S 9198: Directs the state office for the aging to establish a grant program for the provision of home-delivered meals to eligible homebound individuals on weekends and state-recognized holidays by eligible entities; requires a report; makes an appropriation therefore.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 9198  IN SENATE February 13, 2026 ___________ Introduced by Sen. CLEARE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance AN ACT to amend the elder law, in relation to requiring the provision of home-delivered meals to eligible homebound older adults on weekends and holidays; to require the state office for the aging to deliver a report; and to make an appropriation therefor The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Legislative findings and intent. The legislature finds that 2 many older New Yorkers depend on publicly supported home-delivered meal 3 services as their primary source of daily nutrition, yet current federal 4 and state rules only require that programs provide one meal a day five 5 days a week, often do not operate on weekends and holidays, leading to 6 gaps in food access, increased nutritional risk, and preventable hospi- 7 talizations and institutionalization for frail, homebound older adults. 8 It is therefore the intent of the legislature to ensure that eligible 9 older adults receive access to at least one nutritious meal per day, 10 including days that programs do not operate, such as weekends and state- 11 recognized holidays, by directing the state office for the aging to 12 establish and support year-round home-delivered meal services. 13 § 2. Section 203 of the elder law is amended by adding a new subdivi- 14 sion 13 to read as follows: 15 13. (a) Within amounts appropriated therefor, the office shall estab- 16 lish a grant program for the provision of home-delivered meals to eligi- 17 ble homebound individuals on weekends and state-recognized holidays by 18 eligible entities. The grant program shall be open to public or private 19 nonprofit corporations, associations and local governmental entities 20 with a priority given to those entities with a history of providing 21 weekend meals programs. 22 (b) The program established pursuant to this subdivision shall, to the 23 extent practicable, be complimentary with existing weekday home-deliv- 24 ered meal services established under the federal Older Americans Act of 25 1965 and related state, local, and nonprofit programs, and shall be 26 designed to ensure that each authorized older adult receives at least EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD14808-01-6 
 S. 9198 2 1 one home-delivered meal each day, seven days a week, three hundred 2 sixty-five days a year. 3 (c) Priority for services under this subdivision shall be given to 4 individuals who are: 5 (1) at least sixty years old; and 6 (2) determined by an area agency on aging to be homebound due to 7 illness, disability, or frailty. 8 (d) Meals provided under this subdivision shall meet applicable feder- 9 al and state nutrition and food safety standards, including, but not 10 limited to, requirements established pursuant to the Older Americans Act 11 of 1965 and any regulations or guidance issued by the office. 12 (e) In order to ensure continuity of service and cost-effective deliv- 13 ery, the office may authorize the use of frozen or chilled meals, shelf- 14 stable meals, and other modes of advance delivery for days that programs 15 do not operate, provided that such approaches safeguard the health and 16 safety of participants. 17 (f) The office shall award grants to public or private nonprofit 18 corporations, associations and local governmental entities with a prior- 19 ity given to those entities with a history of providing weekend meals 20 for the purpose of planning, implementing, and operating services under 21 this subdivision. 22 (g) The office shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary to 23 implement the provisions of this subdivision, including but not limited 24 to eligibility criteria, service priorities, methods of reimbursement, 25 reporting requirements, and performance and outcome measures. 26 § 3. Reporting. (a) No later than twelve months after the effective 27 date of this act, and on the first of January annually thereafter, the 28 state office for the aging shall submit a report to the governor, the 29 temporary president of the senate, the minority leader of the senate, 30 the speaker of the assembly, the minority leader of the assembly and the 31 chairs of the senate and assembly committees on aging. 32 (b) Such report shall include, at a minimum: 33 (1) the number of individuals served under the program created by this 34 act, by county and service area; 35 (2) the number of meals delivered on weekends and holidays; and 36 (3) a description of outreach efforts and strategies used to reach 37 underserved communities, including rural areas and communities of color. 38 § 4. Appropriation. (a) The sum of one hundred million dollars 39 ($100,000,000) or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appro- 40 priated out of any moneys in the general fund to the credit of the state 41 purposes account not otherwise appropriated, to the state office for the 42 aging, for the purpose of implementing the provisions of this act, 43 including grants to local governmental units and community-based provid- 44 ers, administrative expenses, outreach, and program evaluation; 45 provided, however, that the state office for the aging may retain up to 46 10 percent of such funds for the purpose of implementing the grant 47 program described in section two of this act. 48 (b) Such moneys shall be made available on or after April first, two 49 thousand twenty-six, and shall remain available to the state office for 50 the aging until expended. 51 § 5. Severability. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, 52 section or part of this act shall be adjudged by any court of competent 53 jurisdiction to be invalid, such judgment shall not affect, impair, or 54 invalidate the remainder thereof, but shall be confined in its operation 55 to the clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, section or part thereof 56 directly involved in the controversy in which such judgment shall have 
 S. 9198 3 1 been rendered. It is hereby declared to be the intent of the legislature 2 that this act would have been enacted even if such invalid provisions 3 had not been included herein. 4 § 6. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 5 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend- 6 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen- 7 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and 8 completed on or before such effective date.