2026 Policy Priorities
The Center for Elder Law & Justice (CELJ) advances its mission to improve the quality of life for older adults, people with disabilities, and low‑income individuals by ensuring they can live independently and with dignity through free civil legal services. As we present our 2026 New York State Priorities, we do so grounded in this commitment to justice, safety, health and economic security for the communities we serve. Each priority outlined in this document reflects CELJ’s long‑standing dedication to combating elder abuse, safeguarding financial stability, expanding access to essential services, and strengthening the legal and social frameworks that allow older adults to thrive across Western New York.
Include Essential Investments in the 2026-2027 Budget
$15M annual investment to support a Statewide Initiative of Nonprofit Guardians (SING) along with the codification of the New York State Good Guardianship Act (A.9295/S.8654)
New York’s adult guardianship system is in crisis. Without a direct and sustainable funding stream to ensure the availability of high-quality guardianship services, persons who have been determined to need a guardian are at risk. Investing in SING and codifying A.9295/S.8654 will ensure all New Yorkers who need a surrogate decision-maker have access to qualified, person-centered care, regardless of their financial or social circumstance.
Increase personal needs allowance (PNA) for nursing home residents (A.2048/S.4744A)
$50 is all a nursing home resident is allowed to keep each month for personal needs; everything else goes to the facility. This $50 must cover clothes, haircuts, phone and internet service, books, snacks, and other basic comforts Medicaid doesn’t pay for. The amount has not changed since 1988. Adjusted for inflation, $50 is approximately $140 today. $50 is not just outdated, it is dehumanizing, forcing residents to go without essentials and stripping them of dignity, independence, and quality of life.
$40M investment to support the Homeowner Protection Program (HOPP) along with the codification of HOPP into law (S.2627/A.1625)
The Homeownership Protection Program is the sole source of funding for the statewide network of housing counseling and legal services agencies that help low and moderate income homeowners prevent foreclosure, combat deed theft and mortgage scams, and preserve stable homeownership. Codifying HOPP through S.2627/A.1625 ensures these vital protections are permanent and reliable, especially as federal consumer safeguards are being weakened and New York homeowners continue to face heightened risk of displacement.
Pass the NY Protect Act (S.7880A/A.8583A)
Non-profits are at risk from federal attacks. This legislation will help nonprofits retain their eligibility for State and local tax exemptions, grants and contracts by creating a “state protected not-for-profit” status that State and local agencies can rely on if the IRS wrongfully revokes an organization’s 501(c)(3) status.
Support $525,000 in lined out funding for CELJ for elder abuse prevention, scams prevention and other civil legal services for seniors
Elder mistreatment—encompassing abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation—is a growing public health crisis, with one in ten older adults affected and only a fraction of cases ever reported. Victims face higher mortality rates, increased hospitalizations, and significant barriers to accessing safety and support. Despite this, civil legal services remain underutilized as an intervention. CELJ is a statewide leader in elder abuse prevention and response. Our trauma-informed attorney-social worker teams collaboratively with law enforcement, Adult Protective Services, financial institutions, and healthcare providers to identify and respond to elder abuse cases. Continued direct investment by New York State is essential in order for CELJ to continue this important work.
Support investment in civil legal services: $4 Million
Civil legal services are essential to the stability, safety, and economic health of all New Yorkers to live with independence and dignity across the spectrum of aging. Increase investment in upstate by $500,000 for a total of $4M to support the provision of civil legal aid across upstate regions.
Legislative Priorities
Enact Legislation that Supports Autonomy, Dignity, Security and Justice for Older Adults
A.621/S.1641: Relates to permitting support to a vulnerable elderly person testifying in grand jury proceedings
Allowing for a vulnerable older adult to be accompanied by a social worker or informal caregiver helps reduce trauma, confusion, and intimidation during an already stressful legal process. This legislation provides supportive safeguard with prosecutorial consent strengthens access to justice and protects the dignity and well-being of older adults involved in criminal proceedings.
A.3226/S.3394: Enacts the “ceasing repeated and extremely egregious predatory (CREEP) behavior act”
Current laws leave a dangerous gap in protection against repeated, highly threatening stalking and harassment behaviors that often escalate before victims, especially older adults, can obtain relief. By enabling courts to issue anti-stalking orders earlier, the legislation helps protect older adults from intimidation, exploitation, and escalating abuse before it leads to serious harm or displacement.
A.7019/S.6379: Establishes protections for eligible adults from financial exploitation
Laws must be strengthened to ensure uniformity across the state – covering Adult Protective Services, law enforcement, banking, and other financial institutions. In many cases, victims’ accounts are completely depleted before investigations conclude. It is critical that financial institutions have the ability to pause suspicious transactions and report concerns before irreversible harms occur. This legislation, with an amendment to allow for the depositor to object to such a hold, strikes the balance of safeguarding vulnerable adults while respecting vital civil liberties.
