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Testimony on Housing For 2025-2026 Executive Budget
Kevin M. Quinn, Esq. Kevin M. Quinn, Esq.

Testimony on Housing For 2025-2026 Executive Budget

Thank you, Chair Krueger and Chair Pretlow, for the opportunity to submit this testimony to the Joint Legislative Budget Hearing on Housing. This testimony is presented by Kevin M. Quinn, Managing Attorney at the Center for Elder Law & Justice. The Center for Elder Law & Justice (“CELJ”) has been serving the Western New York region for over 40 years, providing free civil legal services to older adults, persons with disabilities, and low-income families. CELJ’s primary goal is to use the legal system to assure that individuals may live independently and with dignity. CELJ also provides for policy and systems change, particularly in the areas of housing, elder abuse prevention, nursing home reform, and consumer protection. Currently, CELJ provides full legal representation in ten counties of Western New York. CELJ’s Free Senior Legal Advice Helpline is open to all of New York State. CELJ operates a central office in downtown Buffalo, with three additional offices in Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and Niagara counties.

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Testimony on Human Services for 2025-2026 Budget
Lindsay Heckler, Esq., MPH Lindsay Heckler, Esq., MPH

Testimony on Human Services for 2025-2026 Budget

Only a few jurisdictions in New York State have civil legal service providers with grants allowing them to provide the valuable service of no-cost representation to kinship caregivers. Parents, persons with an order of custody, and persons who are subjects of neglect and abuse petitions have a constitutional right to have counsel appointed to them if they cannot afford such. Kinship caregivers are not afforded this right

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Testimony on Health/Medicaid for 2025-2026 Budget
Lindsay Heckler, Esq., MPH Lindsay Heckler, Esq., MPH

Testimony on Health/Medicaid for 2025-2026 Budget

The proposed Budget seeks in part to improve the health and well-being of every New Yorker, increase affordability and access to quality health care, and places emphasis on “putting money back in New Yorkers’ Pockets. The proposed Budget does include an additional $45 million for non-medical in-home services provided through the State Office for the Aging. However, overall, the proposed Budget fails to intentionally include a valuable part of our community, older adults. While the proposed Budget does not include deep cuts to Medicaid and eligibility that we have seen in prior years, the proposed Budget fails to invest in and support the right of older New Yorkers to age in place and with dignity.

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Testimony on Public Protection for 2025-2026 Budget
Karen L. Nicolson, Esq. | Chief Executive Officer Karen L. Nicolson, Esq. | Chief Executive Officer

Testimony on Public Protection for 2025-2026 Budget

Thank you, Chair Krueger, and Chair Pretlow, for the opportunity to submit this testimony to the Joint Legislative Budget Hearing on Public Protection. The Center for Elder Law & Justice (“CELJ”) has been serving the Western New York region for over 40 years, providing free civil legal services to older adults, persons with disabilities, and low- income families. CELJ’s primary goal is to use the legal system to ensure that individuals may live independently and with dignity. CELJ also advocates for policy and systems change, particularly in the areas of health care access, housing, elder abuse prevention, nursing home reform, and consumer protection. Currently CELJ provides full legal representation in ten counties of Western New York. CELJ’s Free Senior Legal Advice Helpline is open to all New York State. CELJ operates a central office in downtown Buffalo, with three additional offices in Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and Niagara counties.

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Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment
Sarah Hedden, Esq., MSW Sarah Hedden, Esq., MSW

Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment

Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony today on the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment, and the reporting process. The Center for Elder Law & Justice (“CELJ”) has been serving the Western New York region for over 45 years, providing free civil legal services to older adults, persons with disabilities, and low-income families. CELJ’s primary goal is to use the legal system to ensure that individuals may live independently and with dignity. CELJ also advocates for policy and systems change, particularly in the areas of elder abuse prevention, nursing home reform, consumer protection, and housing reform. Currently, CELJ provides full legal representation in ten counties of Western New York. CELJ’s Free Senior Legal Advice Helpline is open to all of New York State.

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JOINT LEGISLATIVE BUDGET HEARING ON PUBLIC PROTECTION
Karen L. Nicolson, Esq. | Chief Executive Officer Karen L. Nicolson, Esq. | Chief Executive Officer

JOINT LEGISLATIVE BUDGET HEARING ON PUBLIC PROTECTION

Thank you, Chair Krueger and Chair Weinstein, for the opportunity to submit this

testimony to the Joint Legislative Budget Hearing on Public Protection. We present this written

testimony on behalf of Karen Nicolson , CEO of the Center for Elder Law & Justice

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2024-2025 Executive Budget Topic: Economic Development
Guest User Guest User

2024-2025 Executive Budget Topic: Economic Development

The Center for Elder Law and Justice (CELJ) greatly appreciates the opportunity to provide our

comments to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee on Economic Development. CELJ has been

serving the Western New York region for over 40 years, providing free civil legal services to older

adults, persons with disabilities, and low- income families. CELJ’s primary goal is to use the legal

system to assure that individuals may live independently and with dignity. CELJ also advocates

for policy and systems change, particularly in the areas of housing, elder abuse prevention, nursing

home reform, and consumer protection. Currently CELJ provides full legal representation in ten

counties of Western New York. CELJ’s Free Senior Legal Advice Helpline is open to all of New

York State. CELJ operates a central office in downtown Buffalo, with three additional offices in

Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and Niagara counties.

