Policy updates & resources

Every two weeks, LiveOn NY distributes a policy update collecting updates on federal, state, and city aging policy. See below for our latest policy update.

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Biweekly Policy Updates: 3/20/26

See LiveOn's Statement on the One House State Budget here!

Join the Age Strong New York State coalition! We’ve recently put out a sign-on letter calling on prospective partners to join the ASNYS coalition and advocate for fully-funded aging services in the New York State budget. Sign on here!

 

Federal Updates

CMS Issues Guidance on Medicaid Recertifications: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued guidance outlining the requirement to conduct recertifications for Medicaid Expansion enrollees every six months (instead of every 12 months). This is a result of a provision in H.R. 1 which requires all states to implement this by 1/1/2027. The new requirements do not impact those enrolled through aged and disabled pathways, Medicare Savings Program enrollees, or other individuals dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. Click here to read the CMS Guidance letter. Click here for DC updates from Justice in Aging.

Comments Due March 30 on Proposed Federal Grant Certifications that Could Burden Nonprofits: The Federal Administration proposed new certification requirements for all recipients of federal financial assistance through the SAM.gov portal, tied to executive orders on DEI, immigration, and terrorism. The National Council of Nonprofits warns the vague requirements expose nonprofits to legal and financial risk and could deter organizations from applying for federal grants. Public comments are due March 30. More from the National Council of Nonprofits.

SSI Restoration Act Introduced: Cosponsored by 30 lawmakers, including Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and with bipartisan support, the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Restoration Act was recently introduced in the Senate. The bill aims to modernize and strengthen SSI, which has not been meaningfully updated since it was established over 50 years ago. Nearly 8 million Americans rely on SSI, including many low-income older adults and people with disabilities. The bill has been endorsed by numerous advocacy organizations including Justice in Aging, USAging, National Council on Aging, and many others. See more coverage from Newsweek, a press release from Sen. Gillibrand here, and an issue brief from Justice in Aging here.

New Medicare Log in Process: Earlier this month, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released Medicare.gov Enhanced Login options. This impacts the process when somebody creates a new Medicare.gov account or verifies their identity.  Click here to read the CMS update.

 

State Updates

State Budget One-House Updates: The New York State Senate and Assembly released one-house bills last week in Albany. The Senate included several key aging initiatives, including $25 million for Master Plan for Aging (MPA) initiatives, Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption Program (SCRIE) reforms, funding for a Resident Assistance program, and State Environmental Quality Review Act reforms (SEQRA). The Assembly, however, did not include comparable investments in these areas, and key issues like SCRIE reform remain unresolved across both houses. Coverage:  LiveOn NY’s Statement here; Age Strong Campaign statement here; Senate Statement here (including a quote from LiveOn NY). While LiveOn NY is encouraged by the $25 million investment included in the Senate proposal, the full $173 million ask for aging services is not on the table in either proposal. 

Albany Advocacy Needed: Please take action to amplify aging priorities in the state budget.

Resident Assistance Program: The Senate included $2M for a Resident Assistance pilot in its one-house proposal but advocacy will be needed for this initiative.  Actions include: 1) Send and circulate the advocacy letter to lawmakers, 2) Amplify on social media, tagging key legislative leaders, and 3) In housing, post this flyer to engage residents, staff, and community members.

Just Pay Human Services Workforce:The Human Services Council is pushing for a 2.7% investment in all State-contracted human services programs, alongside passage of Wage Board legislation—critical steps to keep wages in line with inflation and move toward long-term wage equity. With the Governor’s proposal falling short, attention turns to the Legislature’s budget proposals—making this a key window to weigh in. Email your legislators urging inclusion of the full 2.7% investment and amplify the call for Wage Board legislation as part of the final budget.

Home Care Transparency Act: New York Caring Majority is urging community members to make calls to state legislative leadership to urge them to include the Home Care Transparency Act in the final budget. More details here.

Release Aging People in Prison: LiveOn NY joined partners in a forceful coalition letter to Governor Hochul and the state legislature raising urgent concerns about conditions in New York’s prison system. While the letter speaks broadly about documented patterns of abuse, these conditions have particularly severe consequences for older adults, who are the fastest-growing segment of the incarcerated population. Older incarcerated adults face higher rates of illness, accelerated aging, and death—making the case for release pathways especially urgent.

New York State Office of Family Services Virtual Budget Briefing: Join the NYS Executive Chamber, and the NYS Office of Family Services for the 2026 State of the State briefing on 3/23 at 3:30pm, featuring Commissioner DaMia Harris Madden as she provides an overview of Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2026 agenda and key highlights from the Governor’s address. Register here.

