Bill Text: NY S00078 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Clarifies the meaning of the phrase "greatest social need" for purposes of the administration of programs under the federal Older Americans Act of 1965, defining it to mean the need caused by non-economic factors that restrict an individual's ability to perform normal daily tasks or that threaten his or her capacity to live independently.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Passed) 2022-10-17 - APPROVAL MEMO.21 [S00078 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-S00078-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          78--A

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                       (Prefiled)

                                     January 6, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen. HOYLMAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be  committed  to  the  Committee  on  Aging  --  committee
          discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
          to said committee

        AN  ACT to amend the elder law, in relation to clarifying the meaning of
          the phrase "greatest social need" for purposes of  the  administration
          of programs under the federal Older Americans Act of 1965

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 203 of the elder law is amended to
     2  read as follows:
     3    1. The office shall submit to the federal department of health, educa-
     4  tion and welfare a state plan for purposes of the federal [older]  Older
     5  Americans  [act]  Act  of  1965  and  subsequent amendments thereto. The
     6  office shall be the single state agency  for  supervising  the  adminis-
     7  tration of such plan and shall be primarily responsible for coordination
     8  of  state  programs  for the aging for purposes of such federal act. The
     9  office shall act for the state  in  any  negotiations  relative  to  the
    10  submission and approval of such plan and may make such arrangements, not
    11  inconsistent  with law, as may be required by or pursuant to federal law
    12  to obtain and retain such approval and to secure for the state the bene-
    13  fits of the provisions of such federal act.  For the purposes of  admin-
    14  istering  the  federal Older Americans Act of 1965 and subsequent amend-
    15  ments thereto, the term "greatest  social  need"  shall  mean  the  need
    16  caused  by non-economic factors that restrict an individual's ability to
    17  perform normal daily tasks or that threaten his or her capacity to  live
    18  independently.  These  factors include, but are not limited to, physical
    19  or  mental  disability,  language  barriers,  and  cultural  or   social
    20  isolation caused by, among other things, racial and ethnic status, sexu-
    21  al orientation, gender identity or expression, or HIV status.
    22    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02367-03-1