Supporting Our Seniors

• The eligibility criteria for the Livable Homes Modification Grant Program should be expanded to account for the fact that many of our elderly neighbors, even those who do not meet the criteria for “significant disabilities,” face mobility challenges that make aging in place difficult and struggle to afford expensive home renovations on limited senior incomes. In addition, to better accommodate the scope of such projects, we should raise the maximum grant award above the current limit of $4,500.

• In 2012, on an up-or-down vote on the provision, Rep. Ajello voted to slash Medicaid reimbursements for critical medical supplies such as wheelchairs, walkers and oxygen tanks, which has made it more difficult for senior citizens and people with disabilities to access lifesaving equipment. I will fight to reverse these cuts and increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for the medical treatments on which our elderly neighbors depend.

• We must also do far more than we currently are on assisted living. Our state is facing an acute shortage of space in assisted living facilities, forcing our aging neighbors to choose between remaining at home without the level of care they need and entering nursing homes, which are substantially more expensive and offer services beyond what is necessary for someone who would benefit from assisted living.

  • Increasing our assisted living capacity will strengthen our senior housing stock and allow more Rhode Islanders to receive Medicaid-funded Home and Community Based Services (HCBS), unlocking more federal matching funds for care services and limiting costlier nursing home placements to those who need the full support of that level of care.

  • Strengthening our assisted living system also means holding providers accountable for code violations. In 2023, Rep. Ajello sided with the industry against senior citizens, voting for a law that makes the dispute resolution process more convoluted and increases the burdens on regulators seeking to prove wrongdoing.

In 2011, Rep. Ajello voted to indefinitely suspend cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for state employees’ pensions. The General Assembly has finally started to take steps to reverse this disastrous cut, but anyone with a retirement date later than June 30, 2012 is only guaranteed 25% of their promised COLA (and a certain subset of state employees still only receive a COLA once every four years). I will fight to fully restore all annual COLAs.