A 6861: Directs the commissioner of the office of addiction services and supports, in consultation with the director of the state office for the aging, to develop comprehensive substance use disorder prevention, education and treatment demonstration programs for senior citizens.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6861 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY March 14, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. COOK, SEAWRIGHT, CRUZ, RAGA, BORES -- read once and referred to the Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse AN ACT to establish senior citizen substance use disorder demonstration programs The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Legislative intent. The latest New York State census iden- 2 tifies twelve and three-tenths percent of the state's residents as age 3 sixty-five or older. The New York state office of addiction services and 4 supports has identified substance use disorders among the elder popu- 5 lation as a serious and growing problem. This can result from isolation, 6 depression or the interaction of prescribed drugs. 7 It is, therefore, the intention of the legislature to eliminate barri- 8 ers to effective substance use disorder services through this act, by 9 establishing substance use disorder prevention, education and treatment 10 demonstration programs for senior citizens in the office of addiction 11 services and supports. 12 § 2. The commissioner of the office of addiction services and supports 13 in consultation with the director of the office for the aging shall 14 develop comprehensive substance use disorder prevention, education and 15 treatment demonstration programs to address the unique needs of the 16 elderly. 17 § 3. Subject to appropriation, funds for support of demonstration 18 projects for the purposes stated in section two of this act shall be 19 allocated to eligible local governments and not-for-profit providers 20 through a request for proposal process to be designed by the office of 21 addiction services and supports in consultation with the office for the 22 aging. 23 § 4. In reviewing applications for funding, the commissioner of 24 addiction services and supports shall consider such factors as program 25 cost-effectiveness; the ability of such proposals to offer programmat- EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD08964-01-5 
 A. 6861 2 1 ically appropriate, long-term, stable services; and the ability of such 2 proposals to enable elderly persons to receive substance use disorder 3 services; and geographic need. While incidence and prevalence shall be 4 significant factors in the distribution of funds, demonstration projects 5 approved pursuant to this act shall be established in regions across the 6 state. 7 § 5. No expenditure shall be made until the commissioner of addiction 8 services and supports has approved a program and fiscal plan for 9 substance use disorder prevention, education and treatment demonstration 10 projects. Such plan shall include, but not be limited to, the following: 11 i. Specific criteria to be applied in evaluating the requests for 12 proposal; 13 ii. Uniform program and cost standards; 14 iii. Criteria to be used to evaluate the outcome of the demonstration 15 projects, including specific requirements to be met by providers of 16 service. 17 § 6. This act shall take effect on the first of April next succeeding 18 the date on which it shall have become a law.