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Sandee Panichi
Sandee Panichi is a Gerontologist with Cobb Senior Services. Sandee has been employed with Cobb Senior Services for five years as the Manager of the East Cobb Multipurpose Senior Center. See this article!

 

2008 Legislative Wrap Up

Friday, April 4th, marked the 40th and final day of the legislature’s 40-day session. Many priorities fell through and many passed. Several aging related issues were accomplished. In the fiscal year 2009 budget, the legislature put in $1,045,000 for the Home Delivered and Congregate meals for seniors, $4.1 million to replace lost federal funds in the Adult Protective Services program ( $3.4 million added in the supplemental budget), $50,000 to the Council on Aging to prepare a Project 2020 report on Georgia’s aging population (SB 341), $488,517 to support the Money Follows the Person grant to transition a greater number of clients from an institution to the community, and a 3% ($1,350,227) rate increase for Community Care and Home and Community Based Service providers. Unfortunately the legislature also reduced the elder retirement communities’ contracts by $40,000, decreased funding for the AAA Administration by $116,000, eliminated $500,000 to provide funds to update the Aging Information Management System, and eliminated $50,000 funding for the Silver Haired Legislature.

After a 3 year journey, the Coalition for Georgia’s Elderly (CO-AGE) priority, SB 88, 'Power of Attorney for the Care of a Minor Child Act' , sponsored by Senator Renee Unterman of the 45th completed its final hurdle in the legislature on the last day when it was approved by the House. SB 88 gives grandparents the legal authority, through the power of attorney, to enroll their grandchildren into schools and take them to medical appointments without the added expense of legal fees and or court costs. The subsidy portion, which would have helped grandparents and grandchildren financially, was removed from the bill because legislators feared it would create a new entitlement and would cost too much. Because of the grandparents three year advocacy around this issue some financial gains were made on behalf of grandparents raising grandchildren (like the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Subsidy Payment of $50 per child per month which covers additional expenses associated with rearing grandchildren). Grandparents empowered themselves and learned how to continue to advocate for their and their grandchildren’s needs.

Other important pieces of legislation that passed include the Security Freeze bill, HB 130, by Rep. Calvin Hill of the 21st , which allows consumers to place a security freezes on their credit accounts at a cost of $3 as well allows seniors who are 65 and older to freeze their credit at no charge; HB 535, by Rep. Mark Butler of the 18th, which creates a Patient Advocate General for MH/MR/DD facilities; HB 1044 by Rep. Len Walker of the 107th, which provides that respite care services programs shall not be considered adult day centers for purposes of licensure; HB 1105 by Rep. Donna Sheldon of the 105th , which requires hospitals to offer certain vaccinations to inpatients aged 65 years or older; HB 1216, by Rep. Ron Stephens of the 164th , which provides new boundaries and changes regional development centers to regional commissions; HB 1234, by Rep. Mickey Channell of the 116th, which places requirements on CMOs; SB 341, by Sen. Lee Hawkins of the 49th which requires the Council on Aging to study certain aging population matters and produce a report; and SB 531, by Senator Bill Hamrick of the 30th, which gives homeowners threatened with foreclosure more notice and the identity of their mortgage holder.

Throughout the last week of the session the legislature remained at an impasse over the tax cut proposals. The House remained committed to the speaker’s revised plan to eliminate the car tag tax on personal motor vehicles while the Senate adhered to its position of reducing income tax rates by 10%. Both House and Senate tax cut proposals died during the final hours of the session. Also lost in the battle was the much needed funding stream for Trauma Care in Georgia. Because of the Governor’s decrease in revenue estimates for FY 08 and FY 09, and the looming recession nationwide, the passage of tax cuts would have produced huge revenue holes causing a devastating impact on the state’s budget over the next few years, prompting deep cuts, and thereby causing many critically needed programs to suffer.


 


 

Thanks Mom & Dad Fund License Plates

The Thanks Mom & Dad Fund® announces the Thanks Mom & Dad License Plate. Approved by the legislature and constitutional amendment last year, the plates will help
raise money for grants and create greater awareness about the importance of aging
Thanks Mom and Dad Georgia Licence Plate (click for enlargement)programs. The fund raises money to distribute in annual grants to aging programs throughout the State of Georgia.

