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News Report | Policy/Regulation Report | Aging Services Report
News Report
Budget Conference Committee Takes Up MLRC Fee Proposal
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal to impose a quality assurance fee on skilled nursing beds in multi-level retirement communities (MLRCs) is now being considered by the Assembly and Senate Budget Conference Committee and a stakeholders group consisting of Aging Services of California, the California Association of Health Facilities, Service Employees International Union and a variety of consumer groups.
The Budget Conference Committee took up the proposal on June 10, and several members raised questions not only about the equity of the imposing the fee on MLRCs but also about the implications for residents, who would face a de facto tax on their retirement savings. Prior to any further action, the committee is awaiting input from the stakeholders, which is due back to the Department of Health Care Services on June 17. DHCS has been charged with gathering the input from the stakeholders and presenting a consolidated report to the committee.
"In the past month alone, residents and member communities have sent thousands of letters about this issue to the Legislature," said Jack Christy, director of public policy for Aging Services of California. "We must keep the pressure on and ensure that members of the Budget Conference Committee understand the implications of this proposal for the future of services for older adults in our state."
For resources that not only explain the impact of the proposal but also provide opportunities to get involved in opposing the fee, visit the Aging Services of California website. For more information, contact Aging Services staffers Jack Christy at jchristy@aging.org or 916-469-3366 or Eric Dowdy at edowdy@aging.org or 916-469-3376.
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Policy/Regulations Report
Users of Income Verification System Finding Glitches
Housing providers are no doubt still experiencing problems with the enterprise income verification (EIV) system which they must use to report their income to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD is aware of the problems and is asking owners and agents to help identify potential glitches. In fact, a recent HUD post on the listserv of the Rental Housing Integrity Improvement Project states the following:
"We are asking Multifamily Program users of the EIV system to assist us in our effort to detect and correct all problems with the functionality of the EIV system since it came back online. If you experience any data anomalies or other functionality issues during your use of the system, please send a description of the problem, what report was run and for what property, as well as a screenshot, if possible, to Michael Sharkey at michael.a.sharkey@hud.gov. This will help the EIV team troubleshoot, as well as provide a permanent fix, for any anomalies that may be occurring."
How Healthcare Reform Will Affect Medicare
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently published a brochure which describes the changes to Medicare as a result of the federal healthcare reform known as the Affordable Care Act. Entitled "Medicare and the New Health Care Law -- What It Means for You," the brochure walks readers through what stays the same, what changes can be expected right away and what changes will take place over time. To download a copy, visit the Medicare website.
New HUD Report Looks at Worst-Case Housing Needs
The 12th in a series of annual reports to Congress from the Housing and Urban Development Department finds that in 2007, more than 5.9 million unassisted very low-income households -- or almost 13 million individuals -- paid more than half their monthly income for rent, lived in severely substandard housing, or both. The report, Worst Case Housing Needs 2007: A Report to Congress, also finds that of those households, more than 20 percent had members over the age of 62. To download the full report, visit the HUD website.
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Aging Services Report
Member Community Dubbed One of Bay Area's Best Workplaces
Episcopal Senior Communities, based in Walnut Creek, Calif., was recently named as one of the best places to work in the Bay Area by the San Francisco Business Times. The annual ranking identified 125 companies from the 12 counties in and around the Bay Area that go out of their way to create an outstanding work environment. Harly Neumann, vice president of human resources at ESC, stated, "This is a wonderful and welcome affirmation of the work this organization does on behalf of employees to create a positive and stimulating work environment. ESC is proud to be identified as being among the best places to work in the Bay Area and we are extremely grateful to have received this award." More information about ESC is available on the organization's website.
2011 Public Policy Conference
Aging Services of California's next annual Public Policy Conference is set for March 1-3, 2011, at the Hyatt Regency, Sacramento, Calif. Note that the dates and location are different from previous years. Program details will be announced in agenda and on the Aging Services website as they become available.
Project Runway ... AAHSA Style
AAHSA is seeking a highly respected fashion design school to cohost the "Style Is Ageless" competition at the 2010 AAHSA Annual Meeting in Los Angeles. The association is looking to team up fashion design students with California elders in a Project Runway style competition. The finale will be a fashion show in which older adults will model the students' couture clothing.
According to Sherry Shultz, conference operations manager at AAHSA, "The 'Style Is Ageless' competition will be a highlight of the meeting and a wonderful way to educate young people about the world of possibilities open to people as they age." Readers who know of a design school that might be interested in participating can contact Shultz at sshultz@aahsa.org or 202-508-9482.
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