I recently had the pleasure of meeting with the Residents’ Council at the ArchCare at Ferncliff Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center. The topic? The personal needs allowance provided by Medicaid to residents.

The monthly stipend has been stuck at $50/month since the 1990s.

Each year, a law moves forward in the NY State legislature to increase the stipend. This year’s law would raise it to $200 and index it to inflation. I’ve spoken with Assemblymember Shrestha and State Senator Hinchey on the topic, and both support the increase. But it hasn’t made it into the budget or out of committee, as it doesn’t appear to be a priority for the Governor.

Meanwhile, at the national level, Republicans are moving forward with a budget that would cut billions from Medicaid over the next 10 years, creating millions of uninsured and devastating state and county budgets.

In the coming months, I’ll continue to work with the residents and the local ombudsman to help lobby for this change.