From DC is Justice in Aging's weekly roundup of national news and resources about issues impacting older adults. To receive From DC in your inbox as soon as its published, sign up for our mailing list.
Here’s what we’re watching in Washington:
Newly Announced Proposal Would Help Older Adults and People with Disabilities Access Home Care
This week, Vice President Harris announced a new proposal to strengthen at-home care for Medicare enrollees by funding home care workers to provide eligible enrollees assistance with activities of daily living. The proposal also includes adding hearing and vision coverage to Medicare and eliminating Medicaid estate recovery. For more details, read Justice in Aging’s statement.
Learn about the harms of Medicaid estate recovery in our reports, How Medicaid Estate Recovery Perpetuates Poverty and When States Recoup Medicaid Costs by Seizing Family Homes, Poor Families Suffer While State Budgets Are Barely Affected.
Improvements to SSI In-Kind Support and Maintenance Policies
Due to regulatory changes, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients who receive help from friends and family with food and shelter will now be able to retain more of their SSI benefits. Last week, three new rules on the SSI program’s in-kind support and maintenance (ISM) policies went into effect. Under the SSI program’s previous ISM policies, SSI recipients could have their benefits reduced by up to one-third if they received help with food and shelter costs.
With the new rule changes, however, help with food will no longer be included in ISM calculations; people living in households receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will not be subject to ISM deductions; and people who pay at least a third of their benefits towards rent will also be exempt from benefit reductions due to ISM.
Justice in Aging and our partners advocated for these critical changes, which will help more SSI recipients keep the benefits they need and avoid deep poverty and homelessness. In the coming months, Justice in Aging will provide more resources to help advocates understand the new ISM rules.
Social Security Administration Announces 2025 Cost-of-Living Adjustment
On October 10, the Social Security Administration announced that its cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2025 will be 2.5%. This means that, beginning in January 2025, the maximum federal benefit rate for the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program will be $967 for an individual and $1,450 for a couple.
The average Social Security retirement benefit is expected to increase by approximately $50, from $1,927 to $1,976. Information about changes to Medicare premiums for 2025 will be available at a later date at Medicare.gov.
New Justice in Aging Resources
- Alert: Voting Resources for Older Adults and People with Disabilities (10/10)
- Statement: New Medicare Proposal Aims to Help Older Adults, People with Disabilities, and their Families Access Home Care (10/8)
- Alert: Medicare Now Covering Important HIV Preventive Medication and Services Without Cost (10/2)
- Comment Letter: Justice in Aging’s Comments on SSA’s Supplemental Security Income Simplification Process Phase I (SSI) (9/26)
- Issue Brief: Supporting Tribal Elders Through Social Security (9/24)
- Issue Brief: Building the Path to Medicare Part A Buy-In: Strategies for Advocates (9/18)
- Alert: Important Update: Medicare Enrollees Could Lose Financial Assistance for Drug Costs if They Do Not Act (9/17)
Upcoming Justice in Aging Webinars
Justice in Aging Webinar Recordings
- Changes to SSI/SSDI Rules for Disabled Applicants and Beneficiaries (10/9)
- Systemic and Individual Advocacy to Reduce Restraint Use in Nursing Facilities (10/1)
New from the National Center on Law & Elder Rights (NCLER)
On October 23rd, NCLER will present a training on Legal Basics: Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports. This webinar will cover the basics of Medicaid LTSS eligibility for nursing home residents and home and community-based services (HCBS) enrollees. Attendees will better understand the different ways in which states cover HCBS and protections available to all LTSS beneficiaries. Learn more and register for the webinar.
Read NCLER’s recent alert on Resources for Responding to Natural Disasters and Storms, which provides information on how legal assistance and aging services providers can mobilize to assist before, during, and in the aftermath of weather emergencies.
New & Updated Federal Resources
- CMS: Resources and Flexibilities to Assist with the Public Health Emergency in the States of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and South Carolina (9/27)
- CMS: CMS Announces Resources and Flexibilities to Assist with the Public Health Emergency in the State of Florida (10/10)
- CMS: New CMS FAQs on Provider Enrollment and Third-Party Liability for Services Rendered to Dually Eligible Individuals (9/30)
- White House: Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Actions to Reduce Medical Debt and Address Illegal Medical Debt Collection Practices (10/1)
- USICH: Homelessness Prevention Series: Spotlight on the Jail-to-Homelessness Pipeline (10/4)
- ASPE: Medicaid: The Health and Economic Benefits of Expanding Eligibility (9/26)
Other New Resources
- What to Know about the Medicare Open Enrollment Period and Medicare Coverage Options, KFF
- Three Principles for a Rental Assistance Guarantee, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
- State and Local Policy Levers to Prevent and Address Homelessness, The Framework for an Equitable Homelessness Response
- 2024 Status of Hispanic Older Adults Annual Report: Insights from the Field Elevating Heart Health Awareness & Advocacy, NHCOA