Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the stakeholder committee tasked with advising the Master Plan for Aging Council, which is developing the state's first-ever Master Plan for Aging, a guiding document to help ensure older New Yorkers can live healthy, fulfilling lives while aging with dignity and independence. The 28 members named to the Stakeholder Advisory Committee will provide their expertise on age-friendly policies, supports and health services to guide the Master Plan for Aging Council as it develops a comprehensive roadmap for meeting the socioeconomic needs of all generations of New Yorkers as they age.

"All New Yorkers deserve to age in their community with dignity and independence," Governor Hochul said. "The input provided by these stakeholders will provide the framework for the Master Plan for Aging and guide our efforts to ensure aging New Yorkers have access to quality long term care in healthy, livable communities where they can thrive."

The advisory committee of stakeholders will ensure that the leading experts and the public at large have strong input into the plan and ultimately help establish guidelines for age-friendly policies to provide opportunities for New Yorkers of all ages. Representatives include health care and support service providers; consumers; informal caregivers; older adults - particularly those in communities experiencing disparities; health plan companies, labor and community-based organizations, employers, experts on aging, and academic researchers, among others.

The committee is tasked with considering feedback and input from peer experts in their respective fields via a series of stakeholder engagement sessions. In addition, the committee will engage in regional listening sessions in the coming months, providing an opportunity for direct input from the public on issues that matter to them as well as proposed solutions.

Last month, Governor Hochul signed an Executive Order establishing the Master Plan for Aging Council and tasking it with gathering input from relevant stakeholders to draft guidance for building healthy, livable communities that offer opportunities for older adults. The council is chaired by state Department of Health Deputy Commissioner for Aging and Long-Term Care Adam Herbst, with Office for the Aging Director Greg Olsen serving as vice-chair, and relevant state agency commissioners and directors as its membership.

The council outlined the framework for the stakeholder committee's makeup at its inaugural meeting earlier this month. The Stakeholder Advisory Committee includes:

New York State Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said, "I want to commend Governor Hochul for building on the State's long history of providing a wide range of long-term care services and supports by working to create the State's first Master Plan for Aging. The establishment of this Advisory Committee will go a long way towards our vision of a long-term care system that is inexpensive, accessible, and capable of meeting the particular needs and expectations of each person it serves."

New York State Office for the Aging Director Greg Olsen said, "New York has long been a leader in coordinating age-friendly policies across state agency programs and policies, from age-friendly community infrastructure to mental health supports, economic development to community-based services, and dozens of other interrelated areas. Thanks to Governor Kathy Hochul, the State's Master Plan for Aging process is now pursuing an unprecedented level of coordination, bringing together experts from across the lifespan on a roadmap of new opportunities for New Yorkers as they age, recognizing that age-friendly communities are communities that support the entire family, regardless of age."

New York State Department of Health Deputy Commissioner for Aging and Long-Term Care Adam Herbst said, "Governor Hochul has empowered us to build a system of supports for aging that will be effective, efficient, and transparent. Through the Master Plan for Aging, the Office of Aging and Long-Term Care will partner with the Stakeholder Advisory Committee to consider the whole person as we champion the wellness of aging New Yorkers. The Master Plan for Aging gives us the opportunity to consider the intersection between factors like workforce, housing, historic inequities, and family support in crafting an aging system that works for all."

Governor Hochul continues to champion initiatives to build a more age-friendly New York, which was designated as the first age-friendly state in the nation by AARP and the World Health Organization in 2017. This year's budget provides $181.5 million in state funding and $114.9 million in federal funding for Office for the Aging programs supporting the independence of New York's older adults and their caregivers.

Governor Hochul also teamed with the state Legislature to increase eligibility for older adults Medicaid and the Medicare Savings Program. For New Yorkers aged 65 and up, the income limits will increase to 138 percent of the federal poverty level to ensure that more New Yorkers have access to reliable, affordable health coverage.