Tag Archives for Maureen Maigret

Costa takes helm of SACRI, Crafts Vision for Upcoming Conference

Published in RINewsToday on September 9, 2024

The Senior Agenda Coalition of Rhode Island (SACRI), an independent and diverse coalition of over 20 agencies and individual members who advocate for older Rhode Islanders, gears up for the planning of its 16th Annual Conference and Expo with the recent appointment of its new Executive Director, Carol Anne Costa.

Bringing a Wealth of Experience to SACRI

According to Diane Santos, SACRI Board  Chair, Costa brings a wealth of experience from her positions in the Raimondo administration and most recently as the Constituent Service Coordinator for the Rhode Island Office of Attorney General. Her institutional knowledge at the state and federal levels gained in her past positions in the Rhode Island Judiciary, as well as Executive Director of National Utility Contractors of RI (NUCARI) and her managerial role at the Johnston Housing Authority, is a great asset.

“Most importantly, Carol is passionate about helping others, not only through her work but also through her volunteerism in the community. This commitment is exemplified by her serving on many Boards and committees, most notably as a member of the Board of Directors of Wiggin Village for the past 20 years,” says Santos.

The conference will bring together important voices: people from across the state together with the politicians who serve their interests at the levers of power, says Costa. “To achieve progress on any issue the participation of decision makers along with those they represent is the best way to meet budget, legislative and policy goals,” notes Costa.

SACRI Conference is Just a Month Away

In July, Costa stepped into the role of managing SACRI’s upcoming annual conference, “A Bridge to a Secure Future,” to be held on October 9, 2024, from 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon, at the Warwick-based Crown Plaza.  This major task remains on her desk as do many of the other tasks to move the organization forward to prepare for the upcoming General Assembly session.

We must embrace the future and respect the past,” says Costa, in developing strategies to advocate for legislative proposals that enhance the lives older persons.

 “My goal is to fill the ballroom at the Crowne Plaza to capacity with older Rhode Islanders, aging advocates, partners and coalition members to educate them about legislative proposals that SACRI supports during next year’s legislative session.

According to Costa, the conference theme, “A Bridge to a Secure Future,” focuses on the kitchen table issues facing older adults and adults with disabilities: economic security, healthcare, and housing. Presenting the keynote address is US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse who will be followed by a panel including US Congressman Seth Magaziner, RI Attorney General Peter F. Neronha and Housing expert, Julie Leddy, she says.

“The conference will be informative and opportune.” said Costa, noting that SACRI’s mission is helping to better the lives of older Rhode Islanders and adults with disabilities and the conference helps us to expand our outreach into the community.

“Empowering people by giving their voice to pertinent issues is something I value, and this conference is the perfect way to begin my tenure at the helm,” she continued.

“In Rhode Island, the healthcare system is under great stress. Older Rhode Islanders face a system rife with worker shortages, long wait times and a dwindling pool of doctors. Solving these problems requires the voices of our coalition and its partners to bring attention to them and the impact they have on people,” said Costa.

In speaking about housing issues, Costa noted, “The housing situation in the state is at a crisis point where new stock is virtually nonexistent and underfunded agencies tasked with building, managing, and easing rental spikes are the only bulwark to help ordinary folks.”

But the big question which looms is will the monies allocated for new development be proportionally distributed, particularly for our older adults as threats to Medicare and Social Security at the federal level compound the stress they feel?” asks Costa.

“This advocacy work is in my DNA, and I am enjoying every minute of it,” says Costa, stressing that she looks forward to moving SACRI forward to accomplish its legislative and policy goals that will impact Rhode Island’s older population.

“And I would be remiss if I did not ask everyone to join us on October 9, 2024,” she said.

Building on Last Year’s  Success

Looking back, over 300 people attended last year’s conference, says Maureen Maigret, SACRI’s Policy Advisor, who assisted its Board members to organize the 2023 conference.  After educating the attendees, the coalition mobilized its troops composed of older Rhode Islander, aging and health care organizations, educators, unions, and Medicare insurance providers to push for change. “

How did that conference impact SACRI’s lobbying efforts?

“Last year’s legislative agenda reflected policy issues discussed by the keynote speaker and panelists at the conference,” noted Maigret, a former Director of the State’s Office on Aging.   According to Maigret, SACRI’s lobbying efforts resulted in the General Assembly enacting SACRI’s legislative priorities that included increasing home and community service provider rates, increasing funding for the state’s senior centers and the streamlining of zoning requirements for the building of Accessory Dwelling Units.  Lawmakers also put a $120 million housing bond program on the November ballot, she said.

