Snyder announces initiatives for Michigan seniors

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LANSING, Mich. (AP) — New initiatives to improve services
for Michigan seniors will include a "one-stop shop" website for aging
information, Gov. Rick Snyder said Monday.
The Republican
governor, whose re-election bid depends in part on appealing to senior
voters, said he wants the four state agencies that serve the growing
population to collaborate to increase efficiency.
The website, he
said, will improve access to state services and provide guidance for
things such as retirement planning by early 2015.
"Ensuring that
more older adults have the opportunity to be healthy, independent and
productive individuals in age-friendly communities that support their
needs will be critical as the state plans for the future," Snyder said
in the Detroit suburb of Rochester.
"The simple truth is Michigan has more work to do to prepare for its aging population."
Roughly
one in four Michigan residents will be at least 60 years old by 2030,
Snyder said. And people age 85 and up comprise the fastest-growing
segment of Michigan’s population.
In the prepared version of his
eighth special message to the Legislature, Snyder asked lawmakers on
Monday to approve about $20 million in additional funding for senior
services in his 2015 budget, including $1 million to address elder abuse
and $5 million for programs such as Meals on Wheels. The Senate and
House budgets included similar funding; lawmakers are expected to
finalize a budget this month.
State agencies will develop
performance incentives for Michigan’s 400 nursing homes, which house
roughly 40,000 residents, Snyder said. Less than 30 percent of Michigan
nursing homes have programs that give residents control of their
schedules or activities, he said.
Snyder also announced pilot
programs for improving dementia treatment and increasing seniors’
participation in school volunteer programs.
Democrats, including
gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer, have criticized Snyder for
eliminating an exemption on certain retirement income after taking
office in 2011.
Public pensions that had been exempt from state
taxes and other retirement income that had been partially exempt is now
taxed as regular income for those born after 1945 — with the exception
of Social Security payments and military pensions. Exemptions can be
claimed for up to $20,000 for a single filer and up to $40,000 for joint
filers.
Snyder said Democrats’ characterization of the 2012
change as a "pension tax" is incorrect and that he tried to "clean up
our tax code."
"What we did was is to say, you shouldn’t pay tax simply because you have a certain type of
retirement income," Snyder said.
Schauer said Monday he would start his term as governor "by getting rid of Snyder’s pension
tax."
Jacqueline
Morrison, Michigan director for the AARP, said the organization opposes
the tax but is not actively working on the issue. She said she was
"encouraged" by Snyder’s proposals, especially efforts to increase job
opportunities for seniors.
"Many of the members who are short financially are looking for work, looking for ways to replace
that lost revenue," she said.

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