Expanded In-home Services for the Elderly Program (EISEP) provides cost-shared, non-medical services based on income for personal care aides or homemakers for elders who need assistance with the activities of daily living (bathing, dressing, toileting, light housekeeping, meal preparation, shopping), but do not qualify to receive these services under Medicaid. Applicants for EISEP must be at least 60 years of age or older. There is often a waiting list.

Income Guidelines for 2007:

• Below $1265 per month, an individual would be eligible for free services.
• Above $1265, an individual can get services on a cost share basis with the cost determined by the amount of money by which the income exceeds the guidelines. Deductions are allowed for certain medical and shelter expenses and monies that are not available, such as alimony or child support payments, are excluded from income. When in doubt, request a home visit to determine eligibility.

For example, an individual with $1615 a month is $350 over the income threshold and according to the cost share rate schedule would only have to pay 45% of the cost.

The 2007 income threshold for a couple is $1704; under this amount, a couple would receive services at no cost to themselves.

Albany County residents can apply or be referred for assistance by calling the Albany County Home Care Assessment Unit at 518-447-7228. Since this phone number also serves the Protective Services for Adults Unit, ask for the EISEP program. When there is an opening on the program, a public health nurse and DSS social worker will do an in-home assessment of the person’s needs; determine if they are eligible for Medicaid or EISEP and arrange services. If the person is not eligible for either program, they will still receive at no charge a care plan that they can use to arrange services privately with local providers.

Schenectady County residents should contact the Schenectady County Long Term Care Unit at 518-386-2253 to apply for EISEP.

In other counties, call the local Office for Aging:

Columbia: (518) 828-4258
Rensselaer: (518) 270-2730
Greene: (518)719-3555
Saratoga: (518) 884-4100

Courtesy of Senior Services of Albany 01/07
ElderSource Line 518-465-1903
Partially funded by United Way of Northeastern New York
and Senior Services of Albany Foundation

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 6th, 2007 at 11:41 am and is filed under ElderSource News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.