Protect Consumers from Unfair and Deceptive Business Practices
New York consumer law must be brought in line with the 43 states that ban “unfair and deceptive” business practices and give consumers the right to seek justice and hold business accountable. The law was recently amended to give the Attorney General greater authority to pursue increased penalties, restitution and injunctions against unfair, deceptive and abusive business practices. This is not enough. Consumers must have the direct legal right to hold businesses accountable.
A.4877A/S.4659A: Rent Emergency Stabilization for Tenants “REST” Act
The RENT Act updates the Emergency Tenant Protection Act of 1974 by making it easier for municipalities outside of NYC to declare a local housing emergency and adopt rent stabilization procedures. Older adults face rising rents, limited senior-friendly housing and fixed incomes. This legislation will help prevent displacement and homelessness among older adults as it would allow for municipalities to adopt rent-stabilization measures when local housing stress is documented instead of being blocked by the current restrictive vacancy-study requirement.
Enact Legislation that Eliminates Institutionalization Bias to Support Older Adults Age in the Community
A.2018/S. 2332A: Homecare Savings and Reinvestment Act
The Managed Long Term Care (MLTC) model has failed older adults and must be replaced. By prioritizing care delivery through fee-for-service options and fully integrated models such as PACE, this legislation supports stable, high-quality care coordination that helps older adults remain safely in their homes and communities.
A.1991/S.8955: Fair Pay for Home Care Act
Strengthens the home care workforce by requiring home care aides to be paid at least 150% of the statewide or regional minimum wage, helping to stabilize and grow the workforce older adults rely on to remain at home.
A.1198/S.358: Remove restrictions on eligibility for personal and home care services under Medicaid
This legislation removes restrictive Medicaid eligibility rules that deny home care services unless individuals meet overly narrow Activities of Daily Living (ADL) thresholds, barriers that force many into nursing homes prematurely. By restoring access to personal and home care based on actual need rather than diagnosis‑based limitations, older adults can receive timely, cost‑effective support at home, while reducing unnecessary and expensive nursing home placement.
Restore consumer choice to Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) & ensure accountability of public monies
As detailed in CELJ’s written testimony , the transition to a single Fiscal Intermediary has directly impacted older adults’ ability to age in place in the community utilizing the CDPAP, a consumer directed program whereby the consumer retains control over who provides their care and how it is delivered, ensuring services are tailored to their individual needs, preferences, and cultural context. Legislation must be passed to restore consumer choice and establish permanent oversight to ensure public monies are being properly spent.
Enact Legislation to Protect Residents in Long Term Care Settings and Reject Efforts to Waterdown Essential Protections.
A.1910A/S.1858A: Expands protections regarding violations of safety conditions in adult care facilities
Over 40,000 older adults and people with disabilities live in New York’s adult care facilities (ACFs). As more New Yorkers move into ACFs, it is important to improve accountability and transparency of these facilities. This legislation strengthens state oversight of ACFs by allowing the Department of Health to act immediately when residents face imminent danger and provides for important consumer protections. By increasing civil penalties for serious and repeat safety violations and preventing reductions in fines when residents are harmed, the legislation holds ACFs accountable and deters unsafe conditions that jeopardize vulnerable adults.
Oppose legislation and actions that would weaken essential nursing home resident rights and quality protections
In 2021-2022 New York State enacted a variety of reforms to address long-standing failures and improve the quality of care for people who live in nursing homes. These reforms included the establishment of minimum nurse staffing standards[1] and a minimum direct spending ratio[2]. Legislation exists that would weaken these essential laws, that are currently under enforced.
Specifically, CELJ opposes:
A.600/S.8286: degrades minimum nurse staffing standards because it allows nursing homes to count therapy staff, such as physical, occupational, and respiratory therapists, toward the statutory minimum nursing staffing hours, which were intended to reflect hands‑on nursing and aide care provided by RNs, LPNs, and CNAs. By substituting non‑nursing therapy hours for direct nursing care, the bill risks reducing bedside staffing levels, undermining resident safety, clinical oversight, and continuity of care, particularly for residents with complex medical needs
A.1272: would allow for CNAs to become medication techs to administer certain medications in nursing homes. This legislation places resident safety at risk. Medication administration in nursing homes is not a simple, mechanical task. It requires ongoing clinical assessment, judgment and decision-making. Licensed nurses are trained to recognize subtle but critical changes during a medication pass, such as signs of adverse drug reactions, changes in cognition, abnormal vital signs, or interactions among complex medication regimens. Nursing home resident acuity has increased over the past decade, and residents are more medically and socially complex. Medication safety depends on holistic knowledge of residents’ conditions, not task-focused delegation.
Resources
[1] NYS Pub. Health 2895-b: requires minimum of 3.5 hours per resident per day (HPRD) by CNA, RN, and LPN, of the 3.5 at least 2.2 HPRD CNA, and 1.1 HPRD RN +LPN combined.
Additional Information
View this blog as a PDF
View our Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) written testimony
