Gov. Hochul’s budget delivers for older adults on Long Island.
As noted in a recent op-ed by Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, the growth in the older adult population has increased demand for the kinds of services and supports we all want as we age—to remain independent in the community.
These include in-home care, case management, nutrition services, transportation, and dozens of other community-based supports administered by the New York State Office for the Aging and local partners, like the Nassau County and Suffolk County Offices for the Aging.
The governor’s budget proposes a historic investment of $68 million to help these and other offices meet locally determined needs for older adults who are awaiting services – an increase of $45 million across the state of New York. This means almost $5 million in additional service capacity for older adults on Long Island, based on currently reported needs.
But the governor’s vision for older adults transcends any one agency or program. The governor’s bold affordability agenda for New York families presents opportunities at all levels for New Yorkers to age successfully in the community.
This includes middle-class tax cuts and an inflation rebate that puts money back into the pockets of older adults on fixed incomes, grant programs to enhance community centers, consumer protections to help those harmed by scams, innovations to increase housing accessibility, preventive health measures, and more.
Older adults contribute at a monumental scale to New York’s economic, social, and cultural vitality. Indeed, there would not be a state or local economy without the contributions of older people. Their work and volunteering strengthen thousands of organizations, both public and private.
According to AARP’s Longevity Economy analysis and NYSOFA’s economics data, 86% of older adults on Long Island own their homes, supporting schools, Medicaid, local taxes and local business.
Their Social Security income pumps $10.5 billion into the economy. Approximately 97,000 older adult volunteers on Long Island provide 52 million hours of community service at a value of $1.45 billion annually, and 329,000 older adults are providing uncompensated care to someone else – 307 million hours annually at a value of $10.3 billion.
Statewide, as a group, older adults are responsible for $72 billion (41%) in state and local taxes. They represent 36% of the state’s population yet contribute 43% ($719 billion) to the state’s GDP while their spending supports almost 6 million jobs.
Gov. Hochul recognizes this immense value and delivers a historic budget and state-of-the-state agenda that responds in kind.
Greg Olsen
Director of the New York State Office for the Aging
