Tag Archives for Senior Agenda Coalition

Benefits for seniors from Rhode Island’s next budget

Published in RINewsToday on June 17, 2024 

With a 35-2 vote in the Senate early on Friday the Senate gave its approval for a $13.963 billion budget for the 2025 fiscal year, comprising 13 articles that direct additional funding toward education and children, raises Medicaid reimbursement rates, health care support, and includes a $120 million affordable housing bond. The 300-page budget bill – read here, 2024-H 7225Aaa has now gone to Gov. Dan McKee, who is scheduled to sign it at an event Monday, June 17, at 11:15 a.m. in the State Room on the second floor of the State House.

Rhode Island’s FY 2025 Budget and Seniors

House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi (D-Dist. 23, Warwick) reeled off specifics as to how this year’s budget proposal impacts senior programs and services, noting that it aims to lower the rising housing and health care costs that impact the quality of life of older Rhode Islanders. “We have asked the voters to approve an additional $120 million in funds to increase affordable housing production. The budget accelerates a commitment to raising Medicaid reimbursement rates for services to care for our most vulnerable seniors and people living with disabilities to stabilize our health care and human service provider networks,” noted Shekarchi. 

Under the budget proposal tax relief is provided to seniors who rely on retirement income, raising the exemption to $50,000 for qualified single filers and $100,000 for joint filers. It also repeals the suspension of annual cost of living (COLA) adjustments for retirees in the state pension system who retired before 2012 and moves up the timeline for resumption of COLA for other state retirees. 

Lawmakers changed the calculation for pension benefits to base it on the highest three consecutive years of earning instead of five. Finally, the House Speaker noted that this budget fully funds Medicaid rate increases for home care and other services that help seniors age with dignity in the community and stay in their homes if they so desire, and also increases support for services provided in nursing or assisted living settings. 

Adds Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio(D-Dist. 4, North Providence, Providence), “I am pleased that the budget will invest in many Senate priorities, particularly in the areas of health care, child care, education and providing some needed relief to retirees,” says Ruggerio. “Specifically, the budget incorporates $2.7 million for primary care provider training sites, as well as $500,000 for tuition assistance for students who enter the primary care field and remain in Rhode Island. The budget also includes funding for purchasing medical debt for pennies on the dollar,” he says. 

But how does the aging network view this spending plan? 

According to Maureen Maigret, Policy Advisor with the Senior Agenda Coalition of RI (SACRI), under the spending plan approved by the Assembly $103.2 Million in all funds was added to the Governor’s proposed budget to fully fund the social and human service provider rate increases as recommended by the state’s Office Health of Insurance Commissioner (OHIC) based on the comprehensive legislatively mandated Rate Review Study performed in 2023. According to Maigret, who served as a member of the Advisory Task Force for the Rate Study, the full funding was especially important for those older adults and persons with disabilities seeking access to home and community services. 

“Too many persons on Medicaid have been waiting three months or longer to access needed home care supports which can cause health to deteriorate or to consider nursing home placement at far more expense to the state,” Maigret said. Maigret noted the increases would raise rates for providers of home care, assisted living, shared living and adult day services – all critical to helping persons with support needs to be able to stay at home where most persons with care needs prefer to live. 

Senior Agenda Coalition has worked for many years to promote better access to home and community-based services and to advocate for better wages for the direct care workers who provide this care,” she added, noting that these individuals are usually women, mostly women of color, and for too long have been undervalued and underpaid she noted. In 2022 the SACRI advocated with the legislature to set a minimum wage of at least $17/hour; however, the budget only called for a minimum of $15/hour. With full funding for the recommended home and community care provider rates, we would like to see these essential workers get a minimum starting wage of at least $25/hour in order to recruit and retain the necessary workers. 

SACRI also successfully pushed along with other housing advocates for the addition of $20 Million more to the Housing Bond to go on the November ballot for a total of $120 Million, Maigret added, noting that the coalition continues to advocate for paying adequate attention to the housing needs of older adults in the allocation of the bond funds. “Increasing affordable housing options for this population is critical,” says Maigret, stressing that census data shows that 53% of older RI renters pay more than 30% of their income on housing and studies show that 43% of extremely low-income RI renters are seniors. In the housing space, passage of bills to streamline development of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) advanced by House Speaker Shekarchi along with most of his housing package was also a major win for expanding housing options and development. 

