WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – If you’re 60 years old or older, the man in state government whose job it is to look out for you was in Watertown on Tuesday.
Greg Olsen, state director for the Office for the Aging, worries about a problem affecting New Yorkers.
“I think my biggest concern right now is we have 676,000 people over the age of 60 that are going to lose their SNAP benefits literally in a couple of days,” he said.
Olsen is referring to the effects of the continuing government shutdown in Washington. He expects that if seniors don’t get the benefits, they’ll need to turn to a Jefferson County program.
“So I expect that the number of people we support with our meal program is going to increase significantly in the next few months,” said Bethany Munn, director of Jefferson County Office for the Aging.
Both officials are also worried about seniors getting help from the Home Energy Assistance Program, or HEAP. It helps with heating bills. The government shutdown essentially stops the process in its tracks.
“There’s no solution that I’m aware of, so, getting applications in, getting all the paperwork in as quickly as possible is going to be what really kind of helps the individual,” said Munn.
“It’s going to get more difficult unless we end this government shutdown because the types of programs and services provided here in Jefferson County and in 58 other Offices for the Aging across the country really help individuals maintain their independence and we can provide some economic security,” said Olsen.
Olsen says despite federal cuts and the federal government shutdown, he doesn’t expect his office’s budget to get cut, as it was recently given an additional $45 million from the state to add to next year’s budget.
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