, to $215,100. The Legislature restored the funds that the Governor had vetoed, thereby providing $1,309,680 for congregate housing services. This reinstatement of funds will allow the congregate housing service coordinator positions to be retained statewide.
· Council on Aging Funding for the Elderly: The Governor cut $590,000 (or 10%) from the budget that funds grants to Councils on Aging in our communities. The Legislature reinstated this funding, providing $5,900,000 to be allocated statewide to local councils.
· Home Care Case Management: The Governor vetoed the case management budget for Home Care by $999,827. These funds provide vital support services for the elderly. The Legislature overrode the Governor’s veto, providing $34,941,978 for the Home Care Case Management.
In addition, the Prescription Advantage program has provided seniors with a much higher quality of life and the means to pay for their prescription drugs. Through the dedicated advocacy of our seniors, the Legislature funded this program with $96 million in Fiscal Year 2004, sustaining its commitment at a level that will make prescriptions available to our most vulnerable seniors. An open enrollment period for the Prescription Advantage program was held from August 1-31 for non-Medicaid recipients aged 66 or older. Enrollment for people who are 65 or are under 65 with disabilities and meet income criteria was also be reopened on August 1.