May 10, 2024 | Economic Security & Outreach Blog, Housing
We all know that assisting clients with housing issues—seeking housing or stabilizing existing housing—is among the most demanding, stress-laden challenges we cope with. We also know that the landscape of affordable, low-income, and supportive housing options is complex. It seems that no matter how many resources we gather and training opportunities we take, there’s always more to learn, or a new scenario that defies our knowledge of what’s available to help.
For those who want to dig into this area of knowledge, MassHousing has an excellent series of trainings: Housing Stability Trainings. They provide support to housing advocates as well as property managers of rental units to increase their capacity to support tenants and cope in a fair and humane way with conflicts that arise.
Who and what is MassHousing? It is a quasi-public agency that works in partnership with the state, in particular the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, to finance the growth of affordable housing. It also supports first-time, low- and moderate-income home-buyers. An example of how they support the initiatives of the state is their administration of Neighborhood Stabilization Program grants.
MassHousing also maintains a searchable database of affordable rental housing.
Learning about what MassHousing does and its various training opportunities is a great way to increase your housing literacy and learn about bigger picture state initiatives to improve housing access.
May 3, 2024 | Economic Security & Outreach Blog, Resource finding
Since 2019, western Massachusetts has been served by 413CARES.org, a database of resources in several important categories including, but not limited to: food, housing, transportation, caregiver support, mental health, substance use, reentry, digital resources, and mentoring.
In 2023 they launched a campaign to grow awareness and invite organizations and agencies to create accounts and enter programs (or, for agencies with programs already listed, to “claim” them and manage their information regularly).
This effort has been working, and they have seen significant increase in engagement from both organizations who contribute their program information and users who search the database and make referrals.
Their community education campaign, funded by a grant from Baystate Health, is still active, and they have collected data on how the database is being used.
COA staff in W. MA can use this and ensure that their COA’s programs are listed so that residents of their regions can learn about them when needed! I suggest giving it a whirl to see how many programs come up when you type in a key word!
There are many ways to learn more about this resource, including video tutorials and scheduling a training.
Give it a whirl!
Apr 12, 2024 | Digital Equity, Economic Security & Outreach Blog
The Affordable Connectivity Program, a broadband internet discount program funded by Congress and administered by the FCC, is discontinuing. Many MA residents will know this program as the LifeLine Program. The program stopped accepting applications on February 7, 2024, and the estimated last month of discounted service is April.
The Massachusetts Health Aging Collaborative (MHAC) has prepared a one-page description of the Affordable Connectivity Program winddown.
What can be done to assist older adults who may lose access to affordable service?
- MA broadband customers should be encouraged to contact their service providers to learn if they have provider-specific discount programs.
- Free Wi-Fi is available at many senior centers and public libraries—encourage visitors to take advantage of this access.
- Learn about the libraries in your area that offer outdoor Wi-Fi.
- Cellphones can be used as internet hotspots for tablets, laptops, and computers (with data limitations).
- Learn if your community has a municipal broadband system, and, if not, support efforts to create one.
- Read about MA digital equity resources on the MA Healthy Aging Collaborative’s website.
- Encourage residents to contact their local legislators to let them know how they are affected and ask for their ideas on improved internet equity.
MHAC is also facilitates a quarterly Technology Learning Collaborative Zoom conversation open to all. To stay apprised of their updates and meeting invitations, sign up for their newsletter here.
Apr 5, 2024 | Economic Security & Outreach Blog, Health Insurance, PACE
Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) are in sites spanning most of Massachusetts. They offer a strong opportunity for high-needs older adults to receive all the medical and social services they need in one place while continuing to live in their homes.
PACE offers transportation to their sites where doctors, specialists, clinicians, and other service-providers are available in a uniquely efficient and easy-to-access way. PACE also offers memory care day programs, meals, and social activities for people with and without memory impairment. PACE programs can also provide home care!
PACE was designed to provide a way for older adults to maintain independence while having their medical needs met at one site.
Eligible applicants must be clinically eligible for nursing home care, and they tend to be “dual-eligibles”: people eligible for both MassHealth Standard and Medicare (there is no cost to being in the program for these enrollees). PACE enrollment specialists assist applicants and families with the application process. More often than not, PACE is an option for extremely low-income clients with income below 300% of the Federal SSI rate and assets under $2,000. People over the financial eligibility threshold for MassHealth Standard can pay a monthly premium to be in PACE. For married applicants, the non-applying spouse’s income and assets are not counted, as with the Frail Elder Waiver.
As beneficial as it is, PACE can be a tough sell. Many older adults, particularly those living with dementia, are not at ease boarding a van and leaving their homes for an institutional setting, even just one day a week. If you are working with a client whom you suspect would be a good candidate for PACE, involving caregivers or other family members can be one strategy: if you have a chance to describe the benefits of PACE to a caregiver who will get some much-needed respite from the program, that approach may pave the way.
PACE can also provide a means of securing supportive housing. For more information on this, see pages 9-16 in the 2022 report created by MassPACE, LeadingAge Massachusetts, and the EOEA, Considerations for Combining PACE with Housing.
PACE is an evolving program, open to new partnership opportunities that increase access to its services by partnering with natural allies like AAAs, ASAPs, and community health centers. One such collaborative PACE site is Element Care in Lynn, a partnership between Greater Lynn Senior Services and Lynn Community Health Center.
Want to learn more about it so that you are comfortable talking about this option with your community? A newly developed, self-paced, web-training is available!
