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¡Únase a nosotros para nuestro evento anual Comunidades Contra la Pobreza el jueves 12 de diciembre de 11am a 1pm en el Centro de Historia de Colorado! ¡Aprenda más y regístre hoy!

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Jun 13, 2016

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Tool measures income needs of older Coloradans

by | Jun 13, 2016

Family Economic Security

The Colorado Center on Law and Policy largely focuses its advocacy efforts on adults in their working years. But because of the increasingly important and varied roles older adults play in families, and the importance of saving money with retirement in mind, it is critical to include the challenges facing older Coloradans under the economic-security “umbrella.”

The road to self-sufficiency and economic security should be viewed as a continuum that doesn’t end at age 65. An important part of reducing poverty is passing assets – like a home, for example – down from parent to child. Because children’s economic wellbeing is intrinsically linked to their parents’, it is critical that we take an intergenerational approach to alleviating poverty. That means implementing public policy that will allow people to reach economic security in their prime working years, save money with the aim of being able to comfortably retire, and receive the care and services they need in their advanced age.

Closing the gap between senior incomes and economic security requires preservation and increase of seniors’ incomes from sources such as Social Security, pensions and employment. Where security gaps persist or seniors’ future ability to retire is under threat, CCLP and its partners in recent years advocated for policies that would expand access to older worker training and employment programs, food assistance, prescription medication assistance, home- and community-based long-term care, senior housing and other public assistance programs that allow seniors to remain independent and age in their own homes and communities.

To that end, CCLP is excited to release the Elder Economic Security Standard Index for Colorado 2015. This tool can be used to measure the income retired older adults need to meet their basic needs. The Elder Index defines basic needs as those essential to health and safety — housing, food, transportation, and health care — and miscellaneous personal and household needs.  It provides an accurate measure of the cost of living for people over 65 in all Colorado counties. Seniors with incomes below the local Elder Index are more likely to make difficult spending choices, to go without one or more basic need, and to have trouble remaining in their homes as they age and/or their health declines.

Too many older adults experience financial instability. One fourth of retired adults live on social security alone, allowing them to subsist only slightly above the federal poverty level (FPL). In Colorado, seniors’ basic income needs far exceed the FPL and vary greatly — between $17,268 and $52,776 per year depending on location and housing type — according to the report.

In order to have financial stability in later years, it is critical to begin saving during prime working years.

According to AARP, 49 percent of adults age 46-65 say that they are struggling to save for retirement. Lack of retirement savings can lead to financial instability, and can also be a significant burden on family members. The Pew Research Center reported that 75 percent of adults in the U.S. believe we have a responsibility to provide financially for aging parents if they need help.

Nearly 30 million American households are providing some form of support – financial or with day-to-day care – to an aging adult, and this number is expected to grow dramatically over the next two decades. While this is a positive trend in many ways, it can take a significant toll on family finances. The MetLife Mature Market Institute found that financial impact cost family caregivers an average of $566,443 over the course of care.

On the other hand, it is important to acknowledge the role that seniors play as the financial backbone of many families. Because of stagnant wages and skyrocketing living costs, adult children are increasingly relying on parents for financial support.  A study by Merrill Lynch used the term “perpetual parenthood” to describe this dynamic.

While parents of adult children and grandparents may be willing to help out financially, it can set a dangerous precedent for their own economic security. For most adults approaching retirement age, this one-time and/or ongoing financial assistance is unanticipated, and may be drawn from existing savings rather than steady income streams. If an older adult dips into their retirement savings, they may have no opportunity to recoup these expenses. According to a survey by AARP, 67 percent of baby boomers say they would feel obligated to financially support their adult children if asked and 57 percent reported that they would be willing to do so even if it threatened their comfort and security in retirement.

Older adults play increasingly diverse roles in families. With the rise of nontraditional family structures, grandparents often step in to fill gaps in caring for children. Economic insecurity as a result of the Great Recession also increased the prevalence of multigenerational households. Nationwide, 7.8 million children live with a grandparent, and 2.6 million live in homes where a grandparent is the primary caregiver. Of households where a grandparent is present, nearly 1 in 5 is in poverty.

