ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Nursing home residents in New York who rely on Medicaid are calling for an increase to their monthly personal expense allowance, which has remained at $50 since 1988.
Residents at Monroe Community Hospital told News10NBC’s Erin Mahon they are frustrated because $50 in 1988 would equate to about $140 today. As expenses have grown throughout the years, residents’ budgets remain the same. Medicaid covers the cost of care, but a small portion called the personal needs allowance goes toward residents’ personal expenses.
“It’s a challenge trying to decide what to do with such a small amount,” said Monroe Community Hospital resident. Karen Shaw. “If you only have $50 a month, do you buy a new coat? Do you have a nice lunch with a friend?” Shaw continued.
Residents noted that monthly expenses like cable, internet, and transit passes take up most of their budget. This leaves even less flexibility for residents to opt to pay for personal items, eat out, or buy gifts for family and friends on holidays.
Residents, state lawmakers and advocates gathered at the hospital on Wednesday to discuss legislation that aims to increase the personal needs allowance to $200. Debbie Leary started advocating for an increase in 2014. She began gathering signatures from other residents, amassing around 3,000 that year. Last year, she spent months creating spreadsheets cataloguing all the nursing home in the states and who the state legislators were for each.
Leary says she’s motivated to help other residents because while she can ask family and friends for help, that’s not the case for everyone. “I feel guilty having to ask them. I worked all my life. I was actually a workaholic. So I worked all my life — that’s my money. I’m only asking for a little more of my money,” Leary said.
Advocates mentioned this is a national issue. Thirty-three states have a higher personal needs allowance than New York, ranging from $52 up to $200. Most recently, Ohio increased it’s allowance to $75 at the beginning of the year.
A couple years ago, Leary reached out to Assemblyman Harry Bronson for help turning thousands of signatures she had gathered into legislation. “So from there, I became a co-sponsor on a bill in the Assembly that would increase from $50 to $200 a month for personal needs allowance and then index it to the consumer price index so it would go up each year based on the cost of living,” Bronson said. He noted it’s unlikely residents would get the full $200 after negotiations, but that any increase at this point would be preferable as a basis for future conversations.
Two bills are now in the legislature — one in the Assembly (A2048) and one in the Senate (S4744A). In previous years, Bronson said it has been difficult to get legislators on board.
“We have a lot of competing demands for finances through the state but I think this is one that’s starting to resonate with my colleagues and with others. And it’s been 40 years. It’s time to do it,” Bronson said.
Leary said she is up for the fight. “I won’t give up. There’s too many people relying on my voice,” she said.
Both Leary and Shaw say they’re trying to travel to Albany in October to speak before the state legislature. If they don’t succeed in getting the personal needs allowance increase in the state budget this year, Leary said she will pick up advocacy efforts again next year.
Fore more information on the personal needs allowance and how to join advocacy efforts, a petition can be found at this link: Raise the Personal Needs Allowance (PNA).
New York nursing home residents have gotten just $50 a month for personal expenses since 1988 — they want that to change WHEC.com.
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