te Senator Guy
Reschenthaler:
State Senator Guy Reschenthaler:
Accessible housing includes any home modifications made to
adapt living spaces to meet the needs of people with physical limitations so
that they can continue to live independently and safely. While incredibly
important to quality of life, home modifications can also be very costly. In
addition, accessible homes are attributed to a decrease in falls which is
significant because it can lower medical costs. In 2012, the Centers for
Disease Control reported that 2.4 million non-fatal fall injuries were treated
in emergency departments and more than 722,000 of these patients were
hospitalized. As you can imagine, the cost of these falls is staggering both
for the patient and the healthcare system.
As your constituent, member of the National Multiple
Sclerosis Society, the Society’s Pennsylvania Keystone Chapter Government
Relations Advisory Committee and a person living with the diagnosis of
progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), I know all too well the accessibility needs
of persons living with chronic diseases like MS. This legislation would help
ease the financial burden and stress associated with making a person’s home
accessible and functional.
Senator Yudichak will be reintroducing legislation (SB 1382)
that would establish a home modification tax credit of up to $2,000 for the
first year of the program and $5,000 for the following years. The tax credit
would be used to retrofit current homes for accessibility or help toward the
purchase of a new accessible home. The According to the Center for Universal
Design, the expense for one modification can be as high as $50,000. This bill
will alleviate some of the financial burden that comes with making a home accessible
and most importantly, safe for its residents.
The National MS Society supports this bill because it would help people with MS stay in their homes with dignity and independence while remaining active, productive members of their communities. Please cosponsor this important legislation.
The National MS Society supports this bill because it would help people with MS stay in their homes with dignity and independence while remaining active, productive members of their communities. Please cosponsor this important legislation.
Sincerely,
Frank Austin
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