NYALFA is always advocating for new laws that benefit assisted living providers and the seniors they care for. This page is updated regularly with information on proposed legislation and past accomplishments that affect assisted living communities throughout the state.
<h2><span style="font-size: medium;">Successful 2011 Legislative Session!</span></h2>
The productivity of the 2011 Regular Legislative Session, the first of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s term, has been widely attributed to his successful leadership. Governor Cuomo achieved essentially all of his priorities, including an on- time budget that closed a $10 billion deficit with no new taxes, significant Medicaid reform, government restructuring, ethics reform, the imposition of a property tax cap, and the realization of same sex marriage.

Critical health care issues will continue to be addressed post-Session through the on-going work of the Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT). Nine work groups have been established to address specific areas of concern including the Managed Long Term Care Implementation and Waiver Redesign Workgroup and the Affordable Housing Workgroup.

NY ALFA has had several meetings with the Governor’s Director of Health Care Redesign and the Medicaid Director to discuss assisted living as a philosophy of care, the need for licensure and our interest in a voluntary mixed- income Medicaid assisted living model. We will continue to work the NY ALFA Public Policy Committee to offer input and support to the workgroups and MRT staff as the process unfolds.

During the 2011 Regular Legislative Session, legislation supported by NY ALFA at our annual Advocacy Day was also successfully addressed:

<strong>S.4894/A.7494</strong> (Hannon/Gottfried) allows nurse practitioners and physician assistants to conduct the medical exam and complete the report required for admission to an assisted living residence or an adult care facility. The bill also eliminates duplicative and unnecessary paperwork by authorizing the use of a shorter form when a resident returns to a community following a hospital or nursing home stay.

Thanks to our members who personally pushed for the bill’s passage during NY ALFA’s annual Advocacy Day, this bill <strong>passed both Houses</strong> and has been delivered to the Governor.

<strong>S.3293/A.676</strong> (DeFrancisco/Magnarelli) creates a missing vulnerable adults clearinghouse modeled on NY’s Amber Alert, passed both Houses. This is a critical bill that establishes a system to assist emergency response personnel and families in the recovery of wandering, cognitively impaired adults. It is in alignment with the federal Silver Alert bill supported by ALFA.

Again, NY ALFA members provided valuable support for this initiative during Advocacy Day, and the bill has been delivered to the Governor.