SOMOS Albany Registration is Open: The 2026 Somos, Inc. New York Conference will take place in Albany 4/17-4/19. More info and registration here. 

Upstate Nonprofit Provider Working Group- JOIN US! Are you a nonprofit aging services provider north of Westchester - we need your voice. LiveOn NY convenes nonprofit upstate providers over Zoom monthly through the end of the legislative session to share updates from Albany, hear directly from you what you’re seeing on the ground, and make sure nonprofit upstate perspectives are reflected in budget and policy advocacy. Join our next meeting on Friday, March 27 at 10:00 AM (and the last Friday of each month through June). Email Dora Fisher to join at dfisher@liveon-ny.org.

 

City Updates

NYC Budget Outlook & Process: The budget process has started in NYC with budget hearings happening over the course of the next several weeks. Of note, the City Council released this report which identifies nearly $1.7 billion in additional FY26 resources from higher tax revenues and savings, without raising property taxes or using the Rainy Day Fund. It presents a more optimistic outlook than the Mayor’s budget and sets the stage for tense negotiations. Similarly, the City Comptroller released this report which sets higher resources as well. Politico covered this year’s budget process here. The Mayor will release his budget response in about two weeks which will set the stage for the negotiations with Council through the Spring. More to come. 

Funding for Infrastructure Projects: In 2025, LiveOn NY successfully advocated for City Council to fund a brand new $5 million dollar expense fund to repair older adult centers in need of urgent infrastructure updates - funding has been allocated to organizations who are starting their projects. We are currently advocating that the City Council reauthorize additional funding in the current budget for more projects. To continue to fuel our advocacy, we need to collect basic information from our network to show the city the need for funding. This is the same tracker as last year so if you have projects submitted that have not been funded please do not resubmit, only submit new projects. SUBMIT HERE

March 24th NYC Council Housing Budget Hearing:  The Housing Committee Budget hearing has been scheduled for March 24, 2026, at 11:30 AM. If you would like to testify please use this link to register or to submit written testimony if you do not plan to testify in person. 

March 24th NYC Council Contracts Budget Hearing: The Contracts Committee Budget hearing has been scheduled for March 24, 2026, at 12:30 PM. If you would like to testify please use this link to register or to submit written testimony if you do not plan to testify in person. 

Coverage of 3/12 City Hall Aging Rally: LiveOn and our members showed up in support of more funding in this year’s budget before the preliminary budget hearing for Aging at the City Council. Chair Zhuang, the Speaker, and the Manhattan BP joined us in support of more funding for services.  See coverage: Gothamist, 

City Council Caregiver 24-Homecare Bill: Similar to a push several years ago, the City Council is considering a bill sponsored by Councilmember Marte that would end 24-hour homecare shifts. The bill, which was slated to age this week is being considered. You can read more about the issue in yesterday’s New York Times article here and in this coverage by Documented. We are monitoring this situation and will provide updates as we have them.

 

Resources

 

Upcoming Events

LiveOn NY Events & Trainings

  • 3/27/26, 11:00 AM: LiveOn NY Boots on the Ground Roundtable: “Demystifying Advance Directives: A Trauma-Informed Approach to Planning and Independence.” Click here.

  • 5/28/26: Save the Date - LiveOn NY City Hall Aging Advocacy Day

Partner Events

  • 3/23/26: New York State Office of Family Services: Virtual Budget Briefing. Register here.

  • 3/25/26: SPOP: Ethics in Aging and Mental Health Webinar. Register here.

  • 3/31/26: New York Law School's Center for New York City and State Law/Center for Real Estate Studies/Citizens Housing and Planning Council: The Making of a Housing Crisis and How to Solve it Series. Register here.

  • 4/17/26-4/19/26: 2026 Somos, Inc.: New York Conference: Info and registration here. 

  • 4/16/26- 4/17/26: Advocacy Institute: Albany Training.  Register here.

  • 4/20/26: New York Council on Nonprofits Summit in Albany.  Register here.

  • 4/21/26: New York Council on Nonprofits Albany Advocacy Day. Register here.

  • 4/20/26-4/23/26: American Society on Aging (ASA): On Aging 2026 Conference: Info and registration here. 

  • 5/14/26: Pierro, Connor & Strauss, LLC: 31st Annual Elder Law Forum. Info here. 

  • 5/26/26: National Council On Aging Hill Day 2026. Advocate in DC with NCOA to meet with and educate members of Congress and their staff as part of NCOA’s 2026 Age+Action Conference. Register here by March 9 for Early Bird prices.

Upcoming LiveOn NY EVENTS

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