“Feedback from Conference attendees about the presentations was excellent and they liked the variety of exhibitors, too,” says Maigret, noting that some participants did say they would have liked more time to ask questions to the presenters. This year’s conference does build in additional time for Q&A, she adds. 

Maigret says SACRI’s Board took charge in organizing the successful event.  This year, Costa and her Board continue its efforts to organize and prepare for the upcoming legislative session, she says.

The cost of SACRI’s upcoming conference is $25.00 per person for Members and $35 per person for nonmembers.  And any organization who wishes to exhibit their work at the Expo, the tables are $350.00. To register go to  https://senioragendari.org/2024-conference-and-expo.

For more details about SACRI, to https://senioragendari.org/.

Strengthening the Safety Net for Seniors Living in Poverty

Published in RINewsToday on July 15, 2023

A recently released U.S. Census Bureau report should send a message to Congress and spur the efforts of aging advocates to protect older Americans from financial hardship and poverty.  Some consider the “golden years” to be age 60, or 65, and over.  But it’s not so golden for millions of retirees.

According to a recently released U.S. Census Bureau’s report, “Profile of Older Adults by Poverty Status: 2021,” 8.3% of the nation’s population age 65 and over are living in poverty.    

The Census Report, released on June 25, 2024, uses data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), to draw a profile of the 4.7 million older adults who lived in poverty in 2021. This longitudinal survey provides comprehensive information on the dynamics of income, employment, household composition and government program participation.

Poverty in your later years

Here are a few data nuggets from the latest Census Report’s findings…

According to the report, two-thirds of older adults living in poverty in 2021 were women. Limited time in the workforce, raising children or serving as a caregiver, have decreased Social Security benefits, leading to income insecurity in their later years. Older adults living below the poverty line were more likely than those “non-poor” to have never married, says the report, noting that this limits the chance of these individuals to accumulate financial resources with a spouse or to obtain financial incentives (such as tax benefits) associated with being married.

And yes, living alone can be hazardous to your pocketbook, notes the Census report. In 2021, most older adults in poverty (62.9%) lived alone, compared to only 26.3% of those not in poverty.

In addition, among older adults in poverty who lived with at least one other person, 65.5% lived with a spouse, 29.9% lived with a child and 11.2 percent lived with a grandchild, noted the report’s findings.

A snapshot of poverty in Rhode Island

According to Maureen Maigret, Policy Advisor for the Senior Agenda Coalition of Rhode Island,” the Census Bureau released a “significant and must-read report.”  

“The data shows that almost five million older adults across the nation are living in poverty, and details how gender and social characteristics contribute to poverty status and wealth,” says Maigret. “Two-thirds of the nation’s older adults living in poverty are women, which is like the poverty profile of older adults in Rhode Island, as are the higher rates of poverty for older persons of color.

Maigret noted that a comprehensive 2014 report on RI Older Women she researched for The Women’s Fund of RI documented the high poverty rate of older women in the state – 9.7% for men and 11.3% for women. The Women’s Fund report also found about 20% of older RI adults living in poverty were more likely to be Hispanic or non-Hispanic Black. 

“Unfortunately, things have not improved,” she says, noting that the poverty rate for older Rhode Islanders has increased to 12.3% (US Census ACS 2022 estimates) which is higher than the 10.9% national poverty rate for older adults.

“Providing data on the poverty status of older adults is important for our state policymakers. It is also critical for them to understand the notable gender differences as women outnumber men in the state’s older population (56% vs 44%), have greater healthcare expenses, are more likely to live alone and need long term supports,” states the former Director of the state’s Department of Elderly Affairs (DEA), now referred to as the Office of Healthy Aging.  Older RI women also have lower Social Security benefits than men (about $5,000 less) and 37% less pension benefits, she says.

Maigret notes that most older Rhode Islanders are not wealthy with  many falling into what is termed the “forgotten middle.” A specifically, term used to describe those individuals with income not low-income enough to be on Medicaid but not enough to meet basic needs–estimated at $30,000/year for a single renter in good health (Elder Index). 

Twenty-seven percent of our older households have income below $25,000 (US Census) which is not sufficient to meet basic needs. This is why we must both improve some of the programs that can help them financially and better inform them of available benefits, she says. 

Tackling poverty in the Ocean State

According to Susan Sweet, founder of the Rhode Island Minority Elder Task Force (RIMETF) (riminorityeldertaskforce@gmail.com), a 501 © (3) nonprofit, established in 1992 after a survey found that elders from minority groups were not being serviced by aging network providers, “The survey revealed that Senior Centers, Adult Day Centers, and other state and local programs had almost no staff who were able to communicate with clients who had limited or no English language skills, and paid no attention to cultural differences in different populations,” she noted.

