- Restore the proposed 4% funding decrease for the seven (7) Care Coordination Organization/Health Homes (CCO/HHs) to the budget that will take effect on July 1, 2024.
- In 2018, the State created CCO/HHs to coordinate medical, behavioral health, and other essential care systems for New Yorkers with IDD.
- Developing a quality service organization takes time and resources. CCO/HHs provide an effective new way of coordinating care for people with IDD but they need investment to operate at their full potential.
- The proposed rate cut is a cumulative $17 million (including federal funds) that has been hidden from the public in the State’s budget documentation.
- Permanently decreasing the CCO/HH funding will destabilize the IDD care coordination and service delivery system.
- In 2018, the State created CCO/HHs to coordinate medical, behavioral health, and other essential care systems for New Yorkers with IDD.
- Establish a Direct Support Wage Enhancement to allocate $4,000 per eligible Direct Support Professional (DSP) to enhance their hourly pay and align wages with the skills and responsibilities required to deliver care to individuals with IDD.
- Enact a 3.2% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for all IDD programs to counteract inflation measured using the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
- Stop defunding and restricting the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) that allows eligible homebound New Yorkers to get their care services from trusted individuals they choose. Proposed changes to the law include:
- Eliminating Designated Representatives (DR) who act as the consumer when an individual is unable to self-direct their own care.
- Barring persons from being hired as CDPAP assistants if they are legally responsible for the eligible individual’s care and support.
- Limiting the daily and weekly hours CDPAP assistants can work.
- Elimination of wage parity for CDPAP Assistants.
- Eliminating Designated Representatives (DR) who act as the consumer when an individual is unable to self-direct their own care.