The role of grandparents can be critical in the attainment of self-sufficiency of non-retirement age parents. Recruiting grandparents as caregivers is one of the most common workarounds for families living on the edge of self-sufficiency. A single mom with an infant and a preschooler living in Larimer County, for example, can expect to spend around $1,975 on childcare per month. That is more than a third of her budget. If her parents are able to care for the children, mom is free to work more productively without worrying about childcare options, dedicate money saved to other things, and focus on savings or getting more skills training – all of which will better her self-sufficiency.

Protecting and expanding seniors’ income sources and strengthening the services and care available to older adults so they can live and age comfortably is crucial to supporting the financial stability not only of retirees, but also their adult children and young grandchildren.

By viewing the journey to self-sufficiency as a continuum, we take a more effective, holistic approach to reducing poverty. We hope that the Elder Index will help to guide policy change by identifying the most significant living costs for elders in Colorado, and calling attention to the groups struggling most to make ends meet.

 

  • Aubrey Hasvold

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HEALTH:
HEALTH FIRST COLORADO (MEDICAID)

Health First Colorado is the name given to Colorado’s Medicaid program. Medicaid provides public, low-cost health insurance to qualifying adults and children. It is an entitlement program funded by the federal, state, and county governments and is administered by counties in Colorado. Those who are required to pay must pay a small co-pay when receiving certain health care services.

State Department: Department of Health Care Policy and Financing

Eligibility: Most adults 18 to 64 are eligible for Medicaid in Colorado if their household income is at or below 133% of the federal poverty limit (FPL). Pregnant women are eligible with incomes of up to 195% FPL, while children under 18 may be eligible if the live in a household with income at or below 142% FPL. Some adults over 65 may also be eligible for Medicaid.

Program Benefits: Through Medicaid, low-income Coloradans are eligible for a range of health care services at little to not cost. Services provided include doctors visits, prescription drugs, mental health services, and dental care. Co-pays for certain individuals may be needed for certain services.

Program Funding and Access: Colorado funds our Medicaid program through state and federal dollars. Medicaid is an entitlement program, which means that all who are eligible for Medicaid can access the program, regardless of the funding level in a given year. This does not mean that it is always easy to access Medicaid, even when eligible. And since the program is administered by counties, funding levels for county staff and other administrative roles can make it easier or harder for Coloradans to access the program. On top of this, not all medical providers accept Medicaid which limits the ability of Coloradans to seek health services even if enrolled, such as if the nearest provider is a 2+ hour drive away.

Note: This data is from before the pandemic and does not reflect changes in enrollment rules during the COVID-19 pandemic and public health emergency.

Statewide Program Access 2015-19: Over the study period of this report, an average of 89.0% of the population at or below 133% of FPL (i.e., the population who is likely to be eligible for Medicaid) were enrolled in Medicaid in Colorado.

FOOD SECURITY:
SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (SNAP)

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP helps low-income Coloradans purchase food by providing individuals and families with a monthly cash benefit that can be used to buy certain foods. SNAP is an entitlement program that is funded by the federal and state governments and administered by counties in Colorado.

State Department: Department of Human Services

Eligibility: Currently, Coloradans qualify for SNAP if they have incomes below 200% FPL, are unemployed or work part-time or receive other forms of assistance such as TANF, among other eligibility criteria. Income eligibility for SNAP was different during the study period of this report than today—it was 130% FPL back in 2019 for example. The US Department of Agriculture uses the population at or below 125% FPL when calculating the Program Access Index (or PAI) for SNAP. We follow this practice in our analysis despite Colorado currently having a higher income eligibility threshold.

Program Benefits: SNAP participants receive a monthly SNAP benefit that is determined by the number of people in their household and their income. Benefit amounts decrease as income increases, helping households avoid a sudden loss of SNAP when their incomes increase, even by a minor amount. Benefits are provided to an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card that can be used to purchase eligible food items, such as fruits and vegetables; meat, poultry, and fish; dairy products; and breads and cereals. Other items, such as foods that are hot at their point of sale, are not allowable purchases under current SNAP rules.

