I work for you. And whenever I am at a meeting or an event, I take that opportunity to connect with others who can help us here in Red Hook, Tivoli, Rhinebeck, and Dutchess County.

I attended an event yesterday, which allowed me to discuss Medicaid payments with three Hudson Valley state legislators: Assemblymembers Didi Barrett and Jonathan Jacobson and our own State Senator Michelle Hinchey. I’ve worked with Didi and Jonathan for years and frequently consult with them and Senator Hinchey to determine the real reason legislation is stalled and whether we can work together to move it forward.

As part of my constituent service, I’ve been working with residents at ArchCare Ferncliff Nursing Home and Rehab Center in Rhinebeck to push for an increase in the personal needs allowance (PNA) from the $50/month set in the 1990s to something more reasonable. I spoke with Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha about this last session, and she is a co-sponsor of the current bill.

However, the state is bracing for the deep cuts in Medicaid in the proposed federal budget. Those cuts will result in hospital closures and deep cuts, Jacobson said, making it impossible to increase benefits like the PNA. Those closures will hurt all of us, not just those on Medicaid.

It would be up to the governor to make a PNA increase a priority for the state budget, and I’ll keep pushing for the increase just the same.