The legislature also addressed SACRI and its advocacy partners push to increase income eligibility for the Medicare Savings Program (MSP) that helps lower-income Medicare enrollees not on Medicaid afford needed healthcare and save dollars for other needed basic needs by covering Part B premiums ($176/month in 2024) as well as required co-payments for some with very low-incomes. “The budget includes a provision requiring the state to seek federal approval to increase the eligibility for the Medicare Savings Program for “qualified individuals” (currently persons with annual income between $18,312 and $20,331) up to 185% of the federal poverty level ($27,861),” says Maigret, adding that the Coalition plans to monitor the approval process and to seek additional legislation, if needed, next Legislative session to further expand the program. Maigret says that lawmakers expanded the Temporary Caregiver Insurance Program up to 8 weeks but SACRI was disappointed that siblings and grandchildren were not added to the list of persons for whom a worker could get paid leave.

“We will continue to advocate for these additions and to increase the number of weeks of leave up to 12 which is provided by most states that have such a program,” she says. And finally, SACRI will continue to advocate for additional funding for the Office of Healthy Aging to provide each of our communities with at least $10/per person age 65 and over to help support local senior centers and programs for older adults, says Maigret, as well as increasing the income cap to $50,000 for eligibility for the state Property Tax Relief Program (called the Circuit Breaker program) that provides a tax credit or refund for older homeowners and renters and those on Social Security Disability. 

FY 2025 Budget Helps State’s Nursing Homes  

James Nyberg, Executive Director  of LeadingAgeRI is pleased with the infusion of much-needed funds in the FY 2025 Budget to help support financially-distressed nursing homes as they continue to provide quality care in a very difficult environment.  “The providers are clearly in distress and we need to avoid any further closures to ensure access to care, resident choice and well-being, and support for the workforce,” he says.  “We also are grateful that the OHIC-recommended rate increases for various programs, including assisted living and adult day services, were expedited with full implementation this October.  Assisted living providers are scheduled for a 10.8% rate increase and adult day a 19.8% increase.  This will help support our home and community-based providers and those for whom they care, says Nyberg, who serves on the Advisory Task Force for the Rate Study. Lastly,

LeadingAgeRI supports the FY 25 Budget’s increase in the housing bond to $120 million, and calls for a portion of it to be used to expand safe and affordable senior housing, the lack of which is well-documented, including a recent report by the Long-Term Care Coordinating Council. According to Nyberg, one legislative priority that remains is to establish a Medicaid rate add-on for private rooms in nursing homes, since Medicaid is the primary payer for nursing home care.  “This would be an important step in helping to support a more homelike environment and resident privacy and dignity,” he says.

“RI nursing homes have been chronically underfunded since the implementation of the reimbursement methodology over thirteen (13) years ago,” charges John E. Gage, President & CEO of the Rhode Island Health Care Association, representing 62 nursing home providers. “Cuts to the annual inflation index, failure to re-base rates every three years since, and skyrocketing costs since the beginning of the pandemic have put RI nursing facilities at significant financial risk,” he says.

“The FY ’25 Budget passed the Rhode Island General Assembly includes funding for the first-ever rebase of Medicaid Rates since the inception of the Priced Based Reimbursement System back in 2013,” says Gage, noting that this increase represents a 14.5% increase with an estimated increase in revenue of $66 million beginning October 1, 2024, based on actual expenses from the most recent Medicaid Cost Reports from 2022. 

Additionally, Gage says that the budget as passed includes $10 million in State Fiscal Recovery Fund Grants to stabilize RI’s nursing facilities from July 1, 2024, through the implementation of the new rates on October 1. 

Pension changes initiated 

“Our primary task during this past General Assembly session has been to strongly support Bill H-8193, introduced by Rep. Pat Serpa, which would see the return of the COLA which was so ruthlessly slashed away in 2011. It applied to all current and future retirees, including teachers, state workers, and some municipal employees, says Sandra Paquette, representing Advocates for COLA Restoration and Pension Reform, a non-profit representing 4,700 retirees.