Program Funding and Access: SNAP, like Medicaid, is a federal entitlement program. This means that Colorado must serve any Coloradan who is eligible for the program. As such, funding should not be a limit to how many Coloradans can be served by the program. However, funding for administration of SNAP at the state and county level can limit the ability of county human service departments to enroll those who are eligible. Other program rules and administrative barriers can make it difficult for Coloradans to receive the benefits they are legally entitled to receive.

Statewide Program Access 2015-19: Over the study period of this report, an average of 61.1% of the population at or below 125% of FPL (i.e., the population who is likely to be eligible for SNAP) were enrolled.

FOOD SECURITY:
SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION PROGRAM FOR WOMEN, INFANTS AND CHILDREN (WIC)

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, also know as WIC, provides healthcare and nutritional support to low-income Coloradans who are pregnant, recently pregnant, breastfeeding, and to children under 5 who are nutritionally at risk based on a nutrition assessment.

State Department: Department of Public Health and Environment

Eligibility: To participate in WIC you must be pregnant, pregnant in the last six months, breastfeeding a baby under 1 year of age, or a child under the age of 5. Coloradans do not need to be U.S. citizens to be eligible for WIC. In terms of income, households cannot have incomes that exceed 185% FPL. Families who are enrolled in SNAP, TANF, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), or Medicaid are automatically eligible for WIC. Regardless of gender, any parents, foster parents, or caregivers are able to apply for and use WIC services for eligible children.

Program Benefits: WIC provides a range of services to young children and their parents. These include funds to purchase healthy, fresh foods; breastfeeding support; personalized nutrition education and shopping tips; and referrals to health care and other services participants may be eligible for.

Program Funding and Access: WIC is funded by the US Department of Agriculture. The state uses these federal funds to contract with local providers, known as WIC Clinics. In most cases, these are county public health agencies, but that is not the case in all Colorado counties. Some WIC Clinics cover multiple counties, while others are served by multiple clinics. Private non-profit providers are also eligible to be selected as a WIC Clinic.

Statewide Program Access 2015-17: Between 2015 and 2017, an average of 52.2% of the population eligible for WIC were enrolled in the program in Colorado.

Financial Security:
Colorado Works

Colorado Works is the name given to Colorado’s program for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families or TANF. It is an employment program that supports families with dependent children on their path to self-sufficiency. Participants can receive cash assistance, schooling, workforce development and skills training depending on the services available in their county.

State Department: Department of Human Services

Eligibility: In general, Coloradans are eligible to enroll in TANF if they are a resident of Colorado, have one or more children under the age of 18 or pregnant, and have very low or no income. For example, to be eligible to receive a basic cash assistance grant through TANF, a single-parent of one child could not earn more than $331 per month, with some exclusions—and would only receive $440 per month (as of 2022). That said, there are other services provided by counties through TANF that those with incomes as high as $75,000 may be eligible for. In addition to these, participants in TANF are required to work or be pursuing an eligible “work activity” or work-related activity. Any eligible individual can only receive assistance if they have not previously been enrolled in TANF for a cumulative amount of time of more than 60 months—this is a lifetime limit that does not reset. Counties may have additional requirements and offer benefits that are not available in other counties in Colorado.

Program Benefits:  While the exact benefits that one is eligible for under TANF can vary, all qualified participants are eligible to receive a monthly cash payment, call basic cash assistance. Other than cash assistance, counties are have a lot of choice in how to use their TANF funding; generally a use of TANF funds is appropriate so long as it advances one or more of the four purposes of the program: (1) provide assistance to needy families so that children can be cared for in their own homes or in the homes of their relatives; (2) end the dependence of needy families on government benefits by promoting job preparation, work, and marriage; (3) prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies; and (4) encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families.

It is important to note that those eligible for TANF are also eligible for many of the other programs we’ve included in this report, such as SNAP, Medicaid, and CCCAP.

Program Funding and Access: Colorado funds its TANF program through funds received from the federal government through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant. Most of the federal funds are allocated by the state to counties, which are required to provide a 20% match of state funding. Federal and state rules allow the state and counties to retain a portion of unspent funds in a TANF reserve.

