New Enrollment Program Assists the Aged, Blind and Disabled of Long Island

December 4th, 2015 – Hauppauge, NY – Long Island’s population of aged, blind, and disabled now has access to local certified enrollers to help them apply for the appropriate public insurance/assistance program(s). The Consumer Assistance for the Aged, Blind, and Disabled program (ABD) is overseen by the Suffolk County Department of Social Services, which subcontracts with the Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council (NSHC) to provide in-person enrollment assistance at convenient locations throughout Suffolk and Nassau counties.

Officially opened in October 2015, the New York State grant-funded ABD program can assist any person who falls into one of three categories: certified blind, certified disabled, or 65 years of age or older. In addition, recipients of Medicare that are looking for supplemental Medicaid insurance, as well as people looking for Medicare savings programs to help with Medicare expenses, can apply for these assistance programs with help from the ABD enrollers.

Enrollment sites for the ABD program are available year-round, and are staffed with enrollers who are specifically trained to assist consumers in applying for Medicaid-funded service coverages.

“For those with difficulties attending in-person enrollment sites, consumers are able to designate another person to enroll them in the ABD program on the applicant’s behalf,” says ABD Program Coordinator Michelle Bates. “A designee needs proof of both an applicant’s income and available resources to enroll the eligible applicant.”

Sites, which are available almost daily across both Nassau and Suffolk counties, are specifically chosen to meet applicant’s particular needs. Libraries, which are handicap accessible and often in close proximity to public transportation, are a typical enrollment site. Beyond libraries, sites are chosen based on their history of coordinating services for Medicaid recipients with disabilities.

Visit www.coverage4healthcare.org/insurance_over_65 for site locations, dates and times. Assistance at these site locations is given on a first come, first serve basis. For more information, contact the Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council Consumer Assistance for the Aged, Blind and Disabled program at (631) 435-5000.

About the Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council
The Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council represents the advocacy interests of all Long Island hospitals. NSHC helps enhance healthcare for all Long Islanders by representing the interests of its member hospitals before lawmakers, regulatory agencies, the media, and the public. The NSHC is a certified navigator agency for the New York State of Health Marketplace and a subcontractor for the New York State Consumer Assistance for the Aged, Blind and Disabled program.

Photo Courtesy of The Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council.