However, the actual pension provision in this year’s budget provides for the restoring of a compounded COLA to those who retired prior to July 1, 2012, notes Paquette. “Initially, this was a disappointment to our organization, as we had hoped for much needed relief for all who have been so detrimentally affected by Rhode Island Retirement Security Act — creating a financial crisis in the lives of so many lifetime workers. But further thought and consideration caused us to realize that the pension benefits in this year’s budget represent a huge step in a 13 year’s duration of no progress whatsoever in alleviating the injustice, she adds.

“And we are delighted that after so many years, older persons in the state retirement system who retired prior to 2012 will finally see a COLA,” says Maigret, “This is especially important for those who do not receive Social Security benefits.”

Editor’s Note: Added comments

Union thoughts…

Jesse Martin, Executive Vice President of SEIU 1199 NE and President of Rhode Island SEIU State Council said, “For months, union members of Rhode Island SEIU State Council have been working to raise awareness of issues that matter most to working Rhode Island families and, as a result, made great strides in healthcare, wages, funding, retirement, career training and more to the benefit of all. This year’s budget contains emergency funding to keep Linn Health open until August, provides funding to paraprofessional healthcare workers to help them advance in their careers, streamlines the hiring process at DHS and DCYF in order to attract new qualified candidates and finally enables domestic workers to earn the minimum wage. We thank all our elected leaders who offered their steadfast support and prioritized the needs of working Rhode Islanders.” 

The Rhode Island SEIU State Council, which is representative of all four SEIU affiliate locals, represents a variety of workers across the state, including healthcare, Department of Children and Families, Janitorial, Family Child Care, Department of Labor and Training, Security, Workforce Development and more. Nationwide, the Service Employees International Union represents over two million members.

Kathleen Gerard, Advocates for Better Care in Rhode Island, added, “”We were very glad to see the passage of the full Medicaid reimbursement increases recommended by the OHIC this session, and will continue to advocate for measures that ensure that our public funds are put towards the public good of improved wages for direct care staff and improved care for residents.” 

Rhode Island’s 5-year plan to support persons with Alzheimer’s, related disorders

Published in RINewsToday on February 19, 2024

Last week, state and federal leaders, and the Alzheimer’s Association of Rhode Island, gathered at the East Providence-based PACE Rhode Island to announce the release of  the latest Rhode Island Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders (ADRD) 2024-2029 State Plan. This 25-page strategic plan, details 36 recommendations to improve the quality of life and accessibility of care for Rhode Islanders with ADRD by the end of this decade.

The 5-year plan provides Rhode Island a “Rhode map” to channel its resources to provide care for a growing number of persons with ADRD. In 2020, an estimated 24,000 adults in Rhode Island ages 65 and older were living with ADRD (being cared for by over 36,000 unpaid caregivers). This makes Rhode Island the state with the third highest percentage of Alzheimer’s disease in New England. And this number is expected to increase by nearly 13% over the next few years, with state officials calling it a growing public health crisis.

The State Plan was developed by the RI Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders and statewide partners consisting of researchers, advocates, clinicians, and caregivers. This public process resulted in identifying dozens of strategies to empower all individuals impacted by dementia to achieve their best quality of life.  (Editor’s note: Weiss serves on the Rhode Island ADRD Advisory Council).

To ensure that the State Plan was community-led and inclusive, the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) hosted an in-person strategic planning session at PACE-Rhode Island in July of 2023 with nearly 50 attendees representing community-based organizations, people with lived experience, health system partners, academia, and social service agencies.

The released State Plan also calls for the creation of accessible neighborhoods with walkable sidewalks, greater access to healthy food options, and safer public spaces for people living with dementia.  It highlights the importance of convening a workgroup focused on elevating and addressing issues of health equity in dementia care.  It even recommends working closely with Rhode Island cities and towns that have a high prevalence of ADRD to develop action plans that promote age and dementia friendly resources and information that identify local supports for people with dementia and their caregivers.  

