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: 5/8/26

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Updates from LiveOn NY

May is Older Americans Month: LiveOn NY and our partners are focused on advocating for older adults and critical services across New York and the country.

JOIN US May 20 for LiveOn NY’s 31st Annual Aging Advocacy Day! We’ll be joined by Aging Chair Susan Zhuang and hundreds of older adults, providers, and advocates. City Council Speaker Julie Menin has been invited as well. Click her e to register.

June 4 Age Strong NY State & City Policy Update Webinar: Join LiveOn NY for an advocacy update webinar for nonprofit organizations serving older adults across New York State. This conversation will cover the recently enacted state budget, the remainder of the legislative session, current advocacy priorities through the Age Strong New York campaign, and what to expect as we begin planning for next year. Click here to register.

Federal Updates

Administration Proposes FDA Nutrition Services Reorg: The Federal Administration proposed a reorganization of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) into the Food and Nutrition Administration. A component of this reorg would disburse FNS leadership and staff from Washington DC to different parts of the country. FNS oversees critical federal nutrition assistance programs including The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), school meals and others. For more information and for FRAC’s statement about this proposal, see he re. For a recent Hunter College New York City Food Policy Center analysis on how SNAP recipients are navigating SNAP changes, click he re.

Support the HCBS Access Act: LiveOn NY joins our partners at Justice in Aging to support the HCBS Access Act, which would address many gaps and inequities in the current aging and disability care system by making home and community-based services (HCBS) a comprehensive and universally covered Medicaid benefit. This act would also invest in the direct care workforce to bring more people into the caregiving profession and ensure that they are well-trained and fairly compensated. Read more here.

New Rule Could Discriminate Against LGBTQ+ HUD Residents: A new federal proposal to roll back the 2016 Equal Access Rule could allow HUD-funded housing providers to discriminate against older adults based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Read more from Justice in Aging here.

SSA Medicare Billing Errors Identified: The Social Security Administration (SSA) recently notified advocates of a systemic error where hundreds of thousands of retirees were improperly billed for Medicare premiums that had already been deducted from their Social Security checks. The SSA is working to issue refunds, but advocates recommend that enrollees check their May 2026 statements. The Medicare Rights Center has resources here to appeal for enrollees who may be affected here.

State Updates

Governor Announces State Budget Deal, Assembly Speaker Disagrees: The state budget process made significant progress this week following Governor Kathy Hochul’s announcement of a conceptual agreement on the State Fiscal Year 2027 Budget. The proposed $268 billion budget would maintain $15 billion in reserves, avoid increases to personal income and statewide business taxes, and address an estimated $10 billion loss in federal funding. While the Assembly Speaker noted that they have not reached a deal yet, the budget is expected to be resolved soon. See coverage from City and State he re and from The City here.

Key items announced by the Governor include:

New Revenue Source: Implements the State’s first Pied-a-Terre tax on NYC luxury second homes valued at $5 million or more.
Child Care and Early Education: Allocates approximately $4.5 billion for key investments to expand access and establish universal Pre-K and 3K.
Regulatory Reforms:
- Modernizes the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) to accelerate Housing and Infrastructure development.
- Introduces Auto Insurance Reform to combat fraud and prohibit rating policies based on factors like ZIP code.
Public Safety:
- Strengthens ghost gun penalties.
- Requires 3D printers to prevent firearm printing.
- Includes substantial appropriations for gun violence prevention and transit policing.
Consumer Protections:
- Provides a $1 billion energy rebate.
- Establishes a Ratepayer Protection Plan that ties utility executive compensation to affordability metrics.
- Enacts new Online Safety for Minors provisions, including enforcing privacy-protective settings and disabling integrated AI chatbots for users under 18.
Affordability Measures:
- Eliminates State income tax on tipped wages up to $25,000.
- Funds universal free K-12 meals.
- Immigration Protections: Codifies State-law Immigration Protections.

The legislative houses are expected to begin passing implementing bills in the coming days, and the final budget language may include changes to the provisions outlined above. LiveOn will send specific aging budget updates once the full budget is out.

Submit Your Contracting Delays To The State: The Governor's Not-for-Profit Contracting Advisory Committee continues to invite nonprofits to reach out if they are overdue for payments from the State for services already delivered. Complete this form to communicate directly with the Governor’s office about your delayed payments and collectively demonstrate the need for contracting reform.

City Updates

LiveOn Aging Advocacy Day on May 20th: Join LiveOn NY and partners on Wednesday, May 20th at 11AM outside City Hall Park, for our 31st Aging Advocacy Day, where aging services providers, staff, and older New Yorkers will come together to advocate for the priorities of the Age Strong NYC campaign. As New York City’s older adult population grows, investments in essential supports like affordable housing, older adult centers, and nutrition services must keep pace. Bring signs, wear t-shirts, and any gear that represents your organization or program to help show the strength of our collective voice! Register here.

NYC Executive Budget Update: The Mayor and the City Council have agreed to postpone the release of the Executive Budget for FY 27 in light of the state budget delays. The Mayor announced that the budget should be released Tuesday May 12. We anticipate "efficiency" cuts at NYC Aging and will update you as we understand more after the budget is released, and will continue our advocacy. There will be executive budget hearings scheduled after the release of the document. Read more from politico here.

Funding for Infrastructure Projects: Last year, 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 and potentially increase the pot to $10 million dollars 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.

HSC JustPay Budget Rally: HSC is hosting a budget rally on May 14th called the Rally for Wage Equity in NYC's Human Services Sector. Join us in rallying to support Wage Equity Legislation (Int 0452) and demand true #JustPay for human services workers across New York City. Find more information and register here.

Homecrest Community Services on SNAP Theft: LiveOn NY member, Homecrest Community Services, recently published an op-ed in City Limits on the importance of including a reimbursement program for victims of SNAP theft. Read the op-ed here.

Resources

Upcoming Events

LiveOn NY Events & Trainings:

5/15: Boots on the Ground Webinar, Guardianship: A Legal Mechanism to Advance Elder Justice. Register her e.
5/20: Age S trong NYC City Aging Advocacy Day. Click her e to register.
6/16 and 6/25: LiveOn NY’s New Older Adult Center Directors Training: This wildly popular 2-day training (Day 1 virtual, Day 2 in-person) is designed for o lder adult center/NORC directors with 0-5 years experience. Space is limited – register here.

Partner Events:

5/14/26: Pierro, Connor & Strauss, LLC: 31st Annual Elder Law Forum. Info here.
5/14/26: JustPay Campaign: City Wage Equity Rall y. S ign up here.
5/1 9/26: USAging: Expanding Community Mobility Through CCAM-TAC Technical Assistance. S ign up here.
5/19/26: NY Health Foundation Webinar: Advancing Pri mary Care in New York: Insights and Opportunities for Investment. Sign up here.
5/20/26: Justice in Aging: Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Basics. Register here.
5/21/26: Nonprofit New York: 2026 Leadership Forum. Sign up her e.
5/26/26-5 /29/26: National Council on Aging (NCOA) Age+Action 2026 Conference (info her e) and Hill Day 2026 (info here).
6/16/26: Brooklyn Org: Brooklyn Org 2026 Nonprofit Conference: Communicating with Clarity. Register here.