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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
| State Rep. Chelsa Wagner |
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Wagner bill to protect senior, disabled renters advances
HARRISBURG, Nov. 2 -- Legislation by State Rep. Chelsa Wagner, D-Brookline, which would end the common practice of landlords claiming a portion of a senior or disabled tenant's Property Tax/Rent Rebate, was unanimously reported out of the House Urban Affairs Committee this morning.
"Seniors and disabled residents of our Commonwealth are faced with difficult economic times on a fixed income, and it is our responsibility to do all that we can to protect their economic security," Wagner said.
Currently, many personal care homes include a lease provision, often overlooked or not understood by tenants or their family members, which allows the personal care home to claim a portion of the rebate designated for a tenant, typically 50 percent or $325. The lease agreement provided to personal care homes by the state Department of Public Welfare actually includes boilerplate language claiming the rebate for landlords.
Wagner first introduced this legislation in 2009 after becoming aware of a family member whose rebate was claimed by a care home. After identifying numerous cases of this practice in Allegheny County and investigating its legality, Wagner confirmed that this is a widespread problem statewide requiring legislation.
“This practice represents a misallocation of state resources for an unintended purpose. Care home residents continue to face daily personal expenses which are becoming tougher to meet,” Wagner said. “My bill would prevent this abuse of one of our most-utilized state programs.”
Wagner urged that her bill, H.B. 415, be passed by full House of Representatives and signed by the governor before the end of the year, when the 2010 rebate period closes. Applications for 2011 will be available beginning in February.
“We should not tolerate another year of this benefit being denied to our most vulnerable citizens,” Wagner said.
The Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program, funded by lottery revenues, provides low-income seniors, widows, widowers, and disabled individuals with a rebate of up to $650 on property taxes or rent paid the previous year. House Bill 415 would ensure that these funds benefit the eligible recipients, not their landlords.
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