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Jason Helgerson, NYS Medicaid Director Meets NYC Families on 6/12

Action Alerts, Advocacy, nyc fair, , , , ,

MEDICAID CHANGES IN STORE: WHAT WILL HAPPEN?

How Will the Dollars Be Allocated?

HEAR FROM THE PERSON WHO WILL DECIDE


JASON HELGERSON
New York State Medicaid Director 

MONDAY, JUNE 12th
6 – 8pm
IAC
150 West 30th Street, 15th Floor

Here are some of our questions:

How will changes to the Medicaid dollars affect our families?
What are the plans for Managed Care for people with ID/DD?

 

SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS HERE: Questions@nycfair.org

 

These two articles lay out the situation

How Will Trump’s New Plan to Replace Obamacare Affect You? U.S Economics

Trump Budget Guts Medicaid, Disability Programs Disability Scoop

REGISTER WITH NYC FAIR:

http://bit.ly/2qwUSoC

Be patient with the link

INDICATE YOUR LOCATION PREFERENCE
ON THE REGISTRATION FORM

  • VIDEO CONFERENCING WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THESE OTHER LOCATIONS FOR THE MEETING WITH JASON HELGERSON
    Staten Island: PCCS, 150 Granite Ave, SI, NY
  • Nassau County: FREE, 191Bethpage – Sweethollow Road, Old Bethpage, NY
  • Rockland County: The ARC of Rockland, 25 Hemlock Drive, Congers, NY
  • Ulster / Greene Counties: 471 Albany Ave., Kingston, NY
  • Suffolk: DDI, 99 Hollywood Drive, Smithtown NY.Call- In #: 646-780-0451, PIN: 314-512-500 #  

Translation Available if Requested Before June 1st

Light Supper

For Policy Wonks: Also on June 12th, from 10:30 – Noon:
Mr Helgerson will attend the Medicaid Advocates Meeting. It deals with more technical and large-scale policy issues. Agenda items include DSRIP and Self-Direction.
Here are detailed instructions to attend this meeting and the proposed agenda.

A MORE GENERAL DISCUSSION OF HOW MEDICAID MAY IMPACT PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE EVENING

Coming Next Week:

Information about pending legislation concerning: Changes in Justice Center Reporting, Changes in 17A Guardianship Rules, the FAIR ACT, AND the implications of the proposed federal budget to programs for IDD.

“NYS Legislature, Governor Agree To Make Initial Investment in Disability Provider Workforce

Action Alerts, Advocacy, In The News

Representing More Than 250 Provider Agencies in New York State

March 29, 2017

TO:      COPA Members

NYS Legislature, Governor Agree To Make Initial Investment in Disability Provider Workforce

In what turned out to be a celebration of direct support professionals yesterday in the State Capitol, Governor Cuomo and the leaders of both Houses, along with the Mental Hygiene Committee chairs, promised a group of bFair2DirectCare demonstrators that they all support the addition of funds to increase direct care salaries.  The Governor said he would not sign a budget that didn’t include $55 million (this includes mental health and substance abuse workers) for direct care workers. Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Senate Independent Democratic Conference Leader Jeff Klein, Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb were all unified in their support and all commented on the effectiveness of the campaign and the unanimity it evoked among legislators.  The Governor noted that this funding would come on top of the increase provided to bring workers up to the minimum wage. This agreement will provide an additional 6.5% wage increase over the next two years for lower paid workers.

The announcement was made as the bFair2Direct Care Coalition held an event at the State Capitol to thank all the Legislative Leaders and give them “There for Direct Care” awards.  This event is the culmination of more than a year-long, statewide bFair2DirectCare advocacy campaign conducted by all nine developmental disability associations across the State working to get funding to mitigate one of the key issues, low wages, which contributes to the disability field’s recruitment and retention crisis.

Staff, family members, self-advocates, board members and volunteers from our agencies have worked hard to educate their representatives in Albany about the desperate need for this funding.  State Senator Frederick Akshar called the campaign, “the greatest grass roots effort I’ve ever witnessed.”

COPA would particularly like to thank the families and staff from our member agencies for their active participation and dedication in this movement.  On behalf of all the organizations involved in this campaign, we thank the leadership in the Senate and Assembly for their unwavering support of our dedicated and highly professional staff, and to the Governor and his staff for their work with the Legislature on this critical issue.

While there is no guarantee of the precise details until the budget is passed, today’s announcement essentially ensures the budget will include a 3.25% increase in salaries for low wage employees effective, January 1, 2018, with another increase of 3.25% for low wage and clinical employees effective 4/1/18.  These increases are in line with the $45 million per year State share, $90 million annually, that was part of the living wage proposal so strongly advocated for by COPA and the others working in the bFair2DirectCare campaign.  (The $55 millionState investment announced by the Governor reflects the expansion of the investment to cover OMH and OASAS programs as well for the same group of employees.)  COPA and its members really stepped up their advocacy efforts over the past 9 months, and it is those efforts, along with those of other disability providers, families, and staff, who made this campaign a success.  We will be sending additional details on what is in the budget once it has passed, but this funding announcement is certainly good news and a long time in coming.

This announcement marks the first two steps towards the goal of providing direct care and other low-wage workers in our field a living wage. The plan that spurred the Legislature and Governor to action calls for an additional $45 million investment by New York State in each of the next five year.
Barbara, Wini & JR

 

 

BARBARA CROSIER 
Vice President, Government Relations
Cerebral Palsy Associations of NYS
3 Cedar Street Extension, Suite 2
Cohoes, NY 12047
Phone:   (518) 436-0178, Ext. 104
Cell:        (518) 424-3198
Fax:          (518) 436-8619
E-mail:     bcrosier@cpofnys.org

 

WINIFRED SCHIFF
Associate Executive Director for Legislative Affairs
InterAgency Council of Developmental Disabilities Agencies, Inc.
150 West 30th Street   15th floor  
New York, NY  10001
Phone:   (212) 645-6360
Cell:        (917) 750-1497
JOHN R. DREXELIUS, JR.
Government Relations Counsel
DDAWNY
Law Office of John R. Drexelius, Jr.
PO Box 141
Buffalo, NY  14223
Phone:   (716) 316- 7552
Fax:         (716) 875-7552
Email:     jrdrexelius@gmail.com

 

 

COPA – Coalition of Provider Associations

Alliance of Long Island Agencies, Inc. ¨ Cerebral Palsy Associations of New York State  ¨  Developmental Disabilities Alliance of WNY, InterAgency Council of Developmental Disabilities Agencies, Inc. ¨ New York Association of Emerging & Multicultural Providers, Inc.3 Cedar Street Extension, Suite 2

Cohoes, NY 12047
(518) 436-0467
info@copanys.org
www.copanys.org

 

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

Action Alerts, Advocacy, In The News, , , , ,

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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