Hello! I hope that you've had a wonderful summer, that family vacations were fun and safe, and that you are looking forward to an exciting fall as students return to school and our farmers plan the harvest. It's been a busy summer for us, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the next few months reveal as we continue through the last half of 2008.I wanted to give you a brief update on a critical piece of legislation that I sponsored this past year, the Long-Term Care Community Choices Act of 2008. A few days ago, I was advised by the personnel at the Bureau of TennCare and the Department of Health that the new legislation is proving to be effective. As of October 2007, approximately 3900 people across the state were being served in the TennCare waiver program and receiving various long-term care services including Meals on Wheels. With the passage of the new long-term care bill, an additional 2300 slots are open, and 200 of those slots have been filled. Although we are still waiting for federal approval for the opening of these additional slots, people can contact their local Area Agency on Aging and ask for Medicare waiver services to find out if they are eligible for more program assistance. Based on the current rate of enrollment, we anticipate that all 6,000 currently funded "slots" will be filled before the end of fiscal year 2009. That means more choices for seniors!...Read More