Summer 2021 ‘Spotlight on Seniors’

The Summer 2021 edition of the Office for the Aging’s (OFA) quarterly newsletter, “Spotlight on Seniors,” is now available. View it online, with back issues, at www.dutchessny.gov/aging.

To become a regular email subscriber to “Spotlight on Seniors” and the OFA’s weekly Aging News, sign up via www.dutchessny.gov/DutchessDelivery, which can also be used to subscribe to alerts and newsletters from other Dutchess County Government departments. The Aging News is emailed every Friday, and homebound clients of the OFA’s Home Delivered Meals program receive weekly print copies.

Those who don’t have internet access and want to be on the mailing list may request a copy of Spotlight be mailed by calling the office at 845-486-2555. Mailing lists are not sold or shared.

The Spotlight is also at all Dutchess County public libraries and can be dropped off at senior housing complexes or medical offices. Email OFA Outreach Coordinator Brian Jones at bjones@dutchessny.gov to find out more.

Where did my OFA email go?

Seniors who use an email address provided by an internet service provider (ISP) may sometimes find their email programs’ spam filters mistakenly classify legitimate emails as spam, including emails from the OFA. 

New Emergency Broadband Benefit

The Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) is a new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program, aimed at helping families and households struggling to afford internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic. EBB provides a discount of up to $50 per month toward broadband service for eligible households.

A household is eligible for EBB if a member of the household meets one of the criteria:

• Has an income that is at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or participates in certain assistance programs, such as SNAP, Medicaid or Lifeline;

• Approved to receive benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program;

• Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year;

• Experienced a substantial loss of income due to job loss or furlough since Feb. 29 and the household had a total income in 2020 at or below $99,000 for single filers and $198,000 for joint filers; or

• Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating provider’s existing low-income or COVID-19 program.

For additional details, go to www.fcc.gov/broadbandbenefit or contact your broadband provider.

Golden Living is prepared by Dutchess County OFA Director Todd N. Tancredi, who can be reached at 845-486-2555, ofa@dutchessny.gov or via the OFA website at www.dutchessny.gov.

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