May 12, 2020
House unveils $3 trillion COVID-19 relief package
The House will take up a new bill to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of NCOA's recommendations for supporting older adults are in the bill, including:
- A one-year 14% increase in federal Medicaid match to states, and an additional 10% for Home and Community-Based Services;
- A 15% increase in SNAP benefit levels, a $30 per month increase in minimum benefits, and protections for benefits access; and
- An additional $85 million for Older Americans Act programs, including $10 million for health promotion and disease prevention.
The House may vote by Friday afternoon, but we expect the Senate and White House will not embrace the bill, and negotiations may take weeks. More analysis will be available on our blog in the coming days.
Read a summary of the bill | Follow our blog
New resource for reaching veterans with behavioral health conditions
In a collaborative initiative with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, we helped create a new overview of the programs, services, and agencies helping veterans with a variety of behavioral health issues. Aging network professionals should use this resource when serving older veterans.
Explore the resources
Coming up...
In case you missed it...
- Medicaid needs more funding to keep older adults safe: COVID-19 is devastating nursing homes across the country. Congress should protect older adults and people with disabilities by giving more funding to Home and Community Based Services. Tell your members of Congress to act now.
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