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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Phyllis Mundy |
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House passes Mundy bill to restructure Department of Aging
HARRISBURG, June 30 – Legislation authored by state Rep. Phyllis Mundy, D-Luzerne, to restructure the Pennsylvania Department of Aging and improve access to long-term living services for older adults and people with disabilities passed the House of Representatives today.
Mundy’s bill (H.B. 1152) would establish the Department of Aging and Long-Term Living by combining the Office of Long-Term Living – which currently operates under the Department of Public Welfare – and the Aging Department.
"Passage of this legislation is critical to ensuring that the Commonwealth is adequately prepared to meet the needs of our growing senior population and the 162,000 people with disabilities," Mundy said. "Consumers deserve to have real choices in terms of how and where they receive long-term living services."
The Office of Long-Term Living was created in 2007 to improve the coordination and delivery of services for older adults and people with disabilities. At that time, Pennsylvania ranked near the bottom in the amount of support it provided for home- and community-based services versus institutional or nursing home care. A significant amount of overlap and inconsistency also existed with how the state administered programs for these two groups, resulting in a fragmented system.
"While OLTL has made significant progress in addressing these issues, much work remains," Mundy said.
She noted that merging the Department of Aging and the Office of Long-Term Living in law is vital so that OLTL’s efforts can continue, regardless of changes in administrations.
"It’s very clear that the vast majority of Pennsylvanians want to remain in their homes and community for as long as possible," Mundy said. "Allowing individuals to age in place not only makes sense from a quality-of-life standpoint – by promoting independence – but it is generally more cost-effective for the Commonwealth and its taxpayers."
Data shows that it costs approximately three times as much to support a person in a nursing home compared to providing services in the home and community. To date, 15 states have consolidated their long-term living programs for older adults and people with disabilities into one agency.
"According to research, these states have had the greatest success, and made the most progress, in rebalancing their long term living systems," Mundy said. "It’s time Pennsylvania follows suit."
House Bill 1152 now goes to the Senate for consideration.
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