Assemblyman Gary D. Finch Senior
Citizen
Update

From Assemblyman
Gary D. Finch

HEALTHY LIVING NY

HEALTH CARE PROXY

New York state's Health Care Proxy Law allows you to appoint a competent adult to make decisions about your medical treatment in the event you can't decide for yourself. This includes decisions to remove or provide life-sustaining treatment.

You can designate a trusted family member or friend as your health care agent, who will have as little or as much authority as you allow about your treatment if you are unable to make such decisions. Hospitals, doctors and other health care providers must follow your agent's decisions as if you made them directly.

Health care proxy forms are available by calling the state Office for the Aging's toll-free hot line at (800) 342-9871.



LONG-TERM CARE INSURANCE

The New York State Partnership for Long-Term Care addresses one of the most serious problems facing our health care system - how to provide long-term health care for senior citizens without depleting their life savings.

The program combines private, long-term care insurance and Medicaid to help New Yorkers prepare financially for the future. It allows older persons to protect their assets while remaining eligible for Medicaid, as long as they are income-qualified and the long-term care needs exceed the period covered by their insurance policy.

To determine if a long-term care insurance policy would be beneficial for you, several factors need to be considered, including your age, health and financial situation. When appropriate, a policy for long-term care services can help you maintain independence, financial stability and dignity if a chronic or disabling condition occurs.

For details on the NYS Partnership for Long-Term Care, call the state Insurance Department's toll-free hot line at (800) 342-3736, or visit the partnership's Web site at www.nyspltc.org.



INSURANCE HELP

Seriously ill patients and caregivers can obtain valuable information through a toll-free number and Web site established this year by the state Insurance Department.

The services provide guidance on the health care rights of New Yorkers and how to exercise those rights to ensure proper access to health insurance coverage. The information can be very helpful, especially when individuals or family members face a serious illness.

The new Web site offers important details, including a review of questions that individuals should ask their insurance company and physician, information on individual rights if they are denied coverage, and a list of documents to have available for doctor visits and hospital stays.

The Insurance Department can be reached at its toll-free hot line at (866) 694-6743, or visit the agency's Web site at www.insurancehelpny.com



HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (HEAP)

The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) is an outstanding resource that can help families and older adults ensure that they stay warm as the days grow colder each winter. A one-time regular benefit of $40 to $400, payable to the applicant's utility vendor, and a one-time emergency benefit to individuals facing a utility shutoff may be available. To be eligible, individuals must qualify through an income test. For a household of two, for example, the maximum monthly household income in 2004 was $2,226.

HEAP is designed to assist the neediest households, those with the lowest incomes and highest energy costs in relation to income. Households with vulnerable individuals, such as children under 6 years of age, adults 60 and older, and disabled persons, are high priorities. For information on how to apply, contact your local department of social services.



DO NOT CALL REGISTRY

In 2001, New York state established the Do Not Call Registry to prohibit telemarketers from making unsolicited phone calls to those who register their names. Now, there is a national Do Not Call Registry, instituted and managed by the Federal Trade Commission, and all New Yorkers listed on the state registry were automatically added to the new federal registry.

If you're not on the list and would like to be, call the national Do Not Call Registry's toll-free number at (888) 382-1222, or visit the registry's Web site at www.donotcall.gov

LIFELINE PHONE DISCOUNT

The Federal Communications Commission's Lifeline Assistance Program, offered by local telephone service companies, provides the needy with discounted monthly service costs on telephone service. As required by federal law, the service is available for low-income telephone customers who are eligible for the following assistance:

  • Temporary Assistance Program

  • Food stamps

  • Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP)

  • Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

  • Veterans disability or surviving spouse pensions.



ENHANCED SCHOOL TAX
RELIEF PROGRAM (STAR)

New York state's Enhanced School Tax Relief (STAR) Program is available to all property owners who are or will be 65 and older on or before Dec. 31. For the 2005-06 school year, eligible senior citizen property owners must also have a federally adjusted gross income, based on their 2003 tax return, of $64,650 or less. For more information, contact your local assessor's office or the state Office of Real Property Services toll-free at (888) 697-8275, or visit the Web site at www.orps.state.ny.us



**Click here for a printable list**

IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS

Emergency (Police and Fire)
911

Emergencies for the Hearing Impaired
(800) 662-1220

Advocate for the Disabled Hotline
(800) 522-4369

Better Business Bureau
(800) 828-5000

Consumer Protection Board
(800) 697-1220

Domestic Violence Hotline (US)
(800) 799-7233

Domestic Violence Hotline (NYS)
(800) 942-6906

Federal Trade Commission
(877) 382-4357

NYS Attorney General
(800) 771-7755

Public Service Commission
(800) 342-3377

Social Security Administration
(800) 772-1213

Senior Citizens Hotline
(800) 342-9871

NYS Department of Tax & Finance
(800) 225-5829

HELPFUL WEB SITES:

FirstGov for Seniors
www.seniors.gov/

NYS Office for the Aging
www.aging.state.ny.us/index.htm

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