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2024-2025 Executive Budget Topic: Human Services
Karen L. Nicolson, Esq. | Chief Executive Officer Karen L. Nicolson, Esq. | Chief Executive Officer

2024-2025 Executive Budget Topic: Human Services

Thank you, Chair Krueger and Chair Weinstein, for the opportunity to submit this testimony to the

Joint Legislative Budget Hearing on Public Protection. We present this written testimony on behalf

of Karen Nicolson, CEO of the Center for Elder Law & Justice. The Center for Elder Law &

Justice (“CELJ”) has been serving the Western New York region for over 40 years, providing free

civil legal services to older adults, persons with disabilities, and low- income families. CELJ’s

primary goal is to use the legal system to assure that individuals may live independently and with

dignity. CELJ also advocates for policy and systems change, particularly in the areas of housing,

elder abuse prevention, nursing home reform, and consumer protection. Currently CELJ provides

full legal representation in ten counties of Western New York. CELJ’s Free Senior Legal Advice

Helpline is open to all of New York State. CELJ operates a central office in downtown Buffalo,

with three additional offices in Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and Niagara counties.

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2024-2025 Executive Budget Topic: Housing
Kevin M. Quinn, Esq. Kevin M. Quinn, Esq.

2024-2025 Executive Budget Topic: Housing

Thank you, Chair Krueger and Chair Weinstein, for the opportunity to submit this testimony to

the Joint Legislative Budget Hearing on Housing. This testimony is presented by Kevin M.

Quinn, Director of Impact Litigation at the Center for Elder Law & Justice. The Center for Elder

Law & Justice (“CELJ”) has been serving the Western New York region for over 40 years,

providing free civil legal services to older adults, persons with disabilities, and low-income

families. CELJ’s primary goal is to use the legal system to assure that individuals may live

independently and with dignity. CELJ also provides for policy and systems change, particularly

in the areas of housing, elder abuse prevention, nursing home reform, and consumer protection.

Currently, CELJ provides full legal representation in ten counties of Western New York. CELJ’s

Free Senior Legal Advice Helpline is open to all of New York State. CELJ operates a central

office in downtown Buffalo, with three additional offices in Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and

Niagara counties.

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2024-2025 Executive Budget Topic: Health
Lindsay Heckler, Esq., MPH Lindsay Heckler, Esq., MPH

2024-2025 Executive Budget Topic: Health

Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony on the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Executive

Budget (“Executive Budget”). The Center for Elder Law & Justice (“CELJ”) has been serving the

Western New York region for over 40 years, providing free civil legal services to older adults,

persons with disabilities, and low-income families. CELJ’s primary goal is to use the legal system

to assure that individuals may live independently and with dignity. CELJ also advocates for policy

and systems change, particularly in the areas of housing, elder abuse prevention, nursing home

reform, and consumer protection. Currently CELJ provides full legal representation in ten counties

of Western New York.1 CELJ’s Free Senior Legal Advice Helpline is open to all of New York

State. CELJ operates a main office in downtown Buffalo, with three additional offices in

Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and Niagara counties.

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Resident Rights Advocacy Initiative
Lindsay Heckler, Esq., MPH Lindsay Heckler, Esq., MPH

Resident Rights Advocacy Initiative

We want to hear from the community who have had personal experiences with nursing homes. In connecting with our community at large, we will be able to sharpen the tools we provide to residents that promote self-advocacy.

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Advocating for Legislative Change to Improve Long-Term Care in New York State
Calls to Action Lindsay Heckler, Esq., MPH Calls to Action Lindsay Heckler, Esq., MPH

Advocating for Legislative Change to Improve Long-Term Care in New York State

The growing crisis of substandard care in nursing homes and adult care facilities is not new and has existed prior to the pandemic. New York has ignored the challenges older adults and people with disabilities have faced living in nursing homes and adult care facilities, such as abuse and neglect from insufficient staffing and lax infection control practices.

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Write Letters to Your Representatives!
Calls to Action Lindsay Heckler, Esq., MPH Calls to Action Lindsay Heckler, Esq., MPH

Write Letters to Your Representatives!

Have you ever written a letter to your government representative? If not, you should consider it! Elected officials are interested in what their constituents have to say. If there is a topic important to you, consider sending a brief letter to your local representative.

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