PROGRAM WILL HELP SENIORS GET $1,200 PRESCRIPTION BENEFIT

(09/29/2004)

Thousands of West Virginians on Medicare qualify for $1,200 in free prescription drugs, and a special event in Charleston will announce new efforts to enroll seniors in the program. Many seniors have been reluctant to select a card, possibly confused by many different offers. The kick-off will be held at the Schoenbaum Family Enrichment Center,1701 Fifth Avenue, starting at 11 a.m. today. The West Virginia Access to Benefits Coalition (ABC) and TRIAD of West Virginia, Inc., both community-based coalitions of organizations that serve older West Virginians, will announce the receipt of grants from the National Council on Aging, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Administration on Aging to enroll Medicare beneficiaries in prescription discount card programs, specifically transitional assistance. The TRIAD grant supports a mobile unit with internet access which will travel to 18 southern counties to educate and enroll senior West Virginians in Medicare-approved prescription drug programs and the $1,200 in free prescription drug assistance. The ABC grant will be used to enroll seniors in the prescription drug programs at 90 community health centers and dozens of other local venues throughout West Virginia. FamilyCare, a community health center located at the Schoenbaum center, will offer free blood pressure screenings. Medicare beneficiaries will be able to apply for $1,200 in prescription assistance and enroll in a Medicare-approved discount drug card program at the event. Those appearing at the event will include: Monique Scott, CMS; Frank Bellinetti, State Director of AARP; Jill Hutchinson, Executive Director, West Virginia Primary Care Association; Wayne Moore, Senior Advisor to the AARP Director of Policy, and West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw. The West Virginia Primary Care Association is the lead agency for the West Virginia ABC grant. AARP West Virginia and the West Virginia Attorney General's Office are the coordinators of the TRIAD grant. AARP is a member of both coalitions. Submitted by Ginger Thompson McDaniel Program Specialist-Senior Medicare Patrol Project AARP Foundation 300 Summers St. Suite 400 Charleston WV 25301

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