Federal Update

In early February President Bush presented his fiscal 2007 budget (from October 2006 to September 2007). If the budget proposed by President Bush is enacted by Congress, Alzheimer’s research funding at the National Institutes of Health would again decline. In addition, specific Alzheimer programs currently receiving funding would not be funded. These include the Alzheimer’s Brain Health Project at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC); the Alzheimer’s Disease Demonstration Grants to the States Program which expands the availability of diagnostic and support services for persons with Alzheimer’s and improves the responsiveness of the home and community based care system to persons with dementia; the Alzheimer’s Association’s 24/7 Contact Center; and Safe Return, the nationwide identification, support and registration program working at the community level which provides assistance in finding a person lost locally or far from home.

Alerts were issued to the chapter network by the Alzheimer’s Association Advocacy and Public Policy Office in Washington D.C. calling for widespread grassroots advocacy in opposition to the cuts. In mid-March Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) proposed an amendment to provide an additional $7 billion in funding to the Senate’s version of the federal budget for additional fiscal year 2007 funding for priority health and education programs. The amendment which was critical to restoring federal funding for Alzheimer’s research, care, and prevention passed by a Senate vote of 73-27 and the Senate approved the FY07 budget resolution.

The House of Representatives also approved the FY07 budget resolution. Additional funding of a $3 billion reserve fund for health, education, and other domestic priorities was added. The final Senate/House budget outcome remains unresolved.

State Update

Our Coalition of NYS Alzheimer’s Chapters held its Annual Advocacy Day in Albany on March 7. Advocates from the seven chapters gathered for a luncheon program. A highlight was an unexpected appearance by Assemblyman Englebright, Chair of the Assembly Aging Committee. In addition, our Coalition acknowledged Assemblyman Morelle from Rochester for his role in passage of the criminal history record check (CHRC) bill, which includes the creation of a statewide registry for direct care workers in the home care setting.

After the gathering, our three teams of advocates and chapter staff from NYC visited with NYC representatives in the Senate and Assembly. The family caregivers were most effective in conveying to the legislators their continuing commitment to caring for their family members with Alzheimer’s. They spoke of the heavy financial costs endured over the long period of illness and the importance of access to Medicaid long term care.

Our advocates stressed opposition to the governor’s proposals to: apply a five year look back and initiate a penalty period for the transfer of assets to establish eligibility for non-institutional services including Medicaid home care/personal care; require that spousal refusal be restricted to where the spouse refusing to contribute any income and/or assets to the cost of health care for the spouse is absent from the home; and change the starting date of the penalty period for transfers of assets so as to delay access to Medicaid long term care coverage. Our teams stressed as well the need for the state to increase the federal $500,000 cap on home equity to $750,000 in order for a person to establish eligibility for Medicaid nursing home care.

The legislators and their aides with whom we visited are all aware of the costs, both human and financial, of caring for a person with Alzheimer’s and were most responsive in listening to our family advocates. In their version of the state budget, the Legislature rejected the governor’s transfer of assets and spousal refusal proposals. The Legislature also increased the home equity cap to $750,000 and allowed for use of home equity loans and reverse mortgages. In turn, the governor exercised his veto powers. Although the vetoes were overridden by the Legislature, the final budget outcome is unknown as the governor intends to implement his changes anyway.

— Ann Berson
Vice President,
Director of Public Policy

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