From DC is Justice in Ageing’s weekly roundup of nationwide information and sources about points impacting older adults. To obtain From DC in your inbox as quickly as its printed, join our mailing checklist.
Right here’s what we’re watching in Washington:
States Sue USDA Over Refusal to Fund SNAP Throughout Shutdown
A bunch of 25 states sued the U.S. Division of Agriculture (USDA) this week over its refusal to make use of contingency funds to proceed offering SNAP meals help throughout the federal government shutdown.
The states’ lawsuit seeks a brief restraining order that may compel USDA to supply SNAP advantages in November. An identical lawsuit was additionally filed yesterday by a nationwide coalition of native governments, small companies, and staff’ rights organizations.
If USDA ceases to supply SNAP meals help, it could be the primary suspension of advantages in this system’s historical past. Some states are planning to attract on state and native funding to help SNAP recipients who could lose help.
Over 40 million low-income folks – together with 8 million seniors – depend on SNAP to afford groceries. Be taught extra about SNAP and different applications supporting older adults’ fundamental wants.
Lawmakers Categorical Concern Over Potential Cuts to Everlasting Supportive Housing
Over 20 Home Republicans despatched a letter to the Division of Housing and City Improvement (HUD) to induce the company to increase present grants for HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) program by means of 2026 and delay any potential funding cuts.
The CoC program is HUD’s main homeless help program and prioritizes funding everlasting supportive housing (PSH), which gives long-term rental help with supportive companies for folks experiencing power homelessness. Older adults age 55 and over comprise 40% of PSH residents, who embrace folks with disabilities and sophisticated well being situations.
In line with latest studies, HUD intends to slash funding for PSH subsequent yr by over 65% to shift extra funding to non permanent types of help, comparable to transitional housing. These drastic cuts would put roughly 170,000 folks in PSH susceptible to dropping their housing and companies.
The letter from Home Republicans notes that modifications in CoC funding priorities “needs to be applied rigorously to keep away from destabilizing applications that serve people with extreme disabilities associated to psychological sickness, power well being situations, or substance use problems, in addition to seniors with disabilities.”
Be taught extra about PSH and HUD homeless help on this Justice in Ageing primer. Advocates also needs to urge Congress to incorporate a provision in upcoming spending payments that protects PSH funding for subsequent yr.
New Report Demonstrates True Prices of Chopping Medicaid House-Based mostly Care
As a result of almost $1 trillion in federal Medicaid cuts Congress enacted in H.R. 1, states are dealing with tough funds choices. Previously when federal funding was minimize, each state minimize a number of of their Medicaid home- and community-based companies (HCBS) applications.
A new report from the California Well being Care Basis and ATI Advisory analyzes how the federal Medicaid cuts and different pressures on California’s funds may impression HCBS and state spending. ATI discovered that if the state had been to chop Medicaid HCBS, total spending on growing older and incapacity care would enhance on account of greater use of nursing services.
For instance, a ten% minimize to 5 key HCBS applications may enhance California’s Medicaid long-term care spending by $57 million within the first yr alone and $1.17 billion over 5 years. Furthermore, if solely 3% of individuals receiving HCBS shifted to nursing services, the state would run out of nursing facility beds.
Advocates can use this report to teach their very own state policymakers concerning the true prices of slicing HCBS and why entry to those applications needs to be preserved and expanded. Learn extra about what Medicaid cuts imply for low-income older adults’ entry to well being and long-term care and the significance of defending and increasing Medi-Cal HCBS.
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