Area Plan Now Available

5/3/2013 2:55pm

The Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan is charged with developing an Area Plan on Aging for the next three years and is inviting the public to comment on the plan for fiscal years 2014-2016.

The plan includes goals, objectives and funding allocations for older adult services provided through state and federal funding.  Coverage area includes Allegan, Ionia, Kent, Lake, Mason, Mecosta, Montcalm, Newaygo and Osceola counties.

Click here to view a draf copy of the plan. Public comment will be accepted electronically through June 10, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. by emailing aiplan@aaawm.org or by clicking here to complete a survey.

Public Hearing Schedule:

• Tuesday, May 28, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. at the Mecosta County Senior Center (12954 80th Avenue, Mecosta, MI 49332)
• Monday June 3, 2013 at 1:30 p.m. at the Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan’s new office (3215 Eaglecrest Drive NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525)

The Area Plan will be considered by the AAAWM Advisory Council at their meeting following the Public Hearing.  Recommendations made will be considered by the AAAWM Board of Directors at their meeting on June 27, 2013.

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Older Americans Act Proposal Open

4/28/2013 11:20am

The Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan (AAAWM) is seeking proposals to provide contracted services funded under the Older Americans Act in Region 8.  This is a separate funding stream that provides services to clients who may not be receiving services through the MI Choice Waiver or Care Management program.

This proposal process is for three years, Fiscal Years 2014- 2016. The funding awarded will be for the first year of the three year proposal, Fiscal Year 2014 (October 1, 2013 through September 30, 2014).

Additional Information:

• Letter for Mailed Proposals
• Proposal General Information
• OAA Proposal
• Service Design and Description (attachment II D)
• Service Budget (attachment II E)
• Disease Prevention/Health Promotion Description (attachment II F)
• Caregiver Support Services Description (attachment II G)

Any questions concerning the proposal process will be answered at the Proposal Workshop.

Important Dates

• April 24, 2013 at 1:00 p.m. - Proposal Workshop at the Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan, Conference Room, 1279 Cedar NE, Grand Rapids, MI  49503
• May 13, 2013 12:00 p.m. (noon) - Proposals due at the AAAWM office, 3215 Eaglecrest Dr NE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49525. No proposals accepted after this date.

Please note that our agency will be moving on Monday, May 6th through Wednesday, May 8th.  It is not recommended to drop off proposals during this time.

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FY 2014 State Budget

4/25/2013 4:25pm

Funding increases are needed for programs to help older adults stay independent in their own home. The MI Choice Medicaid Waiver program and the Office of Services to the Aging save the state money and meet the needs of a growing senior population. Action needs to be taken today to protect Michigan seniors!

What you can do:

PLEASE contact your legislators and ask them to support the Governor’s $18 million proposed funding increase in the MI Choice Medicaid Waiver program, and a 5% increase in OSA funding. If your legislators already support this funding, be sure to say THANK YOU! A list of state Senators and Representatives for our 9 counties follows:

Talking Points:

• The Office of Services to the Aging (OSA) has taken $10 million in funding cuts between 2009 and 2011 (27%). This at a time when more and more seniors are requiring services.  The OSA provides programs such as Meals-on-Wheels, home-based and community services, and volunteer programs. These programs, funded by non-Medicaid funds, are also major contributors to keeping older adults in their own homes and out of expensive Medicaid funded nursing homes beds.  The dollar savings to the state are very clear.
• Meals-on-Wheels, an OSA funded program,  was cut by $3.3 million from 2009-2011. An additional       $500,000 was cut from this vital program this year by the federal sequester! The value of a home       delivered meal is obvious. Less apparent is the intangible benefit:  a Meals-on-Wheels delivery person       may be the only person an older adult sees all week. The value of that human interaction to the senior is immeasurable.
• The program saves the state money. MI Choice Medicaid Wavier program, which includes the Nursing Facility Transition program costs an average of $52/day compared to average nursing home costs of $172/day.
• The Nursing Facility Transition Program (NFT) has immediate savings. Because the program transitions individuals out of a more costly nursing facility, there is immediate savings to the state and taxpayers. Last year over 1,600 people transitioned state-wide saving Medicaid roughly $38 million.