From the Plan: Goals for the next 26 years in staffing call for adding 15 more gerontologists and 2,069 aides by 2050 – or on average: .58 gerontologists and 80 aides per year. (Editor’s Note)

The announcement and launch

Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos and RIDOH, joined by Gov. Dan McKee, Sen. Jack Reed, Office of Healthy Aging Director Maria Cimini, and the Alzheimer’s Association of RI, along with Kate Michaud of Congressmen Gabe Amo’s Office, gathered on Feb. 15 at PACE Rhode Island, to launch the release of Rhode Island’s road map to coordinate resources to combat the growing incidence of ADRD cropping up throughout Rhode Island communities.

“This State Plan brings together every part of our government to support Rhode Islanders whose lives are affected by ADRD,” said Lt Gov. Sabina Matos, kicking off the 30-minute press conference. “Under this plan, we’re connecting federal, state, and local government resources to build strong communities where people with dementia can thrive. I’m grateful to be able to serve alongside the community leaders and experts on our state’s Advisory Council on ADRD in coordinating these efforts and carrying on the work started by Gov. McKee,” she said.

“The Plan is our state’s promise that you will never face these things alone – because Team Rhode Island is behind you,” pledged Matos.

“Rhode Islanders and their loved ones affected by Alzheimer’s or related disorders are at the heart of this new state plan,” said Gov. McKee, who as Lt. Governor finalized and distributed the previous five-year ADRD STATE Plan in 2019. 

“Giving them the necessary resources and information to enhance their health and well-being is critical,” said the Governor, stressing that a cure is possible. “We all can play a role, and one of the most important roles people can get involved in is through clinical trials,” he says.

Gov. McKee recognized the efforts of Matos, the ADRD Advisory Council, and the researchers, advocates, and caregivers across our state for crafting, he said, “a very comprehensive plan that promotes inclusion and support.”

Under McKee’s previous five-year plan and its update, the state has accomplished the main goals of dedicating a full-time employee (funded with federal dollars) to coordinate ADRD strategy and promoting ADRD research opportunities in Rhode Island, and including brain health in the state’s other chronic disease management activities. 

Sen. Jack Reed, who serves on the largest and most powerful committee in the Senate responsible for crafting bills that fund the federal government and its operations, left Capitol Hill to travel back to the Ocean State for the press conference, to assure the attendees that he will continue pushing Congress to invest in finding a cure for ADRD. 

Last year, Reed noted that Congress increased the NIH budget to $47.5 billion, and set aside $3.7 billion specifically for Alzheimer’s disease reach. “I’m working hard to raise that total by at least $100 million this year,” he said.

Reed stressed that it is “critical for state officials to continue to focus on effective ways to improve the quality of life for those impacted by dementia and deliver caregiver support.”  But, when it comes to brain health studies, Rhode Island-based researchers are on the “leading edge of the fight against Alzheimer’s.” 

Sandra Powell, Deputy Director at the Rhode Island Department of Health called launching of the State Plan a “big deal” stressing this work is so critical.

According to Powell, the State Plan takes a comprehensive approach focusing on lifestyle modifications, supporting healthcare professional engagement to increase early detection and diagnosis, building a workforce to deliver person-centered dementia care, and using data to drive decision-making and to tackle health disparities. 

Since receiving funding in 2020 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “we’ve done a lot to connect with partners and advocates to leverage resources for persons with dementia,” says Powell.

“Although most Rhode Islanders and Americans likely know somebody who is living with Alzheimer’s, if people think it’s not their concern, consider these facts. 1 in 3 senior citizens will die as a result of Alzheimer’s or a related dementia. Alzheimer’s disease costs the government more than $350 billion per year for care and more, and by 2050, this disease is expected to cost the government alone 1 trillion dollars,” said Donna McGowan, Executive Director of the Alzheimer’s Association of RI. “So, think again if you believe it’s none of your business. This killer is all of our business!” she says.

