September Senior Financial Safety Tool Bulletin
Housing Unit Eviction Moratorium Guide
submitted by Megan Poynter, Law Student updated September 25, 2020 Federal Policy: CDC Eviction Moratorium On September 1, 2020 the Centers for Disease Control in partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services issued an Agency Order eviction moratorium with broad reaching qualifications extending until December 31, 2020. This protection is meant to be a floor – state policy can and…
Read MoreCELJ Announces New Consumer Guides for Nursing Home Residents
submitted by Liam McMahon, Paralegal The Center for Elder Law & Justice (CELJ) is excited to announce the release of two new informational guides for long-term care consumers in Western New York. In October of 2019, with generous funding provided by the Odd Fellow and Rebekah Benefit Fund, CELJ began a new resident rights advocacy…
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Protecting Long Term Care Residents’ Right to Vote in the Time of COVID-19
submitted by Bria Lewis, Esq. The 2020 Presidential Election is fast approaching and many long-term care residents are at risk for not being able to cast a vote. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused nursing homes and adult care facilities to have strict visitation policies. Therefore, family members, Ombudsman representatives, and other visitors that would assist…
Read MoreFederal Nursing Home Visitation Guidelines vs New York State Guidance
submitted by Lindsay Heckler, Esq. On September 17, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued new nursing home visitation guidelines that replace and supersede all previous rules pertaining to nursing home visitation. The CMS guidance was issued shortly after the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) issued its own update to…
Read MoreCELJ Opposes Proposed Rule Discriminating Against Transgender Individuals in Homeless Shelters
submitted by Christopher Phillips, Esq. On July 24, 2020, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development issued a proposed rule, entitled Making Admission or Placement Determinations Based on Sex in Facilities Under Community Planning and Development Housing Programs. The proposed rule would permit emergency homeless shelters to admit individuals based solely on their biological…
Read MoreCOVID-19: What New Yorkers Need to Know
Erin Riker, Esq. Coordinator, CELJ Legal Advice Helpline This blog entry contains information about changes in laws, emergency declarations, and other government actions that affect your life in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. This is a rapidly developing situation, so this article will be updated regularly as conditions change. This entry is current as…
Read MoreNew York State Department of Health Updates on Skilled Nursing Facility Visitation
submitted by Bria Lewis, Esq. and Liam McMahon On September 15, 2020, the NYS Department of Health released updated guidelines for Skilled Nursing Facility Visitation. The first update to visitation guidelines is facilities must have no new confirmed staff or resident COVID-19 reported cases for 14 days. (The prior threshold for visitation was 28 days.)…
Read MoreCOVID-19 Testing – When is it covered?
submitted by Caroline McDonough, Esq. The recent return to school for many as well as the continued return to the workplace is bringing about questions relating to the availability of coronavirus testing. While testing continues to increase across New York State, health insurance coverage for tests only remains available for medical purposes. Federal guidance requires…
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