Who to Contact:

Rick Snyder--Governor  (517) 373-3400   Rick.Snyder@michigan.gov

Representatives:                                        

• Winnie Brinks (517) 373-0822      winniebrinks@house.mi.gov
• Jon Bumstead (517) 373-7317   JonBumstead@house.mi.gov
• Mike Callton (517) 373-0842          MikeCallton@house.mi.gov
• Brandon Dillon (517) 373-2668   brandondillon@house.mi.gov
• Ray Franz (517) 373-0825                   RayFranz@house.mi.gov
• Bob Genetski (517) 373-0836      BobGenetski@house.mi.gov
• Thomas Hooker (517) 373-2277   ThomasHooker@house.mi.gov
• Joel Johnson(517) 373-8962        joeljohnson@house.mi.gov
• Peter MacGregor (517) 373-0218   PeterMacGregor@house.mi.gov
• Rick Outman(517) 373-0834        RickOutman@house.mi.gov
• Lisa Posthumus Lyons (517) 373-0846   LisaLyons@house.mi.gov
• Phil Potvin (517) 373-1747                   philpotvin@house.mi.gov
• Rob VerHeulen (517) 373-8900    RobVerHeulen@house.mi.gov
• Ken Yonker (517) 373-0840          KenYonker@house.mi.gov

Senators                                       

• Darwin Booher--Senator (517) 373-1725   SenDBooher@senate.michigan.gov
• Judy Emmons--Senator (517) 373-3760   SenJEmmons@senate.michigan.gov
• Goeff Hansen--Senator   (517) 373-1635   senghansen@senate.michigan.gov
• Dave Hildenbrand--Senator (517) 373-1801   sendhildenbrand@senate.michigan.gov
• Mark Jansen--Senator  (517) 373-0797   senmjansen@senate.michigan.gov
• Rick Jones--Senator (517) 373-3447   SenRJones@senate.michigan.gov
• Arlan Meekhof--Senator   (517) 373-6920   senameekhof@senate.michigan.gov

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MI Choice Accepting Clients

4/16/2013 2:12pm

The MI-Choice Waiver (MI Choice) program is now accepting new clients as the waiting list will now allow individuals who qualify to receive an assessment within a few months.

MI-Choice helps individuals remain in the community who meet medical eligibility guidelines for nursing facility care. The program also offers help for those who have entered a nursing facility and need services in order to return to the community.   Below are some of the eligibility requirements:

• Adults age 65 or older and certified disabled adults ages 18 to 64
• Gross income less than $2,130 per month (2013) from all sources.  A spouse’s income is not counted.
• Medicaid eligible even with a spenddown or willing to become eligible.
• Participants must need one or more MI-Choice Waiver services such as personal care, homemaking, medication management, in home respite for caregivers, a personal emergency response system, etc.

Please contact AAAWM Intake department at 1-800-456-5664.  We accept referrals Monday through Friday from 8 to 5.

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Proposal Process Opens

2/18/2013 1:00pm

Every three years an open proposal process takes place for Older Americans Act funding. During this time any incorporated entity has the opportunity to submit a proposal to provide one or more of the defined fundable services. If an agency is selected, their contract will remain in effect for three years, though funding amount may vary from year to year.

The proposal process will begin on April 8, 2013 with proposals due to the agency on May 13, 2013. Check back here for more information in April, such as proposal format.         

For more information on the process, visit www.aaawm.org/providers/older_americans_act_providers

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Senior Advocacy in Action Alert

11/29/2012 4:40pm

There are a number of issues that are being considered by Congress and the state legislature before the end of the year that will have a huge impact on seniors. Below is urgent information on three of them, and what you can do right now.

Sequestration ( the fiscal cliff)

• Threatens federal funding for older adult programs which help seniors stay in their own homes.
• The Super Committee, comprised of 3 Republicans and 3 Democrats from both the House and Senate, failed to come to a budget agreement, resulting in the automatic budget cuts required by the Budget Control Act of 2011. This is a package of spending cuts and tax hikes that will come into effect on Jan. 2, the first business day of 2013, if President Barack Obama and Congress cannot agree to an alternative measure to cut the deficit.  $109 billion will come out of the federal budget every year for the next 10 years. Half, or about $54.7 billion, comes from defense spending, half will come from domestic programs, including Medicare, the federal health care program for the elderly, which will see an $11 billion cut.  The sequester cuts roughly 8 percent from all federal discretionary programs, from military spending to food safety to education.
• Click here for sequestration advocacy

