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Northwest Senior and Disability Services outlines Medicaid, SNAP and caregiver supports for Clatsop County
Summary
Suzanne Bjarnsen, program manager for Northwest Senior and Disability Services, told the advisory group the agency serves Clatsop County with Medicaid long-term care eligibility and case management, SNAP assistance, Medicare savings programs, meals delivery and caregiver supports.
Suzanne Bjarnsen, program manager for Northwest Senior and Disability Services, told the advisory group that the agency serves five Oregon counties including Clatsop County and provides a combination of Medicaid long-term services and supports, SNAP assistance, Medicare savings programs and elder services.
"It's kind of a one-stop shopping for when people have resource information they need," Bjarnsen said, describing the agency's Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) role.
The agency receives federal and state funding and some private donations, Bjarnsen said. She said Northwest Senior and Disability Services handles eligibility and case management for Medicaid-funded in-home care and for community-based settings such as assisted living, adult foster homes and nursing homes; the agency also administers Medicare savings programs that can reduce or pay Medicare Part B premiums for people with low incomes.
Bjarnsen said the office helps people apply for SNAP and that SNAP recipients can claim medical expenses that sometimes increase benefits. She also described Older Americans Act programs the agency runs, including caregiver support, chronic-condition education and options counseling to help older adults and caregivers weigh long-term care choices and avoid premature spend-down of assets.
The agency operates local meal sites in Astoria (Swenson), Warrenton and Seaside and partners with Meals on Wheels Northwest for in-home delivery. Bjarnsen identified Kim Combs as the local community program supervisor and said the office also hosts two adult protective services case managers who handle investigations and screening.
When asked about enrollment, Bjarnsen said Clatsop County has "just under probably 400 people" receiving long-term care services and supports. She said intake typically begins through ADRC, phone or in-person contacts, and through referrals from hospitals, social workers and other community partners. Bjarnsen said the office does not engage in broad advertising but relies on partner referrals and community outreach.
On volunteer resources, Bjarnsen said the office currently does not have SHIBA volunteers locally but can leverage virtual SHIBA/SHIP counselors from the valley and can schedule in-person help when workload allows. She said the office helps people navigate Medicare drug (Part D) options, offers bilingual booklets, and will connect callers to local brokers when enrollment requires it.
Advisory members asked about the potential impact of federal funding cuts on local Meals on Wheels. Bjarnsen said the agency had not yet been affected and that leadership had not signaled concern at this time.
Bjarnsen emphasized that many eligibility determinations depend on a mixture of financial and clinical criteria and encouraged people to apply rather than self-screen out. "When in doubt, we just encourage people to apply and let us sort out that piece of it," she said.
Contact and access: Bjarnsen said calls to the ADRC number route to Northwest Senior and Disability Services for local appointment setup and screening. The agency accepts online, phone and in-person applications.
The presentation closed after questions from advisory members about local enrollment numbers, Meals on Wheels funding, SHIBA staffing and how the ADRC coordinates with developmental-disability services.
