THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 29, 1994 TAG: 9410290208
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DEBRA GORDON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
Prisons, not people.
That was the message advocates for the elderly received about state funding priorities Friday morning during the eighth annual Norfolk Task Force on Aging's legislative breakfast, where they presented their wish list for the 1995 General Assembly session.
The task force's list included requests for more money for transportation, respite care and long-term care.
``The state level is not responsive to many of the issues you are concerned about,'' said state Sen. Yvonne B. Miller, D-Norfolk. ``Every dollar in the next session of the General Assembly will be taken for building new prisons.''
But, she noted, people 65 and over, of which Hampton Roads has the largest concentration in the state, are a powerful force in politics.
``Because you vote. You have to use the power you have to ensure that all senior citizens are voters. This is the time to organize and use your political clout.''
The message was disappointing but not unexpected to event organizers.
``I didn't hear any commitment that I felt they were going to act on,'' said Kathleen S. Blanchard, chairwoman of the task force's legislative committee.
She was also worried about an issue that wasn't on the task force's agenda but that is expected before the Assembly next session - allowing the state to place automatic liens on Medicaid beneficiaries' property.
``I think if an older person had to sign a paper giving the state permission to place a lien on their property before they could get approval to put their spouse in a nursing home, or get Medicaid to pay for in-home care, they would back away from the system,'' she said. ``I fear legislators will hear only how much money this plan would save the state and not recognize the impact it will have on people who really need the services.
``It all comes down to money. And when it comes down to money, it comes down to the squeaky wheel.''
So Blanchard promised an intensive lobbying effort on behalf of the region's more than 100,000 aging adults.
``We're going to have to follow up. If it ends here it will be dead.'' MEMO: For more information on the task force's legislative agenda or to
volunteer their support, call Blanchard at 461-9481, or call task force
chair Anna Goldenberg at 489-1371.
ILLUSTRATION: LEGISLATIVE CONCERNS
These are some legislative concerns that Hampton Roads' advocates
for the aging will be pushing this January in the General Assembly:
TRANSPORTATION:
Increasing the check-off on the Virginia State Income Tax form to
allow more than $1 to be retained from the refund to fund elderly
and disabled transportation needs.
RESPITE CARE:
Find cost-effective ways to support families who are the primary
care givers for disabled children and/or adults.
Increase funds for respite care and review and remove regulations
which impede access to such services.
Continue the respite care grant to the Alzheimer's Association of
Hampton Roads for $100,000 annually, as it assists 1,500 families.
Study the benefits and costs of providing tax incentives or other
mechanisms to encourage Virginians to purchase long-term care
insurance.
Create a new Department of Aging and Long-Term Care Services.
KEYWORDS: SENIOR CITIZEN ELDERLY by CNB