NYS Senator Eric Adams and the Senate Majority Conference Enact a Legislation Package That Will Improve Quality of Life for Senior Citizens

 NYS Senator Eric Adams and the Senate Majority Conference have passed a comprehensive legislative package that expands services and increases access for senior citizens 

The package will enhance care for senior citizens, and it includes: 

• Increasing eligibility levels for EPIC program
• Creating “missing vulnerable adult” alert system
• Authorizing Office of Children and Family Services, in cooperation with Office of the Aging, to track and report on incidences of elder abuse
• Simplifying renewal process for Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) Program
• Expanding deadline for seniors to apply for property tax exemption

After decades of hard work providing for their families, senior citizens deserve fundamental services and protections so that they can continue to lead healthy and active lives. As New York’s population ages, this becomes increasingly relevant. According to a 2008 U.S. Census Bureau report, an estimated 13.4% of New York’s population was made up of individuals aged 65 or older.  This percentage will increase as the “baby boom” generation ages.

 As drug costs have risen, they have become the largest single source of out of pocket healthcare costs for seniors.  The expansion of EPIC eligibility will ease the financial burden for tens of thousands of seniors who rely on costly prescription drugs.

 Senator Adams and the NYS Senate Majority Conference are committed to providing for and protecting our senior citizens, and more reforms and services benefiting our seniors have been passed under the new Senate Majority Conference than in the last several decades combined.