Legislative Advocacy:How to Effectively Engage LTC Ombudsman Statewide TrainingMarch 26th, 2009

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Presenter David Vinkler

Associate State Director-Advocacy and Outreach(217) 522-7700

dvinkler@aarp.org

AARP Illinois Advocacy

Advocacy Manager and Staff in Springfield office

State Legislative Committee – volunteers work with Advocacy Staff to:

Serve as registered lobbyistEstablishes state legislative goals Determines whether AARP should oppose or support specific legislationParticipates in AARP activity to advocate for the desired legislative goals

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Our Legislative Priorities

Long Term Care – Providing support to older adults in need of long term care both in their community and in a facility

Utilities – Protecting Illinois consumers from excessive rate hikes from electrical and other utility companies

Health Care Quality and Reform – Working to improve access to affordable quality health care across Illinois

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National Direction

Divided We FailCreate a movement for change and

activate the American people to propel the leadership of government,

business and non-profits, as well as individuals to meet the challenges of

changing demographics—to find solutions in health and retirement

security that benefit all generations.

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Online

Supporting Organizations

Staff & Volunteers

Stories

&

Pledges

Divided We Fail Divided We Fail

Partnerships& Advertisements,

Grassroots

Pieces of Divided We Fail

Celebrities,

Pop Culture

&&

Policy Agenda

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Long Term Care Partners

Last winter, AARP and several other groups came together with a coalition of advocates, stakeholders and service providers that serve those in need of long term care services. The groups that participated were:

•AARP•SEIU•Area Agencies on Aging•Ombudsman•Home Care Service Providers and Case Managers•Adult Day Service Providers•Access Living•The Jane Addams Senior CaucusAnd more…

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Coalition Goals

The primary goal of the coalition was to ensure that the funding of programs and state regulations were adequate to support quality services programs.

Why?

Other than nursing homes, AARP and SEIU, most of these groups do not have the experience or the resources to create the presence necessary to influence the state legislative or budget process.

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What Happened

With these groups working together there were significant increases made to senior services in the fiscal year 2009 budget. While we fell short on getting many of the successes we needed in smaller programs, the Department on Aging budget was one of the very few that had an overall increase in spite of the revenue shortages.

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Challenges

4 Key Areas for Long Term Care Advocacy

•Long Term Care Structure

•Financial Limitations

•Awareness

•Public Involvement

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Challenges: Structural & Financial

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$90,220$99,837

$414,299

$1,317,464

CCP

Nursing Homes

SLF

Other SeniorServices

Dollars in Thousands

Consider how state money is spent on Long Term Care:

Challenges:Structural & Financial1. Nursing Homes and Supportive Living Facilities are unified

in seeking higher rates for the standard services they provide.

2. CCP providers and other services offer a wide array of services through different mechanisms. This leaves each service with a small pool of resources and they often compete with each other for those resources.

3. Programs like the Ombudsman Program and Elder Abuse are often overlooked in the budget process because of their relatively small size and alternate funding sources.

4. Advocacy for issues like increasing personal needs allowance are often costly and end up pitting small programs against a large well-funded industry.

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Challenges:Structure & FinancialExample: Personal Needs Allowance1. The Ombudsman Program pushes for an increase in the

personal needs allowance for nursing home residents every year and often several bills are introduced.

2. The cost of increasing the personal needs allowance by only $20 per month would amount to about $15 million.

3. Funding this change must come either from additional state dollars or out of the pocket of nursing homes.

4. Other small programs find it difficult to assist in advocacy because they are struggling to receive funding simply to stay open.

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Challenges:Awareness and Involvement1. Unless a family member or an individual is faced with

the need for Long Term Care Services, most people don’t know anything about them.

2. Media is often uninterested in stories on Long Term Care except for a few cases (i.e. abuse in facilities).

3. Services other than nursing homes can vary by region especially in the ways that people access them.

4. Consumers of services dealing with disability, dementia and often poverty are not able to go to legislators offices or attend rallies.

5. Caregivers must balance working and providing care. They have little time to devote to advocacy.

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Challenges:Awareness and Involvement

Time For A Quiz:• Does Anyone know what CCP stands for?• Where will you go when you need services but not

nursing services?• Can anyone name a service available through the

Older Americans Act administered by your Area Agency on Aging

• Where does the term Ombudsman come from?

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How do we fix it?

How do you influence an elected leader?

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How do we fix it?

Campaign Contributions?• AARP is a non-partisan organization and does not

donate to campaigns• Small programs do not have the resources to donate

Votes and Contact?• This is where we have the influence• Votes and contact with the legislators’ constituency is

what those contributions are spent on• This is where we can use everyone’s help

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How do we fix it?

Surprisingly easy methods to make an impact:

• Visit your State Representative or Senator• Call or email your State Representative or Senator• Write a letter to the Editor• Call in to local media• Communicate with each other• Get Involved and involve others

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How do we fix it?Don’t get discouraged when:• You receive a form letter reply• Have to leave a message• You don’t get the media coverage you’d likeIt’s all numbers:• One call doesn’t get much but 30 calls on the right day

does. • Just last year AARP & SEIU stopped millions of

dollars in cuts with just 600 phone calls and the threat of a rally at the Thompson center.

• The more letters and press releases the media receives, the more they will respond.

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How do you influence AARP?• If you’d like to call us with an issue and/or you’d like to

get help on coordinating a Springfield visit, please call us at (217) 522-7700.

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Thank You