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Chemung County aging office outlines Medicare outreach, transportation and benefit help
Summary
Chemung County Department of Aging described plans to expand Medicare education, one-on-one counseling and a pilot transportation option for residents 60 and older, and warned of upcoming Medicare plan changes that may reduce over-the-counter benefits.
Beth Stranges, director of Aging and Long Term Care for Chemung County, and Kim Sills, the county’s Health Insurance Information Counseling Assistance (HIICAP) coordinator with the New York State Office for the Aging, told the county legislature that demand for Medicare help spikes each fall and that the office is expanding outreach and in‑person support.
Stranges said the Department of Aging handled 12,663 contacts for services last year and that a large share of calls during the October–March period related to Medicare enrollment and plan changes. “Our goal today is just to give you a little bit of information about who we are, what we do, some of our upcoming events,” she said.
The department emphasized a whole‑person approach: staff screen visitors for programs such as the Medicare Savings Program, SNAP and HEAP in addition to helping residents compare Medicare plans. Stranges said the Medicare Savings Program can average about $185 a month in savings for eligible people, which “helps keep, like, $2,400 a year back in their pocket.”
Sills described the seasonal surge in requests and the office’s efforts to manage it. She said Medicare season effectively runs from September through March and that October 2024 was the office’s busiest month, with 1,076 calls; roughly 57% of those calls concerned Medicare. “With that volume of calls, and we’re just a small office,” she said, noting that five staff members are trained to meet in‑person Medicare counseling demand while the office employs 21 full‑time staff overall.
To address demand, the department said it will hold group teaching sessions that walk residents through Medicare.gov and will continue one‑on‑one counseling sessions. The office also plans walk‑in days; Sills recounted that one prior event left 58 people waiting in the hallway but that attendees were patient and congenial.
The county’s aging office is participating in a statewide pilot with GoGoGrandparent to provide transportation for people aged 60 and older. Stranges said New York State allocated about $15,500 for Chemung County’s participation. The county’s arrangement uses GoGoGrandparent’s contracts with local Uber, Lyft and taxi companies; the vendor handles driver background checks. The program typically allows four one‑way trips a month (two round trips), though staff said they can approve overrides for people who need medical therapies such as physical therapy. The program’s geographic limit for the county pilot is 100 miles in one direction.
Presenters warned of plan changes that could reduce or eliminate over‑the‑counter benefit cards and other supplemental benefits. Stranges said she expects increased demand for food and utility assistance if those benefits are cut. Staffers also described problems when residents enroll in plans sold by nonlocal agents: some residents were enrolled in plans that do not have participating providers in Chemung County and faced higher cost‑sharing until the department helped them switch plans.
The presenters asked local legislators to publicize the department’s packets and outreach events on social media and in constituent communications. Stranges left printed packets on scams targeting older adults from the Senate Special Committee on Aging.
The presentation concluded with an invitation to a public hearing on October 15 and an offer to supply more packets on request.
