CHARLESTON, W.Va. — AARP West Virginia state leaders are keeping a close eye on a number of topics this legislative session including broadband internet, healthcare and financial security for its members.
AARP will support family caregivers and their loved ones by advancing laws and policy changes that will expand their options for care by removing barriers that prevent Advanced Practice Registered Nurses from using the fullest extent of their education and training, and increasing the number of medical tasks that can be delegated to home care workers.
“If I need to take my mom to the doctor, if I can do that on my lunch hour and go to the rural health clinic and let them see a nurse practitioner, that’s way easier than me having to take an entire day off and travel to Morgantown or Charleston to see a physician,” said AARP West Virginia State Director Gaylene Miller.
A bill that would define high-speed internet is currently before a Senate committee and also of interest to the organization, Miller said. .
“We’re all about the consumer; making sure that what’s being sold is what’s being provided,” Miller said. “We want to make sure these companies are transparent. And that they’re providing consumers with all the information they need to make that kind of a decision.”
AARP is also promoting bills focused on protecting against internet scams that can particularly be dangerous to senior citizens less experienced in the use of the web.
AARP is also interested in fair tax on retirees’ income and benefit, associate state director Angela Vance said.
“We want to make sure any proposal floated at the legislature protects the income of older West Virginians,” she said. “Older West Virginians put a lot of money into the economy across the state, so we want those retirement benefits taxed in a fair way.”
The $120 million dollar hole facing the PEIA and how to fill it is one hot button issue this session, and one that Vance said directly affects AARP.
“I believe there’s going to be lots of proposals floated out,” she said. “And that has a direct affect on many retirees. The more money they pay on premiums, the less money they’re putting into their communities.”