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Nursing Home Staffing Bill Needs More to Protect Seniors
Legislation introduced by New York State Senator Gustavo Rivera and Assemblymember Aileen Gunther to establish nursing home staffing ratios doesn’t go far enough to protect New York’s seniors. The bill (S6346-Rivera/A7119-Gunther) is a step in the right direction, but community advocates for older adults share several major concerns with the legislation, and believe it would…
Read MoreHUD Affirms Commitment to Protect Transgender and Non-Binary Individuals
submitted by Christopher Phillips, Esq. Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced in a press release that it would withdraw a proposed rule, which, if implemented, would harm transgender and non-binary individuals. The proposed rule would have permitted blatant discrimination against transgender and non-binary individuals at emergency shelters. Specifically, the rule…
Read MoreCELJ Newsletter – April 2021
Property Scams
submitted by Kevin Quinn, Esq. CELJ has recently learned of several recent incidents where scammers have come to an individual’s home, insisting that they purchased the property in a foreclosure auction, and have demanded that the individual vacate the property immediately. Neither the City of Buffalo nor Erie County have held a foreclosure auction recently. …
Read MoreFederal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) COVID-19 Funeral Assistance
submitted by Jessica Tiburcio, Law Student Losing a loved one is one of the most tragic imaginable experiences. If you have lost a loved one or loved ones to a COVID-19 related issue, you may qualify for certain eligible funeral expenses under FEMA’s COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Program. FEMA Funeral Assistance helps with the cost of…
Read MoreNYS Department of Health Releases Expanded Visitation Guidelines for Nursing Homes and Adult Care Facilities
submitted by Bria Lewis, Esq, Staff Attorney On March 25, 2021, the NYS Department of Health (DOH) updated guidelines for visitation for both nursing homes and adult care facilities. Overall these guidelines are consistent with the federal guidelines released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on March 10, 2021, which addressed the…
Read MoreUpdated Federal Visitation Guidelines
Submitted by Bria Lewis, Esq, Staff Attorney On March 10, 2021 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released an update to their nursing home visitation guidelines. This guidance addresses the impact that the COVID-19 vaccination has on visitation. The information contained in this guidance supersedes and replaces previously issued guidance and recommendations regarding visitation.…
Read MoreNYS Legislative Updates and the Need for Comprehensive Long-Term Care Reform
submitted by: Lindsay Heckler, Supervising Attorney This week, the NYS Assembly passed a variety of legislation pertaining to nursing homes and adult care facilities. Below is a summary of each of each of the bills that were passed and what happens next. Before going into these bills, I want to make the following point that…
Read MoreUpdate from NYS Department of Health: Expanded Visitation Guidelines for Adult Care Facilities and Visitation Legislative Updates
Submitted by Bria Lewis, Esq, Staff Attorney On March 2, 2021 NYS Department of Health (DOH) released an updated guidance for visitation in adult care facilities. This update comes just a week after DOH released an updated guidance for nursing home visitation. This new guidance for adult care facilities supersedes and replaces any previously issued…
Read MoreFive Weeks into Presidency, President Biden Sends Clear Message: LGBTQ+ Rights are a Priority
submitted by Christopher Phillips, Esq. Just five short weeks into President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s presidency, the administration has sent a clear message. LGBTQ+ rights are a priority. On his first day in office, President Biden issued the Executive Order on Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation. The…
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