The Executive Office of Elder Affairs ensures the dignity and independence of elderly persons through the development and management of comprehensive, community-based programs. In fulfilling its mission, Elder Affairs will continue to provide frail elders with community-based, long-term care through home care services; support cities and towns across the Commonwealth in the development and delivery of local programs; offer group and home-delivered meals to elders across the Commonwealth; develop and promote volunteer and employment opportunities for elders in community service organizations; regulate and certify assisted living facilities; and provide protection to elders at risk of abuse and exploitation.

The community-based programs developed by Elder Affairs, particularly home care services, promote the independence of elders by enabling them to continue living in their own homes, while delaying or preventing the use of more costly institutional care. Services are provided through private non-profit, community-based organizations, including home care corporations, area agencies on aging, and municipal councils on aging.

Elder Affairs provides home care and related services to more than 37,000 frail elders each month, serves 10,000 elders through statewide supported volunteer programs, and provides consumer protection to more than 3,000 elders living in assisted living facilities. Elder Affairs provides nearly eight million meals to more than 75,000 elders, and over 400,000 elders receive health screening, transportation, social day care, and other services through municipal councils on aging. The Office designates organizations to serve as Aging Services Access Points (ASAPs), which provide a single entry for elders and their families who need information about, or coordination of, long-term care services.

Objectives

In Fiscal Year 1998, the Executive Office of Elder Affairs will pursue the following objectives:

• work with the Division of Medical Assistance to develop the Senior Care plan for Medicaid-eligible elders to ensure greater access to community services, such as home health and home care services, and health and social day care to avoid premature institutionalization;
• provide expanded home care and respite services for the existing 37,000 low-income, frail elders and enroll 1,000 more elders into the program;
• continue to work with the Division of Medical Assistance on the Pharmacy Assistance Program, which provides financial assistance to up to 60,000 eligible seniors; and
• continue to improve the quality of community services delivered to frail elders in Massachusetts.

Budget Recommendations

The Fiscal Year 1998 recommendation is $134.92 million. This recommendation includes $6.33 million in additional funding to expand home care services and $1.83 million to improve salaries for the Department's lowest paid, contracted, direct care workers. In Fiscal Year 1997 this funding was appropriated as part of a reserve account in the Executive Office for Administration and Finance.

Budgetary Direct Appropriations

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF ELDER AFFAIRS ADMINISTRATION
9110-0100	For the administration of the executive office of elder affairs	1,832,299

ASSISTED LIVING CERTIFICATION
9110-0102	For the regulation of assisted living facilities	236,965
	Assisted Living Administrative Fund 100%

MANAGED CARE IN HOUSING PROGRAM
9110-1603	For managed care in housing for individuals at risk of institutionalization	8,435,340

HOME CARE SERVICES
9110-1630	For home care services including home health and respite services, protective services and other services for the elderly; provided, that the home care program shall include a sliding fee program in which all qualified elders shall participate, which shall include provisions to waive said fee in cases where the secretary of elder affairs determines that the assessment would cause extreme financial hardship; provided further, that not more than three million eight hundred thousand dollars in revenues accrued from said sliding fees shall be retained by the individual home care corporations without re-allocation by the executive office of elder affairs, and be expended for the purposes of the home care program, consistent with guidelines to be issued by the executive office of elder affairs; and provided further, that notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, said secretary is hereby authorized to transfer not more than four percent of the funds appropriated herein to item 9110-1633 for case management services and the administration of the home care program	78,125,086

HOME CARE CASE MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION
9110-1633	For contracts with home care corporations or other qualified entities for home care case management services, protective services, and the administration of the home care program; provided, that notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, the secretary of elder affairs is hereby authorized to transfer not more than three percent of the funds appropriated herein to item 9110-1630 for the purchase of home care, home health or related services	32,978,096

CONGREGATE AND SHARED HOUSING PROGRAM
9110-1660	For congregate and shared housing services for the elderly	1,354,492

LOCAL SERVICES PROGRAMS
9110-1900	For local services for the elderly; provided, that all funds appropriated under this item for an elder service corps shall be for corpsmembers' stipends, for the cost of mailing corpsmembers' stipends and for corpsmembers' participation in group insurance programs, as set forth in chapter one thousand one hundred sixty-eight of the acts of nineteen hundred and seventy-three; provided further, that the stipend for full-time corpsmembers shall not exceed the maximum allowed under earnings limitation sections of the Social Security Act and the stipend for part-time corpsmembers shall not exceed one hundred thirty dollars per month; and provided further, that the executive office of elder affairs shall maximize federal reimbursement for meals funded herein	4,559,341
	Local Aid Fund 100%

GRANTS TO COUNCILS ON AGING
9110-9002	For grants to the councils on aging; provided, that fifteen thousand dollars be expended for the Massachusetts Senior Games; and provided further, that one hundred seventy-five thousand dollars shall be expended for health benefits counseling, and transportation services	4,400,000
	Local Aid Fund 100%

Budgetary Retained Revenues

HOME CARE PROGRAM RETAINED REVENUE
9110-1634	The executive office of elder affairs may expend for the purposes of item 9110-1630 an amount not to exceed one million dollars, and for the purposes of item 9110-1633 an amount not to exceed two million dollars, from federal revenues collected pursuant to the provisions of Title XIX of the Social Security Act for case management and personal care and related services provided to medicaid-eligible home care clients	3,000,000

Federal Grant Spending

COORDINATED AGING, REHABILITATION, AND DISABILITY SERVICES
9110-0850	For the purposes of a federally funded grant entitled, Coordinated Aging, Rehabilitation, and Disability Services	83,922

OLDER AMERICANS ACT - TITLE III AND TITLE VII
9110-1074	For the purposes of a federally funded grant entitled, Older Americans Act - Title III and Title VII; provided, that the executive office of elder affairs may provide periodic payments in advance to participating agencies	9,915,740

HEALTH INFORMATION COUNSELING AND ASSISTANCE
9110-1095	For the purposes of a federally funded grant entitled, Health Information Counseling and Assistance; provided, that the executive office of elder affairs may provide periodic payments in advance to participating agencies	350,000

OLDER AMERICANS ACT - TITLE III NUTRITION PROGRAM
9110-1173	For the purposes of a federally funded grant entitled, Older Americans Act - Title III Nutrition Program; provided, that the executive office of elder affairs may provide periodic payments in advance to participating agencies	13,350,000

COMMUNITY SERVICE EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM
9110-1178	For the purposes of a federally funded grant entitled, Community Service Employment Program; provided, that the executive office of elder affairs may provide periodic payments in advance to participating agencies	1,950,000

CASH IN LIEU OF COMMODITIES PROGRAM
9110-1181	For the purposes of a federally funded grant entitled, Cash in Lieu of Commodities Program; provided, that the executive office of elder affairs may provide periodic payments in advance to participating agencies	3,850,000

Trust and Other Spending

9100-1600

KEEP MOVING FITNESS PROGRAM

7,260

9100-1700

GOVERNOR'S ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON AGING

44,780

9100-1850

ELDER SERVICE TRAINING PROGRAM

4,890

9110-1722

SILVER HAIRED LEGISLATURE

2,814

9110-1851

ELDER CARE EDUCATION - TRAINING, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

4,663

9110-1852

BROOKDALE RELATIVES AS PARENTS PROGRAM - RAPP STATEWIDE INITIATIVE

4,000