“With the great progress and improvement, the plan has seen, our focus remains on creating the infrastructure and accountability necessary to build ADRD-capable programs and services,” says McGowan. With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approving drugs, like Leqembi, that are proven to effectively slow down the progression of the devastating disease for those living with early onset Alzheimer’s, she calls on Medicare to cover most of the costs. “At the moment, the $26,000 cost copayment for the drug makes access largely prohibitive,” she notes.

“It is high time that the discrimination against those living with Alzheimer’s stops,” says McGowan, stressing the Medicare covers most of the costs for drugs and treatment of major disease, specifically cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, heart disease and COVID.

According to Joseph Wendelken, RIDOH’s public information officer, funding from the CDC, for a five-year implementation grant, $500,000 for each year of the grant cycle from Sept. 30, 2023, to Sept. 29, 2028, has been secured to support the development and implementation of the State Plan. And state funds allocated to key partners such as the Office of Healthy Aging, will help to advance the work of the plan,” he says.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, attending the Munich Security Conference, and Congressmen Seth Magaziner and Gabe Amo, at the Capitol expecting a vote, couldn’t attend the press conference. The federal delegation sent its support for the newly released Alzheimer’s State Plan.

A Final Note…some ideas left in the “parking lot”, but can be included in other plans

“The new 5-year State Alzheimer’s Disease and related Disorders Plan builds nicely on the prior Plan from 2019,” observes Maureen Maigret, Policy Advisor for the Senior Agenda Coalition, who also serves on the state’s ADRD Advisory Council. “The five-year plan continues to be based on a strong public health approach emphasizing education about brain health, information on available resources, early detection, training of the healthcare workforce across care settings on the care and service needs of persons dealing with dementia, caregiver supports and includes a strong focus on equity,” she says.

According to Maigret, a former Director of the former state’s Department of Elderly Affairs, it includes some new areas of focus for community involvement and attention to ‘age-friendly’ issues. “The next step — developing the Action Steps needed for Plan implementation is critical as it requires collaboration among many parties,” she says.

“The fact that we have a federal grant and dedicated staff should ensure the Plan will be a working document and guide development of needed actions moving forward. There are also a number of concrete ideas and suggestions contained in a “parking lot” that merit consideration,” says Maigret.

As to the phrase “contained in a parking lot,” Maigret noted that ideas were generated by participants in the Strategic Discussion that took place in July 2023. Some of the input that was provided did not fit into the existing plan objectives and strategies and was placed in a “parking lot,” she says.

“Many of the “parking lot” suggestions could be addressed in other State Plans such as the Rhode Island State Plan on Aging or the Rhode Island State Plan on Caregiving. As the current strategies are achieved, these ideas may be considered for inclusion in the plan, with input from stakeholders,” says Maigret.

The 2024-2029 ADRD State Plan is available for all Rhode Islanders to read online by going to https://health.ri.gov/publications/stateplans/2024-2029Alzheimers-disease-and-related-disorders.pdf, or read or downloaded, below.

This is the second in-depth policy report developed and released by Lt. Gov. Matos’s policy councils, following the 2023 release of Meeting the Housing Needs of Rhode Island’s Older Adults and Individuals with Chronic Disabilities and Illnesses from the Long Term Care Coordinating Council.

If you or someone you know needs supported related to ADRD, call 1 800-272-3900. The Alzheimer’s Association website (www.alz.org) offers a wide range of dementia and aging related resources that connect individuals  facing dementia with local programs and services.

Herb Weiss, LRI-12, serves on the state’s ADRD Advisory Council and is a Pawtucket-based writer who has covered aging, health care and medical issues for over 43 years. To purchase his books, Taking Charge: Collected Stories on Aging Boldly and a sequel, compiling weekly published articles, go to herbweiss.com.

Bill would (re)create a RI Department of Healthy Aging

Published in Pawtucket Times on March 21, 2022

There are new efforts on Smith Hill to transform the state’s Office of Healthy Aging (OHA) into a department making it far more visible and effective as an advocate for the state’s growing senior population.  H. 7616, introduced by Rep. Lauren H. Carson (D-District 75, Newport), would expand the office in the Department of Human Services (DHS) into a full-fledged state department, expand its director’s authority, and appoint local senior centers as hubs for service delivery, with authority to bill Medicaid for transportation services.

