Establishes the elder abuse shelter aftercare demonstration program to provide management services, financial counseling, and mental health services at the conclusion of the discharge process.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A8708A
SPONSOR: Dinowitz
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the elder law, in relation to the elder abuse shelter
aftercare demonstration program; and providing for the repeal of such
provisions upon expiration thereof
 
PURPOSE:
To establish the elder abuse shelter aftercare demonstration program
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Sets the parameters of the program Section 2: Establishes the
effective date
 
JUSTIFICATION:
According to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (a
division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), approxi-
mately one out of every 10 individuals over 60 years of age nationally
has experienced some form of elder abuse. Cases, which may range from
physical, emotional, and sexual abuse to neglect and abandonment, are
often unreported because individuals are afraid or unable to tell
police, friends, or family.
This pilot program would be the nation's first temporary elder abuse
shelter. The Center offers individuals that have experienced elder abuse
a safe, comfortable space to regain their dignity, re-assert control,
and an opportunity to develop the resilience they need in order to
return to the community. Since its establishment in 2005, the Center has
provided more than 135,000 days of shelter. Shelter stays can range from
three months to one year, depending on the complexity of the case. The
Center serves the New York City and surrounding regions and is a program
of the Hebrew Home at Riverdale in the Bronx.
By establishing a pilot program, the Center and the state would have the
opportunity to learn from the experience, evaluate its effectiveness and
cost savings in terms of health care and institutional care, and poten-
tially expand the program to other parts of the state.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New Bill.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
become a law and shall expire and be deemed repealed 2 years after such
date.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8708--A
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
October 23, 2019
___________
Introduced by M. of A. DINOWITZ -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Aging -- recommitted to the Committee on Aging in accordance
with Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee discharged, bill amended,
ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the elder law, in relation to the elder abuse shelter
aftercare demonstration program; and providing for the repeal of such
provisions upon expiration thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The elder law is amended by adding a new section 225 to
2 read as follows:
3 § 225. Elder abuse shelter aftercare demonstration program. 1.
4 Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary and within
5 amounts appropriated, the director shall establish a two-year, short-
6 term aftercare demonstration program to be implemented by an existing
7 center for elder justice, which provides shelter and other services for
8 at risk older adults under the auspices of a facility established pursu-
9 ant to article twenty-eight of the public health law, and located in
10 Bronx county, New York city.
11 2. The scope of short-term aftercare services may be determined by the
12 commissioner of health but shall at a minimum include case management
13 services, financial counseling, and mental health services. Provision of
14 services shall commence at the conclusion of the discharge process from
15 the facility.
16 3. The center as defined pursuant to subdivision one of this section
17 shall provide aftercare services as described in subdivision two of this
18 section, and evaluate the effectiveness of the aftercare demonstration
19 program in terms of preventing re-victimization, avoiding readmissions
20 to the shelter, avoiding hospitalizations, and maintaining residence in
21 a community setting. The center shall submit a report on findings to
22 the director, the governor and the legislature no later than one hundred
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11792-03-0
A. 8708--A 2
1 eighty days after the conclusion of the two-year demonstration program.
2 Such report may also discuss the potential of utilizing the program
3 statewide and collaborations that may enhance the program, and the effi-
4 cacy of establishing a permanent aftercare program statewide.
5 § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
6 have become a law and shall expire and be deemed repealed 2 years after
7 such date.