Establishes a telephone reassurance program for senior citizens which provides automated telephone calls at regular intervals at their place of residence, and if no answer, law enforcement is dispatched.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7180
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
April 12, 2017
___________
Introduced by M. of A. HARRIS -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Aging
AN ACT to amend the elder law, in relation to establishing a telephone
reassurance program for senior citizens
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. Telephone reassurance program. 1. The office is hereby author-
4 ized and directed to establish and administer a telephone reassurance
5 program. Such program shall provide a system for senior citizens resid-
6 ing in this state to receive automated telephone calls in a language of
7 their choosing, at regular intervals at their place of residence. Avail-
8 able intervals shall include daily, weekly or monthly options, of which
9 each recipient may adjust as necessary. Upon the failure of such senior
10 citizen to answer such automated call, a follow-up call shall be made
11 within twenty-four hours. Upon the failure to answer an additional time,
12 local law enforcement shall be dispatched to such residence in order to
13 determine the welfare of such senior citizen. Such program shall provide
14 that participation by a senior citizen in such program is voluntary. For
15 purposes of this section, the term "senior citizen" shall mean a person
16 sixty-five years of age or older.
17 2. In establishing such program, the office shall consult and cooper-
18 ate with local law enforcement agencies in order to effect an efficient
19 system for sending and receiving telephone calls, and for the dispatch-
20 ing of law enforcement.
21 3. The office is hereby authorized and directed to promulgate rules
22 and regulations necessary for the implementation of this section.
23 § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
24 have become a law, provided, however, that effective immediately, the
25 addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary
26 for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized
27 to be made and completed on or before such date.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09122-02-7