Question 1

What county is Staten Island, and does that matter for senior care planning?

Accepted Answer

Staten Island IS Richmond County -- New York City's smallest borough by population, at roughly 495,747 residents per the 2020 Census, and its only borough that is also a single, standalone county. That matters because every county-level resource on this site -- APS, the ombudsman, NY Connects -- applies uniformly across the whole borough.

Question 2

Who is the Area Agency on Aging for Richmond County?

Accepted Answer

NYC Aging (DFTA, the New York City Department for the Aging) is the Area Agency on Aging covering all of Richmond County/Staten Island, reachable by dialing 311 within NYC or (212) 244-6469 from outside. The local NY Connects access point is the Community Agency for Senior Citizens (CASC), (718) 489-3954.

Question 3

Is Richmond County under mandatory Managed Long Term Care enrollment?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Mandatory MLTC enrollment in New York City -- including Richmond County/Staten Island -- began under Medicaid Redesign Team Initiative #90, approved August 31, 2012. New York City was actually the first region in New York State to require mandatory MLTC enrollment, ahead of the later rollout on Long Island.

Question 4

Where is Richmond County's seat, and why does that matter for elder-law needs?

Accepted Answer

St. George is Richmond County's seat, home to Staten Island Borough Hall (10 Richmond Terrace) and the Richmond County Courthouse. Elder-law attorneys, guardianship proceedings, and other legal matters tied to senior care planning typically run through this North Shore hub.

Question 5

Does Richmond County have its own separate Adult Protective Services office?

Accepted Answer

Not a fully separate county-run agency in the way some other New York counties operate. Staten Island's APS function runs through NYC HRA's Office of Special Services, with a dedicated borough-level phone line, (929) 221-8794, rather than a standalone Richmond County department of social services running its own independent APS program.

Question 6

Does Staten Island have its own dedicated Long-Term Care Ombudsman region?

Accepted Answer

No -- Staten Island falls under the New York City region (Region 3) of the statewide Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, sponsored by CIDNY, which covers all five boroughs together rather than maintaining a separate Staten Island-specific ombudsman region.

The county we cover

Richmond County

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