The RI Department of Elderly Affairs (DEA) was created by law in 1977 and remained a department until 2011, when the legislature changed it to a division within the Department of Human Services (DHS). In 2019, the department was re-named the Office of Healthy Aging (OHA), shifting narratives and perceptions associated with growing older. At press time, the Office of Healthy Aging remains a division under the Department of Human Services. 

“Rhode Island should invest much more than we do in services that enable people to age in place and safely remain in their communities. Those services are far more cost-efficient overall, and encourage an active, more fulfilling lifestyle for people as they age”, says Carson in a statement announcing the introduction of the bill on March 2, 2022. “Considering that a quarter of our population consists of seniors, and that ratio is growing as the Baby Boomers join them, now is the time,” she adds.

At press time, the bill has been sent to the House Finance Committee, and its cost has not yet been determined and there is no companion measure introduced yet in the Senate.

“Working cooperatively with the senior centers operating around the state, we could make it much easier for people to access the support they need as they age, and really make the quality of life much better for the entire older population of our state,” says Carson expressing the importance of the state’s senior centers.

H. 7616 would authorize the new Department of Healthy Aging to protect and enable seniors to stay healthy and independent by providing meals, health programs, transportation, benefits counseling and more. Under the bill, the department would provide professional development to agencies and programs that provide services to seniors in the state and become a clearing house to help those agencies and businesses assist senior centers, which would serve as hubs for the delivery of services from the state.

In particular, H 7616 directs the new department to manage and develop a multi-tiered transportation system that works with the Department of Human Services, the Department of Transportation, senior centers and with all existing modes of public transportation to develop transportation plans that suit the elderly population of each municipality. The director would be enabled to authorize senior centers to bill Medicaid for transportation they provide.

The legislation also seeks to have the new department develop and submit to the General Assembly a funding formula to meet the requirements the new law sets forth, including input from seniors and the caregivers and allocating funding to each municipality based on its senior population, with restrictions that the funding be used only for senior programs.

Carson explains that this bill is intended to start important dialogue among state lawmakers, state officials and aging organizations about appropriately providing for Rhode Island’s aging population.

 “Whether or not we pass this bill this year, we have to address the needs of our growing older population. Leaving those needs unmet has a much greater price tag than decent locally administered basic programs would. Our whole state would be better served by investments that keep seniors safe with support in their community,” Carson said.

OHA and Aging Advocates Give Their Two Cents

Nicole Arias, a spokeswoman for OHA, says “we look forward to any future discussions and collaborations with community members, partners, and legislators.” When asked if the Rhode Island Advisory Commission on Aging, charged with advising the governor on aging policies and problems impacting older Rhode Islanders, Chair James Nyberg stated the commission also plans to review and discuss the bill at an upcoming meeting. 

“Our office looks forward to participating in dialogue that empowers and supports our aging residents and championing essential quality of life items such as healthy housing and reliable transportation. While our office is still unpacking H 7616, we appreciate Rep. Carson and the bill’s cosponsors for advocating on behalf of our senior residents,” says Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos, who over sees the state’s Long-Term Care Coordinating Council (LTCCC). The group works to preserve senior’s quality of life in all settings and coordinates state policy concerning all sectors of long-term care for seniors.

Bernard J. Beaudreau, Executive Director of the Senior Agenda Coalition of Rhode Island, says his group strongly supports any and all efforts that increase the state’s programs and services to address the growing needs of our aging population, especially those with low and moderate incomes.  The state-wide coalition calls for the reinstatement of OHA to a full department, but not without the commensurate expansion of funding and services that are needed for this important state government function.   

“When the Department of Elderly Affairs was reorganized to be a division of the Department of Human Services, we were concerned that it signified a diminishing of the importance of senior needs in the state budget.  While from a management perspective, the division within the larger Department of Human Services could streamline the delivery of services, there would still be the need to increase staffing and programs to meet the growing needs,” says Beaudreau. This did not happen in the ensuing years.

“Restoring the OHA to a department status will strengthen its position at the budget table and elevate the importance of programs supporting older residents of our state. We hope that will make a difference,” says Beaudreau.

