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Albany County committee approves renewals for elderly home‑care providers amid state transition
Summary
The committee authorized renewal agreements with 11 New York State–approved providers to continue the Expanded Home Services for the Elderly (ISA) program. Officials said 91 residents receive services now, 88 Medicaid cases are expected to transition to a state contractor, and staffing shortages leave about 130 weekly hours unfilled.
The Albany County committee voted to authorize renewal agreements with 11 New York State–approved providers to continue the Expanded Home Services for the Elderly program, Aaron Stackwitz, commissioner at the county Department of Social Services, told the panel.
The agreements cover ISA home‑care services for eligible residents age 60 and older who need assistance with activities of daily living, including hands‑on care, laundry and housekeeping, Stackwitz said. "We currently have 91 individuals who are in receipt of the ICIP home care services through ... the 11 providers we currently contract with," he said.
Why this matters: committee members were briefed on a state transition affecting Medicaid cases. Stackwitz said a state contractor, Public Partnership LLC (PPL), will take over Medicaid cases the county currently manages; the county has about 88 Medicaid cases that may transition. "There's only about 4 individuals who would be impacted by that," Stackwitz said, adding that most remaining recipients are served through consumer‑directed arrangements subcontracted with the state Office for the Aging.
Committee member Greg pressed for cost details. "And and I read in here and I think I just heard that there are 91 people that are being served right now?" he asked. Stackwitz confirmed the count and said the full $1,152,323 referenced in committee materials is not currently fully expended for these services and that he would provide a per‑person cost later. He also told the committee the county is not filling roughly "about a hundred and 30 hours weekly" of authorized care because of a shortage of home‑care aides.
The discussion distinguished between county‑managed ISA funding and state‑run consumer‑directed programs; Stackwitz said the county had not yet received formal guidance from the New York State Office for the Aging about whether current local providers will be able to continue serving some consumer‑directed clients. If local providers cannot continue under the state arrangement, county staff said they would transition affected consumers to other local providers where possible.
The committee approved the renewal agreements. The motion passed after a voice vote; the record shows "All in favor? Aye. Opposed? Passes." The committee requested that staff return with a breakdown of per‑person expenditures and further details on the planned Medicaid case transitions.
Details left unspecified in the meeting record include the exact per‑person cost now being paid from county funds and the final contingency plans if state guidance prevents some local providers from participating.
