New York Assisted Living Providers Seek $75M in State Relief

A coalition of four Adult Care Facility and Assisted Living associations whose member providers serve more than 45,000 elderly New York residents and employ tens of thousands of dedicated workers is requesting a $75 million relief allocation in the State’s budget after experiencing a year of unprecedented COVID-related preventative health and safety cost increases combined with declining occupancy rates due to temporarily discontinuing admissions and a significant limitation on visitation.

“Operators of Adult Care Facilities and Assisted Living Residences across New York State rose to and met the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to continue to provide independent, safe and secure living for frail elderly New Yorkers,” stated Lisa Newcomb, Executive Director of the Empire State Association of Assisted Living (ESAAL). “The dramatic increase in the cost of providing personal protective equipment for staff, meeting state mandated testing requirements and ensuring a safe and healthy environment for our residents over the last year is threatening the ability of many providers to remain operational without State assistance.”

ESAAL, along with Argentum NY, LeadingAge NY and the New York State Center for Assisted Living (NYSCAL), has sent letters requesting the one-time $75 million relief package to New York’s Governor and to Legislative leadership who are negotiating the 2021-22 Fiscal Year budget due April 1.

“We have been on the front lines of this pandemic for the last 12 months, caring for those most vulnerable to the virus and going to extraordinary lengths to ensure the health and safety of our residents and staff. $75 million will offset a fraction of the expenses and lost revenue incurred by our providers during the ongoing pandemic and could be allocated from the over $23 billion New York is due to receive from the federal American Rescue Plan Act,” noted Ginger Lynch Landy, Executive Director of Argentum NY. Landy added that statewide, assisted living providers incurred an estimated $844 million in COVID-19 associated costs last year.

“Our not-for-profit providers have worked tirelessly for over a year, taking extraordinary and costly measures to protect their residents and staff from COVID-19,” said James W. Clyne, Jr., President of LeadingAge NY. “While they share the state’s laudable public health goals, these enormous unbudgeted costs are unsustainable; they need financial relief to be able to continue to serve New York’s seniors in the future.” He noted that thus far adult care and assisted living facilities have not received State assistance, and New York providers have seen very little of the $1 billion allocated nationwide in the Federal CARES act.

“The Assisted living communities continue to experience financial hardship from the pandemic, due to all-time lows in their census coupled with additional testing and PPE costs,” noted Kim Laviolette, Executive Director of NYSCAL. “If we do not see financial support from New York State in this upcoming budget, some of these facilities would begin to close, causing a rupture in the continuum of health care across the State.” Laviolette noted that a reduced number of assisted living facilities available to elderly New Yorkers would likely push that population into more expensive, state-funded care such as skilled nursing homes.

ESAAL’s Newcomb notes that more than half of ACF/ALR providers report that they have experienced significant losses over the past year to the point where they potentially face the prospect of closure absent financial relief. “We ask that all NYS legislators and the general public ask Governor Cuomo and State and Assembly leadership to recognize the important role Assisted Living plays in senior living and ask that this funding be targeted to these providers to ensure its continued viability.”

ESAAL represents approximately 300 licensed Adult Care Facilities and Assisted Living Residences, serving more than 30,000 residents, across New York State. Argentum NY is the New York Chapter of Argentum, the national association representing professionally managed senior living operators. Argentum NY is comprised of 74 professionally managed assisted living providers serving over 7,500 seniors across New York State. LeadingAge NY represents over 400 mission-driven not-for-profit and public providers of long term care, aging services, and senior housing, as well as provider-sponsored Managed Long Term Care (MLTC) plans. NYSCAL represents approximately 100 Adult Care facilities and Assisted Living Residences, serving 10,600 residents across New York State.