QUESTION
How does NYC Department for the Aging evaluate and address underutilization in older adult centers?
1:15:57
·
4 min
The NYC Department for the Aging plans to address underutilization by reallocating unspent funds to areas with greater need.
- Over $20 million in funds are left unspent on average each year, which can be reprogrammed to address needs like repairs, meals, and transportation.
- The department aims to identify underperformance patterns historically and renegotiate contracts twice a year.
- Funds from underperforming contracts will be reallocated to contractors with greater needs.
- The department commits to full transparency in the reallocation process and will provide updates on the deployment of funds.
- Council Member Hudson supports repurposing funds for overutilized or capacity-lacking areas instead of removing them.
Crystal Hudson
1:15:57
What is the process and metrics NYC Aging uses to evaluate and determine utilization at older adult centers.
Lorraine Cortes-Vasquez
1:16:05
You know, I've been talking about underutilization, performance underutilization for the last four and a half years.
1:16:15
And the reason for that is because we have found that we leave money within the network for underperformance and underutilization.
1:16:25
And it has gone from $15,000,000 in 1 year to about $46,000,000 in another year.
1:16:33
46 or 426.
1:16:35
40 6.
1:16:36
Okay.
1:16:36
Alright.
1:16:37
Let me I'm sorry.
1:16:38
You guys show me that these smaller numbers, these small numbers.
1:16:41
Alright.
1:16:43
In FY19, we left $8,000,000 of unspent funds.
1:16:47
That's money in the network.
1:16:50
In 2020, it was 20,400,000.
1:16:54
2023, it's 19,000,000.
1:16:57
21, I'm sorry.
1:16:58
22, it was about 56, but there was some stimulus money in there, so we're not going to count that high.
1:17:05
But if you're looking at an average, of about $20,000,000 of unspent funds, which could be reprogrammed within the network.
1:17:15
That is what we're looking to do.
1:17:18
It is to take that money, not take it out of the network, but reprogramming it where we see the greatest needs.
1:17:24
All of the questions that have been raised.
1:17:27
How do we get that stove fixed?
1:17:28
How do we get additional meals?
1:17:30
How do we get more transportation?
1:17:32
We could reprogram that money within the network.
1:17:35
And the path the what we're looking at is not one and done and not a one time kind of under utilizations.
1:17:46
We're really looking for historical patterns and then negotiating, and we're gonna do that twice a year.
1:17:53
To look at under performance patterns so that that money can be reprogrammed back into the network.
1:18:00
To address some of these growing needs.
1:18:01
Howard
Jose Mercado
1:18:01
Bauchner: Right.
Crystal Hudson
1:18:02
And I think we would all, you know, we, meaning council members and also providers, would agree that those funds should be repurposed, but I think they're not being repurposed.
1:18:11
They're they're not right.
Lorraine Cortes-Vasquez
1:18:13
Right.
1:18:13
So because once they're unspent, they're unspent.
Crystal Hudson
1:18:16
Right.
1:18:17
So but you're saying that you are advocating for those funds to be repurposed?
1:18:21
We are in your negotiations and conversations
Lorraine Cortes-Vasquez
1:18:23
where we will reallocate those dollars from a contract to another contractor.
Crystal Hudson
1:18:28
You're saying that process exists or you're looking at ways to make that house
Lorraine Cortes-Vasquez
1:18:33
is now we've never done that.
Crystal Hudson
1:18:34
Okay.
1:18:35
But you'll be doing it for the next fiscal year?
Lorraine Cortes-Vasquez
1:18:39
Right.
Crystal Hudson
1:18:40
Okay.
1:18:43
I'm gonna hold you to it Yeah.
1:18:45
As best as best as
Lorraine Cortes-Vasquez
1:18:46
I can.
1:18:46
And we will give you updates on how it was done, who was affected, and where we are gonna redeploy those dollars.
Crystal Hudson
1:18:57
Yeah.
1:18:58
Because
Lorraine Cortes-Vasquez
1:18:58
I I I believe this is full transparency.
Crystal Hudson
1:19:01
Totally.
1:19:01
And I and I think that is the the best use of funds that if they're not working in one particular area, shift them to another area that is being overutilized or doesn't have precise capacity.
1:19:11
But, you know, I think what we've seen from the administration generally is that they take you know, they see funds that aren't being utilized in one program area or one budget line, and then they just take them out.
1:19:24
Rather than looking at other areas or budget lines that are, you know, beyond capacity.
1:19:29
So I'm glad that
Lorraine Cortes-Vasquez
1:19:30
all is to put it right back in the network.
Crystal Hudson
1:19:33
Right.
Lorraine Cortes-Vasquez
1:19:34
And and that is not to say, I wanna be clear about this because we're, you know, this is we're looking at this in as a process.
1:19:40
Right Mhmm.
1:19:41
Right now.
1:19:42
I'm planning it out.
1:19:43
But I've been talking to providers about this for 4 years.
1:19:45
I was just saying, I don't know how I we cannot keep doing this.
Crystal Hudson
1:19:49
Right.
Lorraine Cortes-Vasquez
1:19:49
Because it's hard to ask for new needs Right.
1:19:51
When we have this amount of unspent dollars.
Crystal Hudson
1:19:54
Right.
1:19:54
Understood.
Lorraine Cortes-Vasquez
1:19:56
And so what we what we're looking at is and it doesn't mean that once it gets out of your budget, you can't get it back if you don't increase.
1:20:04
That will be part of the celebration.
1:20:06
Right?
1:20:07
But the goal is to put it where it is needed at this particular time.
Crystal Hudson
1:20:11
Right.
1:20:13
I just wanna acknowledge that we've also been joined by council member, Brewer.