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AGENCY TESTIMONY
Home care and community support services
3:02:59
·
143 sec
Commissioner Cortés-Vázquez discusses the importance of home care and community support services in allowing older New Yorkers to age in place. She highlights the challenges and advocacy efforts related to these services.
- Community care support services are crucial for allowing older New Yorkers to remain in their communities and age in place.
- The Expanded In-Home Services for the Elderly Program (EISEP) provides home care services for those not eligible for Medicaid.
- NYC Aging is advocating for wage parity between EISEP home care workers and Medicaid home care workers.
- The home care program at NYC Aging is funded at $37.7 million for FY 2026, but this does not include the proposed wage increase.
- The commissioner emphasizes the importance of equity in pay for home care workers, who are often women of color.
Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
3:02:59
These have been key improvements to service and our providers and have been met in partnership between this administration and the council leadership.
3:03:09
As the number of older adults continues to grow, it is imperative that we continue to grow the community care support services, which allow older New Yorkers to remain in the communities that they built and to truly age in place.
3:03:22
We do this through home care and caregiving services, which greatly serve those who are homebound or in need of additional supports.
3:03:31
Home care services are provided through Medicaid reimbursement and for those who do not or who are not Medicaid, on the Medicaid programs.
3:03:42
So these services are provided through the expanded in home services for elderly, commonly known as ISEP, where case management hours are reimbursed to providers.
3:03:53
Currently we are advocating that New York state legislation make permanent the inclusion which last year passed a rate of a 55 salary match for ISEP home care workers which brings them into parity with Medicare Medicaid, I'm sorry, home care workers who already received these raises.
3:04:14
As you know, this was a key component of community care and is able to help people age in place.
3:04:20
It is the overwhelming preference for older New Yorkers.
3:04:24
We welcome your support and advocacy in this regard.
3:04:27
These are the same workers.
3:04:29
They're just under a different funding stream and should get the same salary.
3:04:33
Without this, ISIP clients are at a disadvantage where Medicaid home care workers are incentivized to take on those clients because the pay is higher.
3:04:42
There's no distinction between ISEP and Medicaid home care workers.
3:04:46
They are primarily women of color.
3:04:48
This is exacerbating the inequity between other salaries.
3:04:52
Currently the home care program at NYC Aging is funded at 37,700,000.0 for FY '26.
3:05:01
But that does not include this wage increase that I'm talking about.
3:05:05
This occurred in previous years and was resolved as part of the advocacy from the council, from our advocates in the field, and to ensure that we have equity in pay for these workers who are frequently women, as I said, women of color.