June 2, 2016
by Frances Messer, NCALA President & CEO
Senate Budget Unveiled
The Senate budget is being unveiled in the Senate Appropriations/Base Budget Committee.
Of note to Special Assistance and Medicaid providers:
The Senate budget does not provide funding to increase the State/County Special Assistance rate–effective October 1, 2016–to $1,216 for adult care homes, as recommended in the House proposal. This rate for adult care homes has not been increased since 2009.
Action needed:
The Senate is expected to approve its budget proposal by the end of this week.
Please contact your Senators and ask them to support the House's recommendations to increase the assisted living special assistance rate to $1216. Contact information for your Senator can be found at:
http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/members/memberList.pl?sChamber=senate.
On a positive note, the Senate proposal does include $2,143,564 to reinstate adult optical eye exams through Medicaid, effective January 1, 2017. (Eye exams and eye glasses were eliminated from Medicaid coverage several years ago.)