Personal Property Tax Exemption

• State level bills that will reduce funding to local senior millages and state municipalities.
• Lt. Governor Calley has been working with the House of Representatives on an alternative plan to replace revenue lost to local entities from the exemption of industrial and commercial personal property tax.  This differs from the earlier Senate passed version in that instead of relying on the annual appropriation process to replace the funds with expiring tax credits it proposes to shift funds from the state USE tax out of the general fund to the “Personal Property Tax Reimbursement Fund”.  It would require a statewide vote to do so. Funds lost to the general fund would be made up in time from the expiring tax credits, with no indication of where general fund reductions would come from in the meantime.
• Of greater immediate concern to senior programs with millage funding is that the provisions for protecting “Voter-Approved” millages that were in the Senate bills are absent from the new proposal. The exemptions would begin in tax year 2014, and projected replacement revenue would not be available until 2016, and projected at only at 80% replacement, if voters approve the shift of funds from the USE tax. 
• The new proposal allows local units of government to have a special assessment on industrial real property for police, fire, and ambulance services, that could help replace lost revenue up to 100%, but have no mechanism for other entities to make up lost funds. 
• Click here for Personal Property Tax advocacy

Blue Cross Bills

• These bills will change how Blue Cross Blue Shield is structured and will put seniors and those with disabilities in jeopardy of losing affordable insurance coverage.
• Blue Cross Legacy Medigap policies are the most accessible and affordable policies in the state and must be maintained by keeping current statutory protections in place.  If Legacy policies are discontinued, some beneficiaries will be forced to drop coverage altogether, or go on Medicare Advantage.  Both have high out-of-pocket costs when you need health care.  Some will spend their income and assets on health care bills and be forced to enroll in Medicaid.
• Younger people with disabilities going on Medicare have no legal protections in purchasing Medigap and rely on Blue Cross Legacy policies to supplement Medicare.  People with End Stage Renal Disease, ALS, MS, and many other conditions depend on Blue Cross to sell them insurance.
• Click here for Blue Cross Bills Advocacy

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From the Executive Director

9/26/2012 11:25am

In the world of politics the focus these days is on the upcoming elections. However, after November 6 attention will shift to the Budget Control Act of 2011 and sequestration of all discretionary federal funding. Older Americans Act funding, the primary funding source for area agencies on aging, will be impacted by the sequestration.

In 2011, Congress and President Obama agreed to the Budget Control Act to address the growing federal budget deficit. Under terms of the agreement, Republicans and Democrats must identify $1.2 trillion in budget savings and/or revenue increases over the next ten years to reduce the federal deficit. Both parties must come to an agreement by the end of this calendar year.

If no agreement is reached, then all discretionary federal funding will be sequestered. That means an 8.4% across-the-board cut in defense and non-defense discretionary spending. Older Americans Act funding will be among the many, many programs to be reduced. Between $4-5 million in annual Older Americans Act funding will be lost to Michigan. The AAAWM region would lose about $350,000 which currently provides congregate meals, home delivered meals, and in-home services. In Michigan, the cuts will deny 6,000 seniors nutritional meals, including 2,500 frail homebound seniors getting meals-on-wheels.

An 8.4% funding cut will make it harder for low income older adults to stay in their own home and out of a more expensive nursing home. In the long run, taxpayers will have to pay more as an increasing number of individuals qualify for Medicaid.

This all comes at a time when senior millage funding across Michigan is declining due to decreasing property values. And the number of older adults in need of in-home assistance is growing. The number of older adults in Michigan grew by more than 20% over the past ten years. That trend will accelerate over the next ten years. Consequently, demand for services and waiting lists will continue to increase.

Please contact U. S. Senator Levin, Senator Stabenow, and your U.S Congressman by phone, fax, or email urging them to find common ground and to reach a budget deficit agreement before the end of the year. Tell them how the sequester will devastate Older Americans Act programs and the negative impact on the health and independence of older Michiganians.

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Senior Advocacy in Action Alert

9/20/2012 11:00am

An 8.4% cut across all federal non-entitlement programs will go into effect January 2, 2013. The cuts are automatically triggered by the 2011 Budget Control Act, resulting from  the bipartisan “Super Committee’s” inability to come to an agreement on $1.2 trillion in budget cuts. Unless Congress acts, these cuts will affect every federal program, from the military to public health and social services. Please see the information below and make calls, emails, faxes, and tweets to express your concern.

Background:

Unless Congress reverses an 8.4% across-the-board cut approved last year, all discretionary federally-funded aging network programs will lose funding beginning January 2, 2013.  The official name for this cut is “sequestration,” and it was a provision of the Budget Control Act that was passed to address the growing federal budget deficit.

Between $4-5 million in annual funding will be lost to Michigan just from the federal Older Americans Act, which provides congregate and home-delivered meals, in-home services, senior employment and other services.  Other discretionary federal programs would also be hit, including energy assistance, senior volunteer programs, and the Community Services Block Grant, which supports Community Action Agencies and helps low-income families.  A report released by Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) states that the sequester would eliminate 17 million meals for needy seniors nationwide.  The sequester is taking place because a bipartisan committee failed to come up with an agreement on how to save $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years.