Statewide Program Access 2015-19: Over the study period of this report, an average of 50.7% of the population at or below 100% of FPL (i.e., the population who is likely to be eligible for TANF) were enrolled in TANF in Colorado.

EARLY LEARNING:
COLORADO CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (CCCAP)

The Colorado Child Care Assistance Program provides child care assistance to low-income families and caregivers living in Colorado in the form of reduced payments for child care. It is a program funded by the federal, state, and county governments and is administered by counties in Colorado. The share owed by parents/caregivers is determined on a sliding scale based on the family’s income.

State Department: Department of Early Childhood Education

Eligibility: Counties set eligibility for families separately, but must serve families with incomes at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Limit. Families accepted to the program are no longer eligible once their income exceeds 85% of the state median income. Parents or caregivers must be employed, searching for work, or engaged in another approved activity to be eligible for CCCAP. Parents and caregivers enrolled in Colorado Works (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families or TANF) or in the child welfare system are also eligible to participate in CCCAP. Generally, CCCAP serves families with children under 13, although children as old as 19 may be eligible under certain circumstances.

Program Benefits: If a family is eligible for CCCAP and has income, they may likely have to pay a portion of their child’s or children’s child care costs each month. The amount that families owe is based on their gross income, number of household members, and the number of children in child care in the household. As such, households tend not to experience a benefit cliff with CCCAP when they see their incomes increase

Program Funding and Access: Colorado funds the CCCAP program using federal dollars it receives from the Child Care and Development Block Grant program. The state allocates federal and state funds to counties using a formula that takes into account factors like current caseloads and the number of eligible residents. Assistance is available until the county’s funds are spent, so the number of families that can be served is often a function of how much funding is available and the income and composition of the household that applies. It is not uncommon for counties to overspend or underspend their allocations of funds. The state reallocates unspent funds from counties who underspent to those who overspent. While underspending could indicate a problem with the way a county administers its CCCAP program, it could just as likely be a sign that there are few providers in the county who participate in CCCAP—or a lack of providers generally.

Statewide Program Access 2015-19: Over the study period of this report, an average of 10.8% of the population at or below 165% of FPL and younger than age 13 (i.e., the population who is likely to be eligible for CCCAP) were enrolled in CCCAP.

Housing:
HUD rental assistance programs

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has three housing assistance programs that we look at together: Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8), Project-based Section 8, and Public Housing. In Colorado, these programs provided assistance to over 90% of the households who received federal housing assistance from all HUD programs. Through federally funded, local or regional public housing agencies (PHAs) are the agencies that administer these programs, through not all are available in all counties. These are not the only programs available in Colorado that assist households afford the cost of housing, such as units funded through federal and state tax credit programs.

State Department: Department of Local Affairs

Eligibility: Generally, households with incomes under 50% of the area median income (AMI) of the county they live in are eligible for these rental assistance programs, although PHAs have discretion to select households with incomes at higher percentages of AMI. That said, HUD requires that 75% of new vouchers issued through the Housing Choice Voucher/Section 8 program in a given year are targeted to households with incomes at or below 30% of AMI. PHAs are also able to create criteria that give priority to certain types of households who are on waiting lists for these programs.

Program Benefits: These rental assistance programs help households afford the cost of housing by reducing their housing costs to around 30% of their household income. In the case of the Housing Choice Voucher program, the PHA pays the voucher holder’s landlord the remaining portion of the rent.

Program Funding and Access: Funding and access are both challenges for these rental assistance programs. In addition to limitations on the number of public housing units or housing vouchers a PHA can manage or issue, lack of funding compared to the need constrains the ability of PHAs to assist low-income households. In 2020, Coloradans were on waitlists for Housing Choice Vouchers for an average of 17 months. Waitlists also exist for the other rental assistance programs.

Statewide Program Access 2015-19: Over the study period of this report, an average of 21.1% of renter households with incomes at or below 50% AMI (i.e., the population who is likely to be eligible for HUD rental assistance programs) were living in subsidized housing.