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CHAUTAUQUA STAR
FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 2014
COMMUNITY NEWS
Office For The Aging Provides
Foreclosure Outreach Assistance
Contributed Article information and asOFA
The Chautauqua
County Office for the
Aging (OFA) is reaching out to seniors on
the county tax foreclosure list to remind
them of services and
programs they may be
eligible for that could
help them save money,
pay their taxes, and
retain their homes.
“There are a large
number of people on
the foreclosure list
who may not realize
there are resources
available to help them
keep their homes,”
said Office for the Aging Director Dr. Mary
Ann Spanos. “In an
effort to aid individuals in accessing help
before their homes
go to auction, we are
currently working on
reaching out to them
to make sure they are
taking advantage of
programs they may be
eligible for.”
Within the next few
weeks a volunteer with
the Chautauqua County Office for the Aging
will call seniors on the
tax foreclosure list to
refer them to the NY
Connects Helpline.
NY Connects, which
is housed in the Office for the Aging, is
a statewide, locally
based point of entry
system that provides
one stop access to free,
objective and comprehensive information
and assistance on long
term services and
supports. Its trained
sistance specialists will
look into a person’s
situation and talk to
them about available
assistance and services
to help them reduce
other bills so they can
pay their taxes and
keep their homes.
Some services and
programs that can save
people money are:
1) Basic and Enhanced
New York State School
Tax Relief (STAR)
Programs – These
programs exempt
some of the full value
of a home from school
taxes based on eligibility and can produce
savings up to $1,500
per year depending on
the school district.
2) Health Insurance
Counseling and Assistance Program
(HIICAP)- HIICAP
counselors provide
individuals with
unbiased information about Medicare,
Medigap, Medicare
Advantage Programs,
Medicare Prescription
Drug Plans, Elderly
Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC),
benefit programs, and
other areas regarding
health insurance coverage. They also help
seniors compare health
insurance plans and
decrease co-pays and
premium costs without reducing benefits,
which allows seniors to
save money.
3) Home Energy
Assistance Program
(HEAP), Empower
NY, and Other Utility
Benefits- These as-
sistance programs can
help income-eligible
clients reduce their
heating or utility bills.
4) Medicare Savings
Plan- This is a program for qualifying
low income seniors
which will pay their
Medicare Part B
premiums. The Part B
premium is automatically deducted from
an individual’s Social
Security check every
month and is approximately $105. Consequently those who
apply and are accepted
in the program will see
an increase in their social security check by
over $1,300 per year.
5) Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP) and
Meals ProgramsSNAP, formerly known
as Food Stamps, is
available for eligible
individuals and can be
used like cash to purchase food at authorized retail food stores,
Farmer’s Markets, or
plants and seeds for
a vegetable garden.
SNAP benefits can
be also used in lieu of
a donation for senior
congregate meals
(including Senior
Restaurant DiningOut Program tickets)
and for the Meals on
Wheels program.
Seniors who have a
home listed in foreclosure or would like to
learn more about the
above programs are
encouraged to call the
NY Connects Helpline
at 753-4582, 6617582, 363-4582.
11
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