By RICK MILLER
Olean Star
LITTLE VALLEY — Cattaraugus County lawmakers made their best deal of the year Wednesday, trading $5.2 million for nearly $10.6 million in nursing home funding.
Legislature Chairman Andrew Burr, R-Gowanda, was authorized to sign the supplemental Medicaid upper payment limit agreement for non-state operated public nursing homes.
The Pines Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Olean will receive $5.4 million and the Machias nursing home will get $5.1 million upon receipt by the state of $5.2 million from the county.
The state notified the county earlier this week that the county’s share needs to be received by the state this coming Monday,” said County Administrator Kelly Reed. “The state will pay what it owes the following week.”
tue to the timeframe, the resolution was introduced for immediate consideration by members of the leadership: Burr, Kelly Andreano, R-Olean; Don Benson, R-Allegany; Norman Marsh, R-Little Valley and Ginger Schroder, R-Farmersville.
The intergovernmental transfer of $255 million is allocated to nursing homes for the period between April 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025. Payments are based on the number of Medicaid patients and days.
“This money is the lifeblood of the county nursing homes,” Reed told the Olean Star. The supplemental Medicaid funds are responsible for keeping the nursing homes off the tax base.
Legislators also approved a request by the Village of South Dayton for matching funds up to $25,000 for a dissolution study to merge with the town of Dayton.
Earlier this year, the county legislature agreed to set up a fund under a Municipal Match Grant Program to aid villages in dissolution studies.
There are currently nine villages in the county, down from 11 in the past decades.
The last village to dissolve and merge with a town was the former Village of Randolph, which merged with the Town of Randolph. Before that, the former Village of Limestone merged with the Town of Carrollton.
Legislators also continued a Truancy Prevention Program and Youth Placement Prevention Program with Cattaraugus Community Action for $342,932. The state pays 62% of the cost, while the county picks up the remainder.