“While there has definitely been some improvement, most older Rhode Islanders of different cultures and/or languages must seek assistance from the few programs that are specifically directed to them,” says Sweet, a former state associate director of DEA, and advocate for seniors facing hardships and low-income difficulties.

“But they are not the majority of those who barely survive because of a lack of funds and support. Coming from all backgrounds, many poor elders are struggling to meet basic needs such as shelter, food, medicine, medical care, utilities and other necessities”, says Sweet.

“Older adult needs appear to be much worse than they were in the early 2000s. Inflation, Covid, lack of adequate housing options, as well as difficulty in accessing existing assistance programs are pushing these individuals to an existence that threatens their health and their life,” warns Sweet.

State programs that exist for the purpose of helping poor, older adults often have long application periods and stringent rules that create very little ability to respond to emergency situations,” according to Sweet.

Sweet says that RIMETF’s most extensive work is in direct assistance to poor elders for basic needs. “We provide mini-grants , generally in the range of $200 – $400, to low-income elders in dire circumstances by paying directly to providers of goods and services such as rental entities, utilities, fuel companies and gift cards for items such as food, clothing, medicine, and household goods. “Our members also assist to get people on payment plans, programs, services, and better situations that may prevent future emergencies and enable longer-term solutions,” she says.

RIMETF has no paid staff and its Board membership consists of a diverse group of health and social work representatives, program administrators, community members, Senior Center and Community Action staff members, housing specialists, and advocates from other aging programs. The older adults who need help are identified by the group’s membership and demographic information and records are kept by the organization.

The nonprofit group is funded by private foundations such as Nursing Placement Foundation, Rhode Island Foundation, Tufts, Harriet Boucher Foundation, Dexter Fund as well as municipalities including the Cities of Providence, East Providence and Pawtucket.

Both Maigret and Sweet call for more to be done by the Rhode Island lawmakers next session to strengthen the safety net for struggling older Rhode Islander’s to protect them from poverty.

“Yes, absolutely more work needs to be done,” says Maigret. ”Data from the national profile and corresponding state data provide strong evidence of the need to continue advocacy to fight for policies to ensure Rhode Islanders enjoy economic security in their older years.” 

“Policies are a necessary part of the work, but oversight and quality control of state and private programs and services is vital to ensure that actual help is available in a timely manner; currently, oversight is lacking,” says Sweet, calling for state programs and policies to be better monitored and evaluated by those who deal with poor older adults and know the hardships suffered by them.  

“The reality of increasing poverty among elders requires a grass roots understanding of the lack of support actually available to meet their needs,” says Sweet.

To get a copy of the Census Bureau’s report,  “Profile of Older Adults by Poverty Status: 2021,” go to https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2024/demo/p70-193.pdf

To read “Older Women in Rhode Island: A Portrait, Woman’s Fund Rhode Island 2014,” go to https://wfri.org/assets/older-woman-rhode-island.pdf

When the dust settles. Looking back at 2024’s legislative days

Published in RINewsToday on June 24, 2024

Over a week ago, after being in session for 49 legislative days (opening day was Jan. 2, 2024), the Rhode Island General Assembly held its final session at 4pm on June 13, 2024, and ended at about 1:30am on June 14, 2024. During this year’s legislative session 1,167 bills and resolutions were introduced in the Senate, and 1,369 in the House. This total does not include Resolutions, which were  congratulatory in nature or noted prominent Rhode Island residents who have passed away.

With the dust settling at the end of this year’s session, there were 249 bills that passed both the House and Senate, and that are now sitting on Gov. Dan McKee’s desk for his signature to enact, or to pass without signature, or to be rejected.

“This was an outstanding legislative year for Rhode Island’s seniors,” observes House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi (D-Dist. 23, Warwick). “In addition to all the investments for seniors made in the state budget that has been signed by Governor McKee, there were excellent bills that will be of great benefit to our aging population, he says. 

Attacking the housing crisis head on

In a joint statement, the House Speaker and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio said, “It is critical to attack our housing crisis from many different angles. Allowing ADUs in other states has been proven to make a significant impact by immediately increasing available housing supply.  We are confident that ADUs will be beneficial for the many Rhode Islanders who need flexibility in housing options, particularly seniors wishing to age in place in their communities,” they say.

