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Senior Nutrition Network News
Save the Date: 2012 NYS Senior Nutrition Conference

 

Hunger Solutions New York is proud to once again co-sponsor the NYS Senior Nutrition Conference this autumn with the Meals On Wheels Association of New York, New York State Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs, and Aging Services Dietitians of New York State.

 

This year's conference theme, "Recipe for Success," provides an excellent opportunity for senior service providers, nutrition educators, dieticians, and anti-hunger advocates to learn ways to educate our vulnerable older adults about foods to keep them healthy and how to access more nutritious food.   

 

We hope you are able to join us in Binghamton, NY this October 18-19! Click here for the promotional flyer - and please help spread the word to partners in your area.

This information-packed conference offers continuing education credits, exciting and innovative workshops, discussions of hot topics, "Share and Compare," and networking opportunities. Look for conference registration information this summer.

Conference planners also invite you to submit a brief workshop proposal on any topic related to Senior Nutrition Programs and the older adults they serve. Please submit workshop proposals by April 23. 
Medical Deductions Make a Significant Difference in Food Stamp Benefits

With over a million low-income older New Yorkers, many Medicare beneficiaries are eligible for both Food Stamp Program (FSP) and Medicare Savings Program (MSP) benefits. Together, FSP and MSP benefits can effectively help seniors stretch their incomes to afford the foods and access the medical care they need to stay healthy. If a senior you know may be eligible for or participating in FSP or MSP, here are a few helpful things to remember:

1. Most out-of-pocket expenses may be considered in their food stamp budget, which can raise their monthly benefit allotment. We have prepared a medical expenses tips sheet for senior service professionals to use when counseling their older or disabled clients and a brochure to distribute.

2. For the FSP, most older and disabled households have 24-month recertification periods. At any time, increases in medical expenses can be budgeted at the household's request, but the food stamp office should never decrease a household's medical expense deduction until their next recertification. Even if an older household does report a decrease in expenses, or the local district finds out because the same worker is handling both the food stamp and MSP case, there should be no reduction in the household's benefit until the next recertification. New York's policy per administrative directive 02 ADM-07 is to "freeze" medical expenses between recertification periods.

3. When there is a decrease in medical expenses and the household recertifies for food stamp benefits, the household should expect to see a decrease in their monthly food stamp benefit. It is important to stress that the loss in food stamp benefits is NOT dollar for dollar. A $100 decrease in out of pocket medical expenses would translate roughly into a $30 drop in food stamp benefits.  
USDA Webinars Promote Outreach

The USDA Food and Nutrition Service Outreach Coalition aims to fight hunger and improve nutrition by supporting local and national outreach efforts to increase participation in Federal nutrition programs through information sharing, networking, and collaboration among stakeholders.

In the upcoming weeks and months, the Outreach Coalition will host a series of Webinars. The following are only but a sample. Please check the registration page for additional sessions, to register for the Outreach Coalition, and to view recordings of past webinars.
 
Upcoming Outreach Coalition Webinar Sessions:  

  • Thursday, 4/19, 2-3pm - FNS 101 webinar, an overview of FNS programs
  • Thursday, 5/17, 2-3pm - Innovative Outreach webinar, unique strategies being used by communities to combat hunger
  • Thursday, 6/21, 2-3pm - Tips on Increasing Access for Older Adults webinar, tips for older adults to access food and food nutrition information  
  • Thursday, 7/19, 2-3pm - Capacity Building Guides: National Hunger Clearinghouse webinar. Learn how to increase your effectiveness in the community with your anti-hunger efforts.  
Older Americans Act Update 

 

Chronic diseases can present many challenges for older adults, often compromising their independence. Older Americans Act (OAA) nutrition services such as Home Delivered Meals and Congregate Meals served at local senior centers help millions of older Americans manage their chronic health conditions and prevent malnutrition while allowing them to live at home. In New York State, over 180,000 seniors benefited from 23 million meals last year alone.

 

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is a new member of the Senate Aging Committee. As Congress debates OAA funding and reauthorization, she and other Congressional members need to hear from us all, to ensure the OAA can continue to help seniors stay healthy, secure, and independent. Share with them how Nutrition Services benefit seniors in your community, and describe what might happen if those services are weakened. 

Call in for Hungry Seniors Served By Programs in the Farm Bill 

Half a million older New Yorkers get monthly food stamp benefits (federally named SNAP) to help buy food, but just as many more vulnerable older New Yorkers are going without these monthly nutrition assistance benefits.

In the coming weeks, Congress is considering changes to nutrition assistance programs that help hungry seniors access nutritious food through the Farm Bill. From April 17-19, the  Food Research and Action Center and Feeding America are sponsoring National Call-In Days. Your Representatives need to hear from you about the importance of protecting and strengthening hunger relief programs. The National Council on Aging has more background, details, a toll-free hotline, and tips.

In particular, it is essential that as many diverse New York organizations as possible urge Senator Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Agriculture and Aging Committees, that constituent groups back home support her efforts in the Senate, and are united in opposition to ANY cuts to SNAP - and that efforts should be made to strengthen, not weaken, nutrition assistance programs. We want to make sure that Senator Gillibrand knows that her efforts as a SNAP champion are appreciated! If you have not done so already, please sign the support letter and circulate it to New York organizations on your distribution list, encouraging them to sign and circulate as well.

Resource Limit Increase for Some Newly Applying Families That Include a Senior or Disabled Member

Most families in NYS that include a senior or disabled member no longer need to meet a resource limit, thanks to the expansion of Categorical Eligibility in 2008. This increase in the resource limit only affects families with a senior or disabled member who is NOT categorically eligible for the food stamp program.
 
NYS has released GIS 12TA/DC001 informing food stamp offices across the state that the resource limit for food stamp families with an elderly or disabled member has increased. The limit is now set at $3,250 - up from the previous limit of $3,000. Our Food Stamp Policy Update provides more detail.

If you or your older community members have questions, rest assured that there are trusted Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP) Coordinators across NYS to help decrease hunger. NOEP coordinators are available to answer questions and help potentially eligible New Yorkers apply for food stamp benefits. NOEP Coordinators: 
- Offer confidential prescreening
- Help with the paper or online application
- Assist current recipients with recertification or other issues with their food stamp case.

Find out if there is a NOEP coordinator  in your community.
Promote Good Nutrition
Learn more SR lady shoppingabout the various nutrition assistance programs that promote good health and nutrition among New York's older adults through our Senior Nutrition Center.