Standing up for seniors

Increasing the personal needs allowance (PNA) – Currently, nursing home residents are allowed to keep $72.80 per month out of their income to pay for personal needs (i.e. telephone, cable, hairdresser, clothes, grandkids’ birthdays, and other needs). A newly-filed bill sponsored by Representative Canavan recognizes the significant rise in the cost-of-living since this amount was last updated and would raise the PNA to $100 per month.

Preventing unwanted communications from creditors – This session, the Representative has once again teamed up with Senator Patricia Jehlen (D-Somerville) to sponsor a proposal to give Massachusetts consumers the same protection against telephone calls from creditors as they already have from collection agencies.

In recent years, since many companies have begun bringing their credit collection services in-house, many Massachusetts residents – seniors in particular – have been subject to these often harassing telephone calls. This bill simply allows consumers who are being harassed by creditors to send a Cease and Desist letter to the creditor, just as they would to a collection agency. The creditor would still be free to send written communication to a consumer but not contact him/her by telephone.