* § 217-a. Long term care insurance education and outreach program. 1.\nFor the purposes of this section, the term "long term care insurance\nresource center" shall mean a project within an area agency on aging\nfunded pursuant to this section that provides direct assistance to the\ngeneral public in choosing and obtaining long term care insurance.\n 2. The commissioner of health, in consultation with the director of\nthe office for the aging and the superintendent of financial services,\nis hereby authorized and directed, within amounts allocated therefor\npursuant to paragraph (qq) of subdivision one of section twenty-eight\nhundred seven-v of the public health law, to establish a long term care\ninsurance education and outreach program within the department of health\nfor the purpose of informing and educating the general public about long\nterm care insurance, including those policies that are available through\nthe partnership for long term care program.\n 3. The commissioner of health, the superintendent of financial\nservices and the director of the office for the aging shall appoint a\nstate program coordinator to implement, administer and supervise the\nlong term care insurance education and outreach program, and coordinate\nthe development of the educational and informational materials. The\nstate program coordinator shall be an employee of the office for the\naging who shall be selected from among individuals with expertise and\nexperience in the fields of long term care insurance, and with other\nqualifications determined by the commissioner of health, the\nsuperintendent of financial services and the director of the office for\nthe aging to be appropriate for the position. The state program\ncoordinator shall, within amounts available, personally or through\nauthorized representatives, be responsible for training staff persons of\nthe program, including staff persons of the long term care insurance\nresource centers, and shall provide for the collection and dissemination\nof timely and accurate long term care insurance information to said\nstaff persons.\n 4. The long term care insurance education and outreach program shall,\nwithin amounts available, consist of the following elements which shall\nbe provided by the office for the aging:\n (a) educational and informational materials in print, audio, visual,\nelectronic or other media;\n (b) public service announcements, advertisements, media campaigns,\nworkshops, mass mailings, conferences or presentations;\n (c) establishment of a toll-free telephone hotline and electronic\nservices to provide information; and\n (d) establishment of long term care insurance resource centers within\neach area agency on aging.\n 5. Long term care insurance resource centers shall, within amounts\navailable, provide the general public with the following items or\nservices:\n (a) educational and informational materials in print, audio, visual,\nelectronic or other media;\n (b) public service announcements, advertisements, media campaigns,\nworkshops, mass mailings, conferences or presentations; and\n (c) counseling, information, referral services, and direct assistance\nin choosing and obtaining long term care insurance. Direct assistance\nshall, within amounts available, include but not be limited to\nassistance with the following:\n (i) planning for the financing of long term care;\n (ii) understanding policy options, benefits and appeal rights;\n (iii) obtaining the coverage needed and the appropriate benefits; and\n (iv) avoiding or reporting illegal billing, fraudulent practices or\nscams.\n Each long term care insurance resource center shall be responsible,\nwithin amounts available, for providing a sufficient number of staff\npositions (including volunteers) necessary to provide and carry out the\nservices of the long term care insurance education and outreach program,\nprovided that at least one position shall be filled by an individual who\nis employed full t
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