Bill Text: NY J02831 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Commemorating the achievements and efforts of the New York StateWide Senior Action Council upon the occasion of its 50th Anniversary

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2022-06-01 - ADOPTED [J02831 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-J02831-Introduced.html

---

Senate Resolution No. 2831

BY: Senator MAY

        COMMEMORATING  the achievements and efforts of the
        New York StateWide Senior Action  Council  upon  the
        occasion  of  its  50th Anniversary, and recognizing
        its historic contributions to  the  safety,  rights,
        and  wellbeing  of  older adults in the State of New
        York

  WHEREAS, New York StateWide Senior Action Council, commonly known as
"StateWide," was founded in 1972 to achieve through  united  action  the
dignity,  well-being,  and  security  of all senior citizens of New York
State, governed  by  a  diverse  board  of  older  New  Yorkers  with  a
grassroots  network that excels at community education and case-finding;
and

  WHEREAS, StateWide was founded as part of the  War  on  Poverty  and
dedicated  itself  to providing a unified and articulate voice on behalf
of older New Yorkers, especially  as  an  advocate  for  the  low-income
elderly and low-income persons of all generations, including being named
the  lead  organization  in the 2009 rollout of the New York State Elder
Economic Security Index in  conjunction  with  Wider  Opportunities  for
Women and the U-MASS; and

  WHEREAS,  StateWide  played  a  key  a  role  in  the passage of the
Community Services for the Elderly (CSE) program which provides the core
state funding for area  agencies  on  aging  programs  and  the  Elderly
Pharmaceutical   Insurance   Coverage   program  providing  relief  from
pharmaceutical costs for older New Yorkers, and worked tirelessly to ban
mandatory retirement and institute Mandatory  Medicare  Assignment  that
limits physician overcharges; and

  WHEREAS,  StateWide values the needs of all generations and was part
of a coalition drafting the first iteration of the New York Health  Act,
worked  with  children's  organizations  toward the passage of the Child
Health Plus program, and worked for reforms included in the  passage  of
the Managed Care Bill of Rights; and

  WHEREAS, Since 1987, StateWide has operated a state-funded Patients'
Rights  and Advocacy Hotline to assist all New Yorkers with their rights
as health care consumers, including informing Medicare  enrollees  about
their right to appeal a hospital discharge, and in 2013, it successfully
pursued  a  first-in-the-nation  law that was the model for a subsequent
federal law requiring hospitals to disclose if a patient was assigned to
observation status, all while assisting  residents  and  family  members
with their nursing home rights including establishing a Virtual Resident
and  Family  Council during the Coronavirus pandemic that led to revised
state and federal policies which had restricted visitation; and

  WHEREAS, StateWide, having heard from clients about their  inability
to  access  home care services, formed the NYS Home Care Crisis Campaign
to bring attention to the growing workforce shortage  in  the  field  of
home  health  care in New York State, resulting in legislative hearings;
and

  WHEREAS, Since 2008, StateWide, through a state-funded contract, has
assisted Medicare enrollees by providing counseling on coverage options,
resolving billing issues, helping to navigate the  health  care  system,
and  assisting with enrollment in EPIC and the Medicare Savings Program;
and

  WHEREAS,  Since  2018, StateWide has been designated as the sole New
York provider for  the  Senior  Medicare  Patrol  grant  from  the  U.S.
Administration on Community Living to help prevent Medicare and Medicaid
Fraud among seniors in New York State; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED,  That  this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the achievements and  efforts  of  the  New  York  StateWide
Senior  Action  Council  upon  the occasion of its 50th Anniversary, and
recognize  its  historic  contributions  to  the  safety,  rights,   and
wellbeing of older adults in the State of New York; and be it further

  RESOLVED,  That  copies  of  this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the New York StateWide Senior Action Council.