This is the third of six in a series describing the focus of the N.C. Senior Tar Heel Legislature leading up to the 2023 legislative session of the N.C. General Assembly.
By Allison Brown, Contributing Writer
The six issues committees and five standing committees of the unicameral N.C. Senior Tar Heel Legislature operate similarly to the N.C. General Assembly, which has 18 Senate committees and 42 House committees.
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The NCSTHL’s Resolutions Standing Committee received a record number of 67 legislative proposals during July 2022 from its member body of 84 delegates and 51 alternates. Fourteen of the 67 proposals were assigned to the Service Access Issues Committee, which was tasked to narrow the proposals from 14 to the top three to five for the upcoming legislative cycle’s slate of resolutions.
The NCSTHL’s Service Access Issues Committee is authorized to assess obstacles that stand in the way of older adults who need to access supportive services. The issues may include provision for transportation to medical appointments, groceries, prescriptions, and other life necessities; access to services such as in-home aide, nutrition programs, housing, education, exercise, and socialization outlets; and any gap that blocks the ability of older adults to live independently.
After two weeks of deliberation, the Service Access Issues Committee has chosen five resolutions to put before the NCSTHL body for vote.
Tied for 1st rank is a resolution to restore $50 million for state transportation funding for the Rural Operating Assistance Program grant. When it comes to quality of life for older adults, transportation is the fundamental common denominator for accessing all other goods and supportive services. Seniors without transportation face crises of hunger, lack of medical care, and social isolation in both urban and rural areas of the state.
Also ranked 1st is a resolution to establish a wage floor of $15 an hour for all direct care workers in all settings of care. Anyone who is trying to care for an aging adult can confirm the difficulty they face in hiring in-home care workers or seeking placement in long-term care, which is currently limiting admissions due to staffing shortages. Direct care workers are the aides who perform the essential tasks that preserve dignity and ensure health and safety, such as toileting, changing, bathing, grooming, dressing and feeding. Low wages and lack of medical insurance benefits have resulted in an exodus from this field, leaving family caregivers with few options for critical support.
The third ranking resolution is to allocate to the N.C. Housing Trust Fund at least $3 million dollars over the current amount in recurring annual funding. Approximately 1.2 million North Carolinians cannot find affordable housing, yet the N.C. Housing Trust Fund was decreased to $7.6 million in fiscal year 2021. North Carolina ranks 28th nationally in highest housing income needed to afford a two-bedroom apartment in fair market rental.
The fourth resolution is to increase state in-home care funding by $2 million to allow more senior residents to remain at home rather than having to be admitted to long-term care facilities.
The fifth resolution is to increase funding to $300,000 for the Seniors Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, and to expand eligibility beyond congregate nutrition participants, increasing the maximum allocation per person. North Carolina has the 10th highest rate of food insecurity in the nation. The NCDHHS identified 622 census tracts across the state as having low access to healthy food. It is proven that a diet rich in vegetables and fruits can lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, and prevent some types of cancer, all of which lower the costs of health care.
Any individual or family engaged in caring for an aging loved one can attest to the difficulties they face in all of these service access arenas. In many cases, the first hurdle is convincing the care receiver to accept help, but then the pathways to finding the assistance that is needed are blocked by lack of funding, inadequate systems, and unrealistic policies established by decision-makers. Medicare provides assistance for medical expenses but makes no provision whatsoever for long-term care expenses, whether in-home care or placement in facilities.
The NCSTHL has repeatedly requested legislation to preserve and protect older adults, and will continue in its mission to bring priority issues to the attention of the N.C. General Assembly. For now, the Service Access Issues Committee has completed its work. In October, the NCSTHL will decide which of these five resolutions will be chosen as legislative recommendations for the General Assembly’s consideration in 2023.
Allison Brown is chair of the N.C. Senior Tar Heel Legislature Public Relations Committee.