9110-1633, the home care program line items, back into Elder Affairs. Now
that these items are back into EOEA, we need Senate support for the concept
of a 'gateway" into all long term care services--a "single entry point" to
make it easier for elders to find, and use, long term care services. Any
reorg the Senate considers for elderly LTC should be built around EOEA, and
should tighten up the nursing home prescreening process as called for in
Senator Rosenberg's bill, Senate 670.
2. We were NOT able to get the "enhanced" program line item, 9110-1500 moved
from DMA to EOEA. This line item is actually 4 special programs combined
under EOEA, and most of the people in these programs are NOT on Medicaid, so
moving this item to DMA makes no sense at all. The 2176 waiver program
serves Medicaid recipients--but the point of having this item in EOEA is
because the waiver provides home care services to people on Medicaid. It
took us years to get these 4 programs into 1 line item--and we urge the
Senate to leave this $37 million account where it belongs: in EOEA.
3. We are NOT supportive of House outside section 36, which weakens the 1996
ASAP law, and allows DMA to move ASAPs out of programs like Community
Choices, the waiver, the Senior Care Options program, etc. This outside
section cuts the only link between Medicaid community based care, and the
non-medical home care program. We'd like to see section 36 deleted.
4. We are NOT supportive of House outside section 435, which moves the 2176
waiver from EOEA to DMA. As noted above, the waiver is all about home care,
not Medicaid services. Even though we added some important language about
the role of ASAPs in section 435, we'd prefer to not see outside Section 435 in the Senate version.
5. The House has zeroed out $494,000 for the Money management program. We
would urge the Senate to restore this program, and protect the seniors who
need help managing their daily household finances. Paying bills, taking care
of creditors, preventing financial abuse. This all-volunteer program founded
by Mass Home Care, AARP and EOEA will die if this funding is not restored.
Every part-time site coordinator in the state will be gone July 1st--and
more than a 1,000 people will lose their money management volunteer, if this
funding is not restored to the 9110-1636 account.
6. We also request that the Prescription Advantage program receive more funding if at all possible, and that it be made more affordable by having a deductible of less than $3,000 for new enrollees and lower co-pays.
7. We ask that Council on Aging funding be restored.