This is the one foundation created to support the aging network’s local programs and it needs your help to make the plates a reality. Keep in mind that there is a deadline later this year and plates will not be manufactured UNLESS we have 1,000 plates pre-sold. Therefore, if you’d like to get one, please sign up NOW to beat the deadline– don’t wait for your renewal! It’s simple and directions are on the flyer. The simple logo says “Thanks Mom & Dad” and honors those who came before us. Perhaps your friends with teenagers in cars want it to say “Thanks Mom & Dad” too!

Consider getting one and telling all your friends! It helps our common cause of improving the quality of life for older adults. If you have any questions, you can call
Maureen Kelly at 404.463.3222.

License Tag Flyer (PDF)
 


expired

FY 08 Supplemental Budget for the APS Program
GGS members, we need you to contact the Appropriations committee this weekend and next week asking them to put the entire $3.5 million into the FY 08 supplemental budget for the APS program which lost the federal funds of targeted case management. If the money isn’t put in then many abused, neglected and exploited adults will be affected because the APS staff will loose 1/3 of its workforce (There are 150 APS staff and they will loose 53 if the rest of the money isn’t put into the FY 08 supplemental budget). The FY 08 supplemental budget is expected to be voted out of the subcommittees, full appropriations committee and House next week so it is important that people start calling the Appropriations committee first and then the entire House. Below is a list of the Human Resources Appropriation Subcommittee members that GGS members should contact. We are also asking that the $1.1 million for congregated and home delivered meals be placed into the FY 09 budget so that seniors will not lose their meals.

When contacting your legislators here is what you can say:

'Please replace the $3.5 million in lost federal funds in the 2008 amended budget for the Adult Protective Services (APS) Program, which protect disabled adults (18 years of age and older) and elder persons (65 years of age and older) who are not residents of long-term care facilities from abuse, neglect and exploitation. Replacing the $3.5
million dollars in federal funds will help maintain the APS caseload to the national recommended average of 25 cases per worker and allow the APS caseworkers to efficiently and effectively identify situations of abuse, neglect and exploitation. With the dawn of the baby boomer population reaching retirement age and the increase in
Georgia’s aged population, we are concerned that APS workers will be needed more than ever. Without the replacement of the federal funding, the APS staff will loose 1/3 of its workforce making it difficult for the remaining workers to do their jobs effectively and the abused, neglected and exploited adult population will suffer tremendously. I urge you to replace the funding.
Thank you.

House Appropriations Human Resources Subcommittee Members:
 

Mark Butler, Chairman 404-656-0305
Jeff May, Secretary 404-656-5105
Judy Manning 404-656-7857
Earl “Buddy” Carter 404-656-0213
Keith Heard 404-656-0220
Len Walker 404-656-5139
Jerry Keen 404-656-5052
Bobby Reece 404-656-0254
Stan Watson 404-656-0220
Larry O’Neal-Ex Officio 404-656-5103
Chuck Sims- Ex Officio 404-656-0287
Richard Royal- Ex Officio 404-656-0265
Penny Houston- Ex Officio 404-656-0202



 

expired
 

CMS Issues Proposed Rule to Empower Medicaid Beneficiaries to Direct Personal Assistance Services

     A proposed rule that would allow more Medicaid beneficiaries to be in charge of their own personal assistance services, including personal care services, instead of having those services delivered by an agency, was announced today by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Through the rule on display today at the Federal Register, CMS requests public comment on how states could allow Medicaid beneficiaries who need help with the activities of daily living to hire, direct, train or fire their own personal care workers rather than working with personnel employed by an agency. Beneficiaries could even hire qualified family members who may already be familiar with the individual’s needs to perform personal assistance (not medical) services. The NPRM will be published in the Federal Register on Friday, January 18, 2008. Comments will be accepted through the close of business on Tuesday, February 19, 2008.



 

 

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