Testimony: public protection budget hearing
We are deeply concerned that the Governor’s Executive Budget did not include full appropriation authority for the Interest on Lawyer Account (IOLA) Fund. The Executive budget included $77.5 million, far short of the $102.5 million IOLA requested, and was approved by IOLA’s Board of Trustees.
IOLA is a critical funding source for civil legal services for low-income New Yorkers. This funding is not taxpayer money; it is generated through interest on attorney escrow accounts for the sole purpose of supporting civil legal services statewide as prescribed in statute. The full amount of money needed is currently in IOLA’s accounts.
TESTIMONY: HEALTH/MEDICAL BUDGET HEARING
The Legislature must fight for a Budget that not only views and includes older adults and persons with disabilities as a part of the community, but ensure that all persons, regardless of their age, disability, race, geographic location, and income are able to age with independence, dignity and safety. New York State must take measures that ensure every New Yorker can thrive.
Testimony: Human Services Budget Hearing
Older adults have spent a lifetime building, supporting, and sustaining our communities, yet they remain largely invisible in the proposed Budget and the Executive’s goal to create a stronger, safer, and more affordable New York.
Testimony: Mental Hygiene Budget Hearing
New York has strong legal protections that entitle individuals access to adult guardianship services when a court finds the appointment of a guardian is necessary. However, this mandate is underfunded. Without a direct and sustainable funding stream to ensure the availability of high-quality guardianship services, persons who have been determined by a court to need a guardian are at risk. Investing in a Statewide Initiative of Nonprofit Guardians 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.
Testimony: Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP)
Testimony to the New York State Senate Standing Committee on Health and Senate Standing Committee on Investigations and Government Operations
Testimony: Adult Protective Services and Elder Financial Exploitation
Center for Elder Law & Justice CEO, Karen Nicolson, was invited by the New York State Assembly to testify on elder financial exploitation and the urgent need to protect older adults.
Testimony on Housing For 2025-2026 Executive Budget
Thank you, Chair Krueger and Chair Pretlow, for the opportunity to submit this testimony to the Joint Legislative Budget Hearing on Housing. This testimony is presented by Kevin M. Quinn, Managing Attorney at the Center for Elder Law & Justice. The Center for Elder Law & Justice (“CELJ”) has been serving the Western New York region for over 40 years, providing free civil legal services to older adults, persons with disabilities, and low-income families. CELJ’s primary goal is to use the legal system to assure that individuals may live independently and with dignity. CELJ also provides for policy and systems change, particularly in the areas of housing, elder abuse prevention, nursing home reform, and consumer protection. Currently, CELJ provides full legal representation in ten counties of Western New York. CELJ’s Free Senior Legal Advice Helpline is open to all of New York State. CELJ operates a central office in downtown Buffalo, with three additional offices in Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and Niagara counties.
Testimony on Human Services for 2025-2026 Budget
Only a few jurisdictions in New York State have civil legal service providers with grants allowing them to provide the valuable service of no-cost representation to kinship caregivers. Parents, persons with an order of custody, and persons who are subjects of neglect and abuse petitions have a constitutional right to have counsel appointed to them if they cannot afford such. Kinship caregivers are not afforded this right
Testimony on Health/Medicaid for 2025-2026 Budget
The proposed Budget seeks in part to improve the health and well-being of every New Yorker, increase affordability and access to quality health care, and places emphasis on “putting money back in New Yorkers’ Pockets. The proposed Budget does include an additional $45 million for non-medical in-home services provided through the State Office for the Aging. However, overall, the proposed Budget fails to intentionally include a valuable part of our community, older adults. While the proposed Budget does not include deep cuts to Medicaid and eligibility that we have seen in prior years, the proposed Budget fails to invest in and support the right of older New Yorkers to age in place and with dignity.
Testimony on Public Protection for 2025-2026 Budget
Thank you, Chair Krueger, and Chair Pretlow, for the opportunity to submit this testimony to the Joint Legislative Budget Hearing on Public Protection. The Center for Elder Law & Justice (“CELJ”) has been serving the Western New York region for over 40 years, providing free civil legal services to older adults, persons with disabilities, and low- income families. CELJ’s primary goal is to use the legal system to ensure that individuals may live independently and with dignity. CELJ also advocates for policy and systems change, particularly in the areas of health care access, housing, elder abuse prevention, nursing home reform, and consumer protection. Currently CELJ provides full legal representation in ten counties of Western New York. CELJ’s Free Senior Legal Advice Helpline is open to all New York State. CELJ operates a central office in downtown Buffalo, with three additional offices in Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and Niagara counties.
Testimony to the New York State Legislature Joint Hearings of the Senate Finance and Assembly Ways & Means Committees
Thank you, Chair Krueger and Chair Weinstein, for the opportunity to submit this testimony to the
Joint Legislative Budget Hearing on Public Protection. We present this written testimony on behalf
of Karen Nicolson, CEO of the Center for Elder Law & Justice. The Center for Elder Law &
Justice (“CELJ”) has been serving the Western New York region for over 40 years, providing free
civil legal services to older adults, persons with disabilities, and low- income families. CELJ’s
primary goal is to use the legal system to assure that individuals may live independently and with
dignity. CELJ also advocates for policy and systems change, particularly in the areas of housing,
elder abuse prevention, nursing home reform, and consumer protection. Currently CELJ provides
full legal representation in ten counties of Western New York. CELJ’s Free Senior Legal Advice
Helpline is open to all of New York State. CELJ operates a central office in downtown Buffalo,
with three additional offices in Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and Niagara counties.
Written Testimony: JOINT LEGISLATIVE BUDGET HEARING ON PUBLIC PROTECTION
Simply put, entry level pay for attorneys is 30% to 45% lower than their government counterparts. Those inequities grow as careers advance – at ten years of service, the gaps in pay between civil legal services attorneys and AAGs are as much as 75% in some areas of the state. We are therefore calling for pay equity to justly compensate our workforce. It is the only way that we will ever make great strides in closing the justice gap.
Written Testimony: Chief Judge’s Statewide 2023 Civil Legal Services Hearing
CELJ provided written testimony to the Permanent Commission on Access to Justice to highlight the unmet civil legal services need for older adults, particularly those in nursing homes.
Testimony: 2023-2024 Executive Budget Health Review
The purpose of our testimony today is to provide comment on the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 New York State Executive Budget. Specifically on the topic of health, to provide a review based on our area expertise in Nursing Home, Adult Care Facility, and Home Care.
Testimony: State of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program
The purpose of our testimony today is to provide examples of what The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP) has been able to do on a severely limited budget, and what LTCOP could do to improve the quality of care and lives of older adults and persons with disabilities who are living in nursing homes, if NYS fully invests in the program.
Testimony: Statewide Right To Counsel For Tenants
We urge you to support the full funding and passage of Right to Counsel in the budget this year. As a society, we cannot stand by any longer while New Yorkers are forced into a confusing, overwhelming and traumatizing court system without counsel by their side. No one should have to face something as devastating as eviction without even the most basic right to representation.