Shekarchi points out the enactment of ADU legislation sponsored by House Commission on Housing Affordability Chairwoman June S. Speakman (D-Dist. 68, Warren Bristol) and Sen. Victoria Gu (D-Dist. 38, Westerly, Charlestown, South Kingston) that would boost the development of accessory dwelling units (ADUs), which are also known as in-law apartments. The House Speaker is the House bill’s top co-sponsor.

“I have heard from so many seniors who would like to downsize and continue to live independently, but would enjoy the extra assurance of living on the property of their children,” he noted, thanking AARP Rhode Island and housing advocates, including Rhode Island Housing, Grow Smart RI and Housing Network RI, who pushed this “significant legislation” across the finish line. 

The bills (2024-H 7062A, 2024-S 2998A) would provide homeowners statewide the right to develop a single ADU on an owner-occupied property or within the existing footprint of their structures or on any lot larger than 20,000 square feet, provided that the ADU’s design satisfies building code, size limits and infrastructure requirements.

The purpose of the bill is to encourage the development of rental units that are likely to be more affordable than many other apartments, and also to provide opportunities for homeowners with extra space to generate income that helps them maintain ownership of that property.

To ensure that the bill achieves its goal of housing Rhode Islanders, the legislation prohibits ADUs constructed under this provision from being used as short-term rentals, and streamlines the permitting process.

In the HEALTH arena

According to Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio, several legislative proposals in the Senate’s health care package passed the General Assembly.

“Few issues are as important as health care, and right now, our health care system is in critical condition. Health care absolutely must be accessible and affordable for all Rhode Islanders,” says Ruggerio, noting that for too many people in the Ocean State is too expensive or too difficult to get. “And we know that many health care providers are feeling enormous strain due to many factors,” he adds.

“Like providers and consumers, our community hospitals, including Fatima in my district, are facing difficult circumstances,” said the Senate President, who recognized his Senate colleagues in the development of this package of legislation.

“As we celebrate our victories in the 2024 session, we are committed to continuing our work on this issue and accomplishing all the objectives of the HEALTH initiative. “

According to Ruggerio, several legislative proposals in the Senate leadership’s HEALTH (Holistic Enhancement and Access Legislation for Total Health) initiative include legislative proposals to join five interstate licensing compacts to make it easier for Rhode Islanders to access the care they need and budget provisions to use $1 million of general revenue to purchase debts of struggling Rhode Islanders and incentivize providers to enter primary care fields.

Advocates on aging give their recap of the 2024 Legislative Session

“The Senior Agenda Coalition of RI supported several housing-related bills (that did not pass) that would benefit older adults including those sponsored by Rep. Meghan Cotter (D-Dist. 39, Exeter, Richmond, and Hopkinton)  and Sen. Linda Ujifusa (D-Dist. 11, Portsmouth, Bristol) to increase the income cap for the Property Tax Relief program to $50,000 and the credit or refund to $850 to help offset the cost, of property taxes and rents for older adults and persons with disabilities,” says Maureen Maigret, Policy Advisor for the Senior Agenda Coalition of RI (SACRI), noting the Coalition plan to continue to advocate for them next year.

Maigret warned that with a growing older population the need for more accessible housing will increase and the Coalition supported and will continue to support bills to create greater accessibility in new housing.  

Maigret stated that SACRI will also continue to support legislation to create a caregiver tax credit as provided for in 2024 legislation sponsored this year by Rep. Susan Donovan and Sen. Linda Ujifusa. “Our caregivers are valued and deserve our support. A caregiver tax credit will help the many R.I. family caregivers who provide thousands of hours of care for spouses and parents often spending thousands of dollars of their own money to give their loved ones a better, more comfortable life,” she says.

She noted that SACRI also plans to build on its efforts to further expand the Medicare Savings Program to help more lower-income persons on Medicare afford needed healthcare by covering required co-pays and deductibles and to continue its work to promote quality long term care through support for staffing standards, worker training programs and Medicaid enhanced reimbursement for private rooms to help with infection control issues that became so apparent during the Covid pandemic.

SACRI will also push next legislative session to enact legislation to establish a formula for state funding to support local senior centers and programs based on a community’s population of those 65 years and over.  

Raise the Bar on Resident Care and other advocates successfully pushed the passage of H 7733 and S 2621 legislation sponsored by Rep. Scott Slater (D-Dist. 10, Providence) and Sen. Bridget Valverde (D-Dist. 35, (East Greenwich, North Kingstown, South Kingstown) that would establish the Nursing Home Work Standards Board (NWSB). According to Raise the Bar, NWSB will help stabilize the nursing home system by establishing training standards, promoting caregiver rights, depoliticizing funding allocations and implementing financial oversight of nursing homes.  A 13-member board (including frontline staff, nursing home management representatives, state government and community organizations will work with Medicaid to ensure comprehensive and informed decision-making.

