MDDC 2019 Legislative Breakfast

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NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES IN BRIEF

OFFICE FOR PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES

#bFair2DirectCare:  

INVEST IN A LIVING WAGE FOR CRITICAL WORKERS

Direct support professionals (DSPs) are the backbone of our services. Their work involves skills and responsibilities which no one would expect to require of a person receiving minimum wage; and for this reason, for the past five decades, they had been paid rightly and significantly above that minimum. The recent increases in the minimum wage have seriously eroded that distinction. Two years ago, the plan to provide a living wage over a six year period received its first two years of funding. The resources to provide the second two years are now critical.

Strong Nonprofits for a Better New York:  

PROVIDE A YEARLY COLA/MEDICAID TREND

We support fiscally sound agencies in our field.  Too many years without cost adjustments means agencies are depleted and struggling to maintain high-quality services. Some have closed and others are on the brink of closure.

Keep the Promise:

PROVIDE NEEDED RESIDENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES

We support adequate residential development in the communities where participants have lived and have connections to neighbors, businesses, and family. Last year’s development addressed possibly one in 20 of those with an identified need for residential placement statewide. 

ADEQUATELY FUND SERVICES AND SUPPORTS FOR PEOPLE WITH COMPLEX NEEDS

Rates are not adequate for our participants with the most acute behavioral or physical care needs, leading to placements in hospitals or nursing homes and psychiatric wards or families endeavoring to provide informal care rather than put a family member in an agonizingly unsuitable setting.

FUND THE I/DD SYSTEM’S TRANSITION TO MANAGED CARE

This year’s first stage of transition to a “conflict-free” care management arrangement has been riddled with poor organization, non-working technology, and inadequate engagement with stakeholders. Future steps will have even higher stakes, so new systems will have to pass more robust readiness review before the next stages go live. 

STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

#OurKidsareYOURKids:  

ENSURE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY FOR A QUALITY EDUCATION

4110 preschools and 853 schools educate students that the school district Committee on Special Education has placed in these programs because they cannot appropriately be served in public schools.   Yet low tuition rates have created a crisis in recruiting and retaining certified teachers and teacher assistants. These specialized schools’ tuition must be increased so that they can pay their staff salaries that are equitable to those in public schools.

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RESTORE CONTRACTS FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD DIRECTION CENTERS 

Early Childhood Direction Centers (ECDCs) provide information, referral and support to families.  New York State Education Department (NYSED) is terminating the ECDC contracts in June 2019, leaving families of young children with disabilities with no place to turn for neutral assistance in navigating complex systems.  NYSED should keep the ECDCs in place through at least June 2020.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

Early Intervention Changes Lives:  

ADEQUATELY FUND EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES FOR INFANTS AND TODDLERS WITH DISABILITIES

Early Intervention services change young lives and support families as they begin the challenging road of parenting a child with a disability.  The window of opportunity for young children is small, and interventionists are in short supply because compensation is too low.  The Governor’s proposed budget includes a 5% increase for occupational, physical and speech therapists.  Rates for other Early Intervention services must also be increased by the same 5%. 

Specialty Clinics Keep People with I/DD Healthy:  

PROVIDE FINANCIAL STABILITY FOR CLINICS THAT SERVE PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 

Article 16 and 28 clinics provide specialty approaches and clinicians experienced with our population to accommodate a wide variety of patient needs.  Such services can’t be found anywhere else, and the rates paid to these clinics don’t reflect additional clinician time, clinic practices, or equipment that make such care possible.

OPPOSE EXTREME MODIFICATIONS TO THE CONSUMER DIRECTED PERSONAL CARE PROGRAM (CDPAP)

The executive budget proposal to consolidate agencies administering this program and reform their compensation will be devastating.

PLEASE VISIT THE MANHATTAN DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES COUNCIL WEBSITE

FOR LINKS TO TESTIMONY PRESENTED AT THE JOINT BUDGET HEARINGS:

• Coalition of Provider Agencies (COPA) – Health, Education and Mental Hygiene
• The Arc New York – Mental Hygiene
• Disability Rights New York – Mental Hygiene
• New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) – Health
• Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Association of New York State – Health
• Strong Nonprofits for a Better New York – Mental Hygiene and Health