Governor Kathy Hochul on October 17 signed legislation bolstering the state’s efforts to serve LGBTQ older adults under the Older Americans Act of 1965 by making it easier to provide resources for seniors based on racial and ethnic identity, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and HIV status.
The existing federal law is already aimed at protecting seniors who are in rural areas or who have multiple disabilities, limited English, Alzheimers or other forms of dementia, as well as people with economic needs or those facing the “greatest social need.” States are allowed to customize aspects of its programs under the law, so the State Legislature’s new law codifies the LGBTQ-inclusive additions in the context of “the greatest social need.”