Apr 5, 2024 | Economic Security & Outreach Blog, Money Management
How many times have you worked with a client who is struggling to stay in their home in part because they are no longer paying bills? Sometimes other elements of maintaining a household are stable, but this lapse is putting the client at risk.
I have never had a client accept help with their finances willingly, but I keep thinking about how we can describe available services in a way that makes it easier for someone who needs them to say yes.
For one thing, I’d emphasize that clients accepting help from trained volunteers and agency staff members may define the level of help that they want. If they just want monthly assistance opening and paying bills, that’s an option. If they want help creating a budget, that’s an option. If they are ready to cede bill-paying responsibility to a representative payee and give that person the authority to sign checks on their behalf, that, too, is an option.
Twenty-one of the 24 ASAPs in MA offer a local version of the MA Money Management Program, which is overseen by Mass Home Care and supported by EOEA and AARP.
The AARP Money Management Program recruits volunteers. From their webpage: “There are many volunteer opportunities available with the Massachusetts Money Management Program, including bill payer, monthly account monitor, office assistant, outreach assistant, and special projects. The biggest need is for bill payer volunteers who work one on one with individuals.”
If you’re interested in learning what’s offered in your community but not yet connected with your local ASAP, here’s the list:
Money Management Program Directors in ASAPs are usually eager to present programs at Senior Centers! Even if the people attending aren’t in need of these services, they often know people for whom money management would be helpful—these attendees can become trusted spokespeople. Some might even want to volunteer for the program.
Stay tuned for my next blog essay in which I’ll break down the levels of help available so that you can be familiar with the vocabulary and have clarity when describing options to your clients.
Apr 5, 2024 | Economic Security & Outreach Blog, Money Management
Money Management Programs, offered in several ASAPs in MA, have two levels of assistance:
Bill Pay: The Bill Pay program utilizes trained and supervised volunteers to support older adults in their current living situations by assisting with paying bills and reviewing budgets. The volunteer-client connection generally is the result of a referral from a Care Advisor, Protective Services Case Worker, Outreach Coordinator, or other social services professional. Clients must voluntarily accept this service. On a monthly basis an MMP volunteer will meet with the client and review the bills for that month, assist in writing checks (but not signing the check), reviewing bank statements to make sure there are no issues. The MMP volunteer will report any concerns to the MMP Supervisor for follow up.
Representative Payee: The Rep Payee program is a program that offers eligible older adults a greater degree of assistance, and the Rep Payee—the volunteer or MMP staff member– is given authority to write and sign checks using the client’s Social Security Retirement income (and only that income!).
The Rep Payee program requires a medical, or therapeutic diagnosis from a professional stating that the elder does not or cannot perform the essential function of paying bills. In addition to the normal resistance that people feel to giving this level of control over their finances, obtaining the diagnosis necessary for eligibility can be a barrier, but Protective Services departments may be able to offer assistance when the need is demonstrated, particularly when the referral comes from a Money Management Program colleague. At some ASAPs, Money Management Programs are under the supervision of Protective Services departments.
Possible reasons for needing this level of help can include a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, dementia or a mental health disorder.
The Social Security Administration must approve the use of a Rep Payee on an individual basis and the Rep Payee program only uses Social Security income. Pensions, stocks, trusts are not eligible sources of money for bill paying in the Rep Payee Program. Once Social Security approves the application, the Rep Payee will use the client’s money to pay all bills owed on a monthly basis. The Rep Payee is also responsible for changes to the bills, making sure the bills are current, and making the best use of the client’s statements. Social Security performs regular audits on Rep Payee programs.
Family members can also become Rep Payees, and information on taking on that role can be found here:
This program can help older adults stay in their homes longer! Do you have success stories regarding referrals to MMP? We’d love to hear about them! Destigmatizing saying yes to this kind of help can go a long way.
Mar 15, 2024 | Economic Security & Outreach Blog
MA residents who are 65 or older by Dec. 31 of the tax year who meet income eligibility guidelines may be able to receive a maximum of $2,590 (for the 2023 tax year) through this state-level program. Both homeowners and renters who are MA residents may apply. Eligible applicants whose calculated CB Tax Credit exceeds the total tax payable for the year will receive a refund check.
The filing deadline is April 17, 2024.
Eligibility guidelines are clearly described on the Mass.gov MA Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit webpage.
This webpage also has clear and readable flyer to hang in your Center.
Applicants must file a Schedule CB with their MA personal income tax return—income-eligible people who generally do not file their MA state income taxes should be encouraged to do so! Applicants may also be able to receive up to three prior years’ worth of tax credits, so this process is worth the effort! Find prior year forms and instructions here.
AARP Tax-Aide volunteers are equipped to help clients with the Schedule CB paperwork. Sites offering the Tax-Aide program, many of them MA senior centers, can be found using their locator tool.
Applicants can also use MassTaxConnect to file for free.
Mar 8, 2024 | Health Insurance, Prescription Drugs
The US Government Patient Assistance Program, in partnership with Pfizer, has developed a “Paxcess” program aimed at providing free access to Paxlovid.
Enrollment comes with a Paxcess card.
Card for commercially insured patients:
Card for patients who are not commercially insured:
Patients, Outreach Coordinators, Caregivers, and pharmacists can enroll patients.
Online enrollment
Phone enrollment: 877-219-7225, Mon-Fri, 9 AM-9 PM, Sat & Sun 9 AM-5 PM
Patients who do not carry commercial health insurance but are enrolled in Medicare, MassHealth, TRICARE, VA Community Care Network, and those who are uninsured can access Paxlovid for free through December 31, 2024.
