Comptroller: 16,000 elderly New Yorkers on waitlists for in-home care, meals and other support

While New York State "has recently made significant expansions" in funding for services for the elderly, a state comptroller's report out Wednesday estimated "at least" 16,000 older New Yorkers annually were on waitlists for in-home care, meals and other support. 

The report by state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli found that "the population of older New Yorkers is growing and there is a benefit to supporting them in their desire to age in place with assistance from in-home services," which the report noted was less expensive than institutional care.

"Even though [New York State Office for the Aging] reports recently serving more than 1 million New Yorkers, including 22,000 through Unmet Need funding, there are at least 16,000 older residents annually who have not been served," the report said.

The report based its estimate on the number of older New Yorkers with "unmet needs" on "testimony and follow-up to testimony" to the State Legislature from Office for the Aging officials. That was done, the comptroller's report stated because "State and county waitlist data is not readily available on NYSOFA's website or in its publications."

The report also noted that the Office for the Aging "did not provide guidance" to local Area Agencies on Aging on compiling and maintaining waitlists, and that the local agencies used different methods.

Robyn Berger-Gaston, division director for Huntington-based Family Service League, a nonprofit human service agency, said her agency worked in tandem with the Suffolk County Office for the Aging, taking referrals from the county or referring elderly residents to the county office for help.

The league has programs for what's called a Naturally Occurring Retirement Community, or NORC, in which many residents are age 60 and older in Greenport, she said. It serves homebound seniors with case management services, and active seniors with socialization programs. The league also has a technology program called SeniorNet that it runs in Nassau and Suffolk counties.

 Overall, she said, services clients receive "that are funded by both the state and county for seniors are excellent ... The issue is there is not enough funding for every single person who’s requesting it at the same exact time." Berger-Gaston said her organization did not have a waitlist.

The Suffolk County Office for the Aging has a hotline called NY Connects that "anyone in Suffolk County can call ... to get resources and referrals to different services," she said. The NY Connects number is 800-342-9871 in both Nassau and Suffolk.

The comptroller's report noted the aging population was increasing.

"The share of the population that is 65 years of age and older is increasing both nationally and in New York," stated the report titled "New York's Support for Aging New Yorkers." 

The report cited census data showing that 18.6% of New York State's population of 19,571,216 was age 65 and older, amounting to 3.6 million people in 2023. The report did not break down regions of the state, but census data show that of Nassau's 1,381,715 population in 2023, 19.2% were 65 and older. In Suffolk, 18.5% of its 1,523,170 residents were 65 and up. 

The comptroller's report noted funding increases for the major programs for the elderly it focused on. For example, "cumulative appropriations for Unmet Need since [State Fiscal Year] 2019-20 were $132 million through 2024-25 and are $200 million in 2025-26."

The report also said all state Office for the Aging aid to localities increased 70% from 2018-19 to 2025-26 to a total of $417.3 million.

Nevertheless, DiNapoli said in a foreword to the report that reductions in federal support loomed.

"The use of increased state funds for in-home services and unmet needs of older New Yorkers takes on a greater role within this context," the report said.

Late Wednesday, the state Office for the Aging said in an email: "NYSOFA and New York’s aging services network provide cost-effective, preventive community-based supports for older adults and their families. As demographic trends and other factors continue to drive demand for services, Governor Hochul is committed to meeting this need through historic state budget investments that will fundamentally increase capacity for state aging services across all regions of New York."

By Olivia Winslow

olivia.winslow@newsday.com@newsollie