What You Can Do:

Contact your U.S. Representative and Michigan’s two U.S. Senators to express your concern about the impact of “Sequestration Cuts” on low-income seniors.  Find your U.S. Representative by going to www.house.gov and typing your zip code in the box at the top labeled “Find Your Representative.” You can also send a message directly through the website.  If you don’t have the Internet, call your local library for information.

Michigan’s U.S. Senators

• Senator Carl Levin  Ph (202) 224-6221                                F (202) 224-1388   www.levin.senate.gov
• Senator Debbie Stabenow Ph (202) 224-4822                      F (202) 228-0325 www.stabenow.senate.gov

NOTE:  Deliver messages by phone, fax or email.  Do not send a letter as mail addressed to federal officials is screened for toxins and can be delayed in the process.

Talking Points:

• When the sequester cuts take place, Michigan will lose $4-5 million in federal monies for home and community-based services for seniors through the Older Americans Act.
• The cuts will deny 6,000+ seniors nutritional meals, including 2,500 frail homebound seniors getting meals-on-wheels.  Evidence shows that poor nutrition can lead to weight loss, health problems, falls, and increased difficulty with activities of daily living.

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Senior Millage 2013 Funding Process Continues

8/28/2012 2:54pm

Current service providers have received their continuation of funding forms. The forms are due to the AAAWM office by noon (12:00 p.m.) on Monday, September 10, 2012.  No exceptions.

Unfortunately the senior millage will have to take the largest cut ever sense the property values have started to decrease.  The Kent County Millage Review Committee (KCMRC) will have to decide where a 5.1% decrease in service must occur. That equates to $321,425 less in service dollars than was allocated in 2012. Not an easy decision to make sense the number of older adults grows daily (10,000 people a day turn 60 years old) across the country.

Despite the reduction in funding the KCMRC will consider two new proposals.  One is for home chore and the other is for weatherization.  These proposals could offer an option to existing service providers of the same service.

The KCMRC will meet for their intensive week of presentations and discussions October 8 -12, 2012. Funding decisions are guided by current needs and community priorities along with performance of current service providers. To learn more go to providers/kent_county_senior_millage_providers and look under Resources.

Questions about the Funding Process can be directed to your contract coordinator or Jackie O’Connor at 616.222.7002 or at Jackie@aaawm.org.

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Senior Advocacy in Action Alert

8/28/2012 11:30am

Unless Congress reverses an 8.4% across-the-board cut approved last year, all discretionary federally-funded aging network programs will lose funding beginning January 2, 2013.  The official name for this cut is “sequestration,” and it was a provision of the Budget Control Act that was passed to address the growing federal budget deficit.

What You Can Do:

Contact your U.S. Representative and Michigan’s two U.S. Senators to express your concern about the impact of “Sequestration Cuts” on low-income seniors.  Find your U.S. Representative by going to www.house.gov and typing your zip code in the box at the top labeled “Find Your Representative.” You can also send a message directly through the website.  If you don’t have the Internet, call your local library for information.

Michigan’s U.S. Senators are

• Senator Carl Levin  Phone (202) 224-6221                           Fax (202) 224-1388   www.levin.senate.gov                                                        
• Senator Debbie Stabenow Phone (202) 224-4822                Fax (202) 228-0325  www.stabenow.senate.gov

NOTE:  Deliver messages by phone, fax or email.  Do not send a letter as mail addressed to federal officials is screened for toxins and can be delayed in the process.

Background:

Between $4-5 million in annual funding will be lost to Michigan just from the federal Older Americans Act, which provides congregate and home-delivered meals, in-home services, senior employment and other services.  Other discretionary federal programs would also be hit, including energy assistance, senior volunteer programs, and the Community Services Block Grant, which supports Community Action Agencies and helps low-income families.  A report released by Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) states that the sequester would eliminate 17 million meals for needy seniors nationwide.  The sequester is taking place because a bipartisan committee failed to come up with an agreement on how to save $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years.

Talking Points:

• When the sequester cuts take place, Michigan will lose $4-5 million in federal monies for home and community-based services for seniors through the Older Americans Act.
• The cuts will deny 6,000+ seniors nutritional meals, including 2,500 frail homebound seniors getting meals-on-wheels.  Evidence shows that poor nutrition can lead to weight loss, health problems, falls, and increased difficulty with activities of daily liv

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