“The legislation proposed by Rep. Carson elevates the conversation about the importance of age-friendly policies that enable Rhode Islanders to choose how we live as we age,” said AARP Rhode Island State Director Catherine Taylor. “AARP Rhode Island looks forward to being part of this conversation and continuing to advocate fiercely at both the state and local levels for enhanced home and community-based supportive services, accessible and affordable housing and transportation options, and full inclusion of people of all ages and abilities in community life,” she said. 

According to Maureen Maigret, policy consultant and chair of the Aging in Community Sub-committee of Rhode Island’s Long-Term Care Coordinating Council, H 7616 is a very significant bill that will help to stimulate a long due discussion as to how the state should fund senior programs and services in light of the state’s growing age 65 and older population. This age group is projected to represent at least one in five of  the state’s residents by 2040.

Maigret recalls that the state’s Department of Elderly Affairs was created by law in 1977 and remained a cabinet level department until 2011 when the Rhode Island General Assembly changed it to a division within the Department of Human Services as part of the enacted budget bill.  Eight years later, lawmakers would change the agency’s name from the division of elderly affairss the OHA. The enacted law placed OHA in the Department of Human Services for administrative purposes and called for the OHA Director to be appointed by and to report to the Governor with advice and consent of the Senate.

When Maigret left her position of Director of Elderly Affairs (serving from 1991 to 1994), its budget for FY1995 was $13.9 million (state funds) and it had at least 60 full-time employees. The state’s  FY2022  budget for OHA stands at $12 million (state funds) with 31 authorized employees, she said.

Maigret warns that the existing OHA is under-resourced both in state funding and human resources. She calculates that Rode Island spends about fifty dollars per older person (age 65 and older) when taking into account state funding for senior services and its population age 65 and over.

“We could do so much more to support our older adults by addressing service gaps especially for those not poor enough to meet our strict Medicaid income eligibility rules which require older adults to have income less than $13,600 and assets less than $4,000 single and $6,000 for a couple,” Maigret says. Funding for local senior centers and programs in Rhode Island municipalities should be calculated by at least $10 per person aged 65. 

Maigret urges state lawmakers to support local transit assistance efforts, to increase funding for caregiver support programs, and to expand information services to provide assistance to seniors to assist them to find subsidized home maintenance and chore service programs.  Better funding should be allocated to support volunteer programs that provide companionship and other services to reduce social isolation,“ she says.

“I suggest reverting the OHA to a full department as called for in H 7616 only if there is a concomitant increase funding and resources, says Maigret, noting that one source of funding could be available from  the Perry/Sullivan law (that the Governor’s budget proposes to defer for FY2023.),  These state funds could be used to allow OHA to truly provide the needed supports and services to older adults to live full and healthy lives as intended in the department’s creation,” she says.

“Older adults suffered greatly during the COVID pandemic – 90% of the deaths were individuals 60 and over, claims Vin Marzullo, a well-known aging advocate who served as a federal civil rights and and national service administrator. “We must provide greater attention and care for this vulnerable population,” he says. 

“Since the proposed legislation to elevate the OHA to department status was initiated by the Rhode Island House, I would hope that former House legislator, Marie Cimini, would welcome and embrace this legislation to become a premiere agency for the Governor, quips the West Warwick resident. He notes that Cimini was recently nominated by Gov. Dan McKee for the position of Director of the state’s Office of Healthy Aging.  This nomination requires Senate confirmation.

The other cosponsors of the H 7616 include Rep. Deborah Ruggiero (D-Dist. 74, Jamestown, Middletown), Rep. James N. McLaughlin (D-Dist. 57, Cumberland, Central Falls), Rep. Terri Cortvriend (D-Dist. 72, Portsmouth, Middletown), Rep. June S. Speakman (D-Dist. 68, Warren, Bristol), Rep. Edith H. Ajello (D-Dist. 1, Providence) and Rep. Brandon Potter (D-Dist. 16, Cranston).

Hopefully the upper chamber will see the wisdom in considering a companion measure to  H. 7616.  Let the debate begin. 

For more details about OHA, go to https://oha.ri.gov/