FY 2013 Budget
February 13 the President released his 2013 Budget Proposal. Seniors First provides the following summary:
- Recommends the transfer of SCSEP, the Senior Community Service Employment Program from the Department of Labor (DOL) to the Administration on Aging (AoA). A feasibility study to be completed before it is move is proposed in the included in the Senator Sanders’ bill to reauthorize the Older Americans Act late last month.
- In the Department of Agriculture FY 2013 budget, a $1.5 billion increase was requested for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) along with a $10 million increase for the Commodity Supplemental Feeding Program (CSFP).
- Includes a total of $172 million for Caregiver Services to support family and informal caregivers by providing information, counseling, training, respite, and other services
- Total of $367 million to fund in-home and community-based services to help seniors maintain their independence and dignity. These services include transportation assistance; case management; referrals; help with personal care including eating, dressing, and bathing; and adult day care and physical fitness programs. Along with other sources, the Budget will support more than 18 million rides for critical daily activities such as visiting the doctor, pharmacy, or grocery stores; 30 million hours of assistance to seniors unable to perform daily activities; and nearly 8 million hours of adult day care, enabling working caregivers to remain on the job.
- Older Americans Act – Flat funding a total of $816 million, the same as FY 2012, for nutrition services to ensure that millions of older adults have access to the nutritious meals
- Affordable Care Act – Medicare Reimbursement on Bad Debts: Reduction of rates for reimbursement from 70 to 25 percent over three years
- American Jobs Act - Extension will include preventing the 27 percent reduction in physician reimbursement for Medicare billing for coming into affect
- Health and Human Services – Maintains Continuity of Coverage for Low-income Individuals. The Budget continues to fund transitional medical assistance, which provides continued Medicaid eligibility for low-income adults transitioning to work. It also maintains funding for the qualified individuals program, which pays Medicare Part B premiums for qualified low-income seniors.
- Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Expands the Supply of Supportive Housing for Seniors and Persons with Disabilities. The Budget provides a total of $625 million for the Housing for the Elderly and Housing for Persons with Disabilities programs, which includes $154 million to support 5,300 additional supportive housing units. Doing more with less, the Budget proposes reforms to the Housing for the Elderly program to target resources to help those most in need, reduce the up-front cost of new awards, and better connect residents with the supportive services.
- Restores the 2011 funding level of $100 million for the Sustainable Communities Initiative to create incentives for more communities to develop comprehensive housing and transportation plans that result in sustainable development, increased transit-accessible housing, lower energy costs for consumers, and reduced air pollution that impacts public health and the climate.
- Preserves funding for the Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnerships programs at 2012 levels to enable State and local governments to continue to address infrastructure, affordable housing, and economic development needs in their communities.
- Corporation for National and Community Service
- Supports Innovative Non-Profits. Innovative solutions developed in the nonprofit sector for addressing critical national challenges can only be executed if capital is available to develop, evaluate, and replicate successful approaches. The Budget invests $50 million in the Social Innovation Fund to test promising new approaches to major challenges, leverage private and philanthropic capital to meet these needs, and grow evidence-based programs that demonstrate measurable outcomes.
- Strengthens Programs that Engage Seniors and Improves the Way Federal Dollars are spent. Many older Americans are eager to serve our Nation and have a wide range of skills and knowledge to give back to their fellow Americans. For decades, the Senior Corps program has been an important conduit for connecting seniors to local volunteer opportunities. The President’s Budget proposes to re-invigorate the program by: using competition to allocate funds to those organizations having the biggest impact in their communities; improving coordination among Senior Corps programs to target resources; focusing the program on outcomes; and evaluating program models to better understand what works.
- Support the Medical Needs of Veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimates an increase in the provision of health care services for veterans aged 65 and older. To meet the needs of this specific group of veterans, the VA Medical Care Budget includes $24.7 billion.
- Reduce Social Security Appeals Hearing Backlog. Disability programs are at the forefront of the Social Security Administration’s (SSA’s) operations. The Budget maintains services to the public, which SSA provides through multiple avenues, including the Internet, over the phone, and in person at hundreds of local offices. In addition, the agency will continue to increase efficiency by holding hearings via video conference for areas of the country with the most cases and increasing the use of online services. By completing approximately 960,000 hearings in 2013, the average processing time will be reduced to SSA’s target level of 270 days in September 2013.
- Provide a Cost-of-Living-Adjustment. Seniors received a 3.6 percent Social Security cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) in 2012 after two years without one. The President’s Budget assumes a COLA again for 2013. These adjustments are vital to help seniors maintain their standard of living in retirement.
Read the full documents in pdf:
Final FY11/FY12 and FY13 President’s Budget Request Table
Office of the President, FY2013 Budget
FY2013 Department of Health and Human Services, Budget in Brief
