Establishes the home repair services for the elderly program within the office for the aging to provide grants to local agencies for the aging for the provision of home repair services to persons 60 years of age or older to allow such persons to comfortably and safely remain in their homes.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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5494
2013-2014 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 28, 2013
___________
Introduced by M. of A. ENGLEBRIGHT -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Aging
AN ACT to amend the elder law, in relation to establishing the home
repair services for elderly program
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The elder law is amended by adding a new section 224 to
2 read as follows:
3 § 224. Home repair services for the elderly program. 1. Definitions.
4 As used in this section:
5 (a) "Advisory committee" shall mean the advisory committee convened by
6 the director pursuant to subdivision three of this section.
7 (b) "Director" shall mean the director of the office for the aging.
8 (c) "Home repair service" shall mean a demand based service for older
9 adults including, but not limited to, the following:
10 (1) construction, in or around the home, to improve safety or mobility
11 including, but not limited to, the installation of grab bars, railings,
12 ramps, lighting, or smoke or carbon monoxide detectors; upgrading
13 noncompliant heating and ventilation systems or electrical fixtures; and
14 the repair or replacement of malfunctioning doors or windows;
15 (2) repairs, in or around the home, to improve safety or mobility;
16 (3) supply of materials used for construction or repairs, in or around
17 the home; and
18 (4) maintenance, in or around the home, that is either required by the
19 older adult's community; necessary for safety or integral in maintaining
20 property or preserving its value including, but not limited to, yard
21 work, snow removal and gutter maintenance; or other upkeep to the prem-
22 ises.
23 (d) "In or around the home" shall mean real property where an older
24 adult resides and is owned, leased or rented by such adult.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09230-01-3
A. 5494 2
1 (e) "Older adult" shall mean a person who is sixty years of age or
2 older.
3 (f) "Program" shall mean the home repair services for the elderly
4 program established pursuant to this section.
5 (g) "Sustainability plan" shall mean a formal written plan to be
6 submitted to the director which shall set forth the steps that will be
7 taken by an area agency on aging to obtain the necessary financial
8 resources for a home repair service for the elderly program under this
9 section to be self-sustaining. Such steps may include plans to partner
10 with community organizations and/or other local fundraising activities
11 and developing a fee scale based on income for older adults who use the
12 services of the home repair service for the elderly program.
13 2. The director shall, within amounts appropriated therefore, estab-
14 lish a home repair service for the elderly program for the purpose of
15 improving the ability of older adults to remain safely and comfortably
16 in their homes. The director shall award grants to qualified area agen-
17 cies on aging to establish programs.
18 3. Prior to implementing the program, the director shall convene an
19 advisory committee. Such committee shall be composed of older adults and
20 senior citizen group representatives from throughout all the geographic
21 areas of the state. The advisory committee shall develop and recommend
22 to the director appropriate criteria for the selection of grantees of
23 funds under the program. The advisory committee shall further aid the
24 director in developing criteria for the program which shall include, but
25 not be limited to:
26 (a) the types of services to be provided by the program;
27 (b) monetary and time limitations for program services;
28 (c) criteria for the self-sustainability plan; and
29 (d) the qualifications and credentials of individuals or entities who
30 will provide services under the program.
31 4. The advisory committee shall assist the director with designing an
32 evaluation tool for the program. The program shall be evaluated by the
33 director to determine its effectiveness. No later than one year after
34 the establishment of the program, the director shall report on the
35 effectiveness of the program to the governor, the speaker of the assem-
36 bly, the temporary president of the senate, the chair of the assembly
37 aging committee and the chair of the senate aging committee.
38 5. The office may use up to five percent of the total of any funds
39 provided to a designated agency pursuant to this section for adminis-
40 tration.
41 6. An area agency may use up to five percent of the total of any funds
42 it receives pursuant to this section for administration.
43 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
