Tag Archives: budget

Recap of NYC FAIR’s Family Friendly Budget Briefing

Family Friendly Budget Briefing

The Budget process: The Governor released his budget January 21, containing the budget plus a briefing book. The story is not just the numbers but in the language of the briefing book.  After this, the legislature starts its work.  The various committees hold Joint public hearings, with members of both the Assembly and the Senate. They are there to hear from and question the Department Heads and Commissioners. Often there are opportunities during these briefings to hear from other interested parties.

At this point the Legislature has finished Joint Budget Committee hearings, (you can watch them here: https://bit.ly/2PBj6wU )

Now they are discussing what will go into the One House Budgets, each house submits their One House budget the first week of March. They are consulting with each other about their priorities before taking positions on what they want to include. Members send ‘sign on’ letters to their colleagues, to build consensus for their priorities, these then will go into their One House letters.

This year:

At first look the Governor’s budget didn’t seem that bad, it included:

  • $5B for OPWDD 3 ½ % raise
  • Items in it:
  • $6B to make up for FMAP (Federal Medical Assistance Percentage) because to create the CCOs (Care Coordination Organizations) the state only had to put up 10% of the cost and the Federal government agreed to pay 90%. That 90% match goes away July 1 (reduced to 50/50) so to continue the work of the  CCOs the state has to make up the loss in funding.
  • $ 66.4M (2%) for Direct Care raises for 1/1/2020 and 1/4/2020
  • $30 M for services
  • Up to $120 M in new money but it is more of a credit card than actual money sent to OPWDD
  • $23M so agencies can pay for the mandated increases in minimum wage

MRT 2 – FIRST WAS 2011 (Medicaid Redesign Team)

The Governor announced that the current Medicaid deficit is untenable so he created a new Medicaid Redesign Team to look for $2.5B savings to come out of Medicaid programs. They are supposed to find ongoing savings not just this time; in other words, structural changes. The savings suggestions are due at the end of March so they can be incorporated when the budget is due April 1.

The agencies that are under the Mental Hygiene and Developmental Disabilities committee like OPWDD are supposed to be exempt from these cuts but there are no guarantees. The bulk of the cuts are to come out of Dept. of Health (DOH) Medicaid programs which includes CDPAP (Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program) a program used by many in the disabilities community.

CDPAP has been identified by the DOH as one of the causes of the growth in the deficit.  For that reason that program has been identified at risk of cuts by the MRT2.

Opportunities to Learn More:

Budget Briefings & Legislative Events

The Developmental Disabilities Councils are hosting IAC (Inter Agency Council) Budget Briefings & Legislative breakfasts in each borough.

Budget Briefings               

Brooklyn: 2/24, 9:30am, Heartshare, 177 Livingston St, 3rd Fl, enter through sliding doors on Gallatin Place, Bklyn

Bronx: 2/12, 9:30am, ADAPT, Blue Room, 1770 Stillwell Ave, Bx

Manhattan: 2/12, 9:30am, IAC, 150 West 30 St, 15th Floor, Man

Queens: 2/3, 9:30am, Queens Borough Hall, 120-55 Queens Blvd, Rm 200, Queens

Staten Island: 2/21, 9:30am, IBR, 1050 Forest Hill Rd, SI

Legislative Events:

Brooklyn: 3/6, 9:30am, Gargiulo’s, 2911 West 15th St, Bklyn

Bronx: 3/13, 8am   Maestro’s, 1703 Bronxdale Ave, Bx

Manhattan: 3/6, 8am, Barnes & Noble, 33 East 17th Street, Man.

Queens: 3/6, 8:30am Queens College, Student Union, 152-45 Melbourne Ave, Queens

Staten Island: 2/28 – 8:30am, The Vanderbilt, 300 Father Capodanno Blvd, SI

More Council Information:

Brooklyn: joyce.levin@hearnshare.org

Bronx: www.bronxddcouncil.org

Manhattan: www.manhattanddcouncil.org

Queens: www.qcddny.org

Staten Island: contactsiddc@siddc.org

Heastie: All sides agree on more money for direct care workers: Politico – 3/15/17

FROM: Politico, March 15, 2017

Heastie: All sides agree on more money for direct care workers

By Josefa Velasquez

03/15/2017 02:10 PM EDT

ALBANY — The Legislature and Gov. Andrew Cuomo appear to have reached an agreement to fund wage increase for direct care workers, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said Wednesday, but details are still elusive.

“Money for direct care workers, I think that’s something we all agree … that’s a perfect example where I think all sides agree on more money,” Heastie told reporters.

Direct care employers, those who work with the elderly and disabled, have been complaining that the increase in the minimum wage, while a positive for the state overall, means it will be harder to recruit and retain employees if they can earn as much working at a fast food restaurant.

The Assembly’s one-house budget proposal includes $45 million for direct care workers beginning in April, the start of the fiscal year.

While the Senate also supports $45 million for direct care workers, its one-house budget resolution calls for $11.25 million for the implementation of direct care workers’ salary increase beginning Jan. 1, 2018, the final quarter of the fiscal year.

A spokesman for the state’s budget division remained non-committal, despite Heastie’s remarks.

“Budget negotiations on this and hundreds of other issues continue,” said budget spokesman Morris Peters.

A spokesman for bFair2DirectCare — a coalition that includes nonprofits that serve the developmentally disabled — lauded the Legislature for committing to wage increases for direct care workers.

“We are hopeful that the final budget will include this funding to start providing direct care workers with a living wage,” said spokesman Steve Greenberg. “We hope it will start as soon as possible because the crisis is real and it’s upon us today and clearly lawmakers, Democrats and Republican, Senate and Assembly recognize this crisis that direct care agencies are facing and it requires immediate attention.”

To view online:
http://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2017/03/heastie-all-sides-agree-on-more-money-for-direct-care-workers-110395

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We have until April 1 to make a difference

We have until April 1 to make a difference

SAVE-THE DATE:

Michael Seereiter, Pres. & CEO of NYSRA and
Peter Pierri, Exec. Director of IAC

will meet with NYC FAIR on

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2016,
6 to 8pm, @ IAC, 

150 West 30th Street, 15th Floor

What the landscape is now and going forward
Actions we can take, things we can do 

Translation Available

Light Refreshments

Call-in

Register Here:

PETITION: ADVOCACY IN ACTION: “KEEP THE PROMISE”

Please share with  EVERYONE

ADVOCATE TODAY

NYS Senator Bill Perkins and Assemblyman Robert Rodriguez are  circulating a petition to urge Governor Cuomo to make certain that people with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities and the people who care for them, Direct Support Professionals, get quality service that they require.

Please get signatures on as many petitions as you can!

Download & Print out the attached petition.

REVISED:  Perkins Rodriguez Petition New

Mail petitions ASAP to:

Senator Bill Perkins

Harlem State Office Building

163 West 125th Street

Suite 912

New York, N.Y. 10027

Attn: Phillipe Marius