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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
| State Rep. Lawrence Curry |
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Curry drills state Aging Secretary on waiting lists
It doesn't matter if a waiting list is 3 or 3,300 people if you need help right now
HARRISBURG, Feb. 29 – State Rep. Lawrence Curry participated in a House Appropriations Committee budget hearing Tuesday with the Pennsylvania Department of Aging.
As the Democratic Chairman of the House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee, Curry was especially concerned about waiting lists for services that help senior citizens live independently in their own homes.
"If you need help right now, it doesn't matter if there are three or three thousand people ahead of you," said Curry, D-Montgomery/Phila.
Curry drilled Aging Secretary Brian Duke on waiting lists for home-based services.
Secretary Duke said the waiting list for the Options Program is about 3,300 and the waiting lists for the OBRA Waiver, Attendant Care Waiver, and COMMCARE Waiver is about 330.
The Options Program and the OBRA, Attendant Care, and COMMCARE waivers provide services that allow individuals to remain in their own homes and communities, helping to delay, or even avoid, admission to a nursing home where care is much more expensive.
Curry noted that the Options Program is especially important as it provides customized support to people over the age of 60 who need a little help to remain in their own homes.
The Options Program, which is funded through the State Lottery Fund, serves 80,000 non-Medicaid eligible seniors, providing such things as health services, adult day care services, home-delivered meals, overnight supervision to provide respite for families and counseling services. There is no financial eligibility requirement, however, there may be a co-pay requirement depending on income.
For more information on the Options Program, OBRA Waiver, Attendant Care Waiver and the COMMCARE Waiver, visit the Pa. Office of Long Term Living website.
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