Senior citizens at the Ava Dorfman Center were assured today that their congressman is working to insure their safety.

Rep. Michael A. Arcuri told a crowd at the center this morning that he is pushing measures in Congress that will help prevent identity theft and help keep seniors safe from fire hazards.

"The legislation I have introduced in Congress will help local facilities upgrade and expand existing fire safety systems through a competitive federal grant program."

" I have also introduced legislation to keep Social Security numbers off identification cards, to make sure everyone’s identity is protected."

The Identity Protection Act is designed to protect seniors from identity theft which can destroy financial security, the congressman said. The measure would require the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to stop listing Social Security numbers on identification cards issued in connection with benefits under the Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

And the Long-Term Care Life Safety Act — which Arcuri tried but failed to get enacted last year — would provide nursing homes, assisted living facilities and hospices with federal funding to upgrade fire safety measures. It would establish a competitive grant program within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to promote professional installation of fire detection systems and fire prevention technologies in nursing homes, hospice centers, and assisted living facilities.

Arcuri said his district has 90 assisted living centers, 12 hospice and palliative care centers, and 42 nursing homes.