“In 2023, Minnesota passed its own Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board and just voted to raise wages for caregivers to over $23 an hour in 2027 while guaranteeing 11 paid holidays. Here in Rhode Island, the Workforce Standards Board is a critical step toward transforming nursing home jobs into sustainable careers that can support a family and provide quality resident care. Now we need Governor McKee to show his support and sign this bill into law,” said Jesse Martin, Executive Vice President of SEIU 1199 New England, member of Raise the Bar on Resident Care.

Raise the Bar also advocated for the passage of the Financial Transparency Act (S 2604 | H 8204) but ultimately pulled the bill in order to re-adjust some of its language. This legislative proposal, S 2604, sponsored by Sen. Dawn Euer (D-Dist.13, Newport, Jamestown) and its companion measure, H 8204, sponsored by Rep. Matthew Dawson (D-Dist.65, East Providence) would require nursing homes to provide annual, audited financial statements that include detailed income, expenses, and cash flow, alongside transparent ownership information to prevent for-profit owners from misusing Medicaid and Medicare dollars. “We look forward to advocating for its passage in next year’s legislative session to ensure all for-profit nursing homeowners are held accountable to investing public dollars appropriately in direct care,” continued Jesse Martin. 

Advocates for Better Care in Rhode Island, a grassroots community organization founded to advocate for the rights and interests of residents of long-term care facilities in RI, celebrates the passage of S. 2263. The Long-Term Care Residents Rights Camera Bill, notes Director Kathleen Gerard. 

“The legislation gives residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities and their legal representatives the right to install a monitoring device in their room provided all residents in the room consent. The consent can be withdrawn at any time, and a variety of safeguards exist to protect resident privacy,” says Gerard.

The legislation, S 2263 A, sponsored by Sen. Dawn Euer (D-Dist. 13, Newport, Jamestown, who chairs the Senate Committee on Judiciary and H 7969 A, sponsored by Deputy Majority Leader Jason Knight (D-Dist. 67, Barrington and Warren) has been signed by the governor and will take effect Jan. 1, 2025.  

According to Gerard, the legislation was first introduced in this form in 2021, but the care staffing crisis and massive 138% increase in serious deficiencies cited in RI long-term care facilities since 2022 made it even more urgent to finally pass it this year.

“Speaker Shekarchi worked tirelessly to reach a compromise that was acceptable to the various parties supporting and opposing the bill, and long-term care residents will consequently soon be able to have their care and condition monitored remotely by loved ones and care-partners, resulting in more peace of mind for everyone,” she says. 

“A legislative proposal we backed this year and that we hope to see enacted next year was introduced by the Rhode Island Department of Health.  The legislation, (S 2818 sponsored by Sen. Joshua Miller (D-Dist. 28, Cranston, Providence and H. 7819 sponsored by Rep. June S. Speakman), would improve financial transparency in nursing home ownership and prevent the rapid extraction of equity from facilities that we see with many private equity firms, real estate investment trusts, and investor groups,” says Gerard.

Next legislative session, Gerard says Advocates for Better Care in Rhode Island will also continue to advocate for legislation requiring assisted living facilities to support family councils.   This requirement already applies to nursing homes, she notes.

“We’ve Only Just Begun, says Sandra Paquette, representing Advocates for COLA Restoration and Pension Reform, a non-profit representing 4,700 retirees. “Our group numbers continue to increase, along with our determination and commitment, to fight for the justice which was so unnecessarily and ruthlessly taken away,” she says. .

According to Paquette, there were legislative proposals pertaining to current and future state and teaching retirees, which did not reach the floor of the House or Senate. One legislative proposal applied to those active employees whose retirement is based upon an arbitrary “rule of 95”. This translates into a calculation where the years of service and the age of those wishing to retire must add up to 95. The law would have changed this total to 90. Another one for which we strongly advocated, and for which we provided thousands of letters, verbal testimony and volunteer lobbying sessions was Pat Serpa’s (D-Dist. 27, West Warwick, Coventry and Warwick), H-8193, would have restored a compounded Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) to all current and future retirees, and would have been enacted as of July of this year.

“Our goals for next year will remain— to advocate through testimony, letters, media and lobbying–for the passage of the two bills which will provide the now essential support to the victims of the 2011 Rhode Island Retirement Security Act,” says Paquette.

And here are specifics about other bills that impact seniors: