Our budget advocacy campaign continues to gain strength and participation from our grassroots network. If you haven't yet sent a letter to your representative or would like to send another, our one-click campaign gives you the chance to easily call on your elected officials to invest in supports and services and this one-page information sheet will support you in sharing our need and our asks. Don’t forget to share on social media so others may add their voice!
The Arc New York and our NYDA partners are calling for:
- Establishment of a Direct Support Wage Enhancement (DSWE)
- Inclusion of the statutory 8.5% Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA)
Under the DSWE provider agencies will receive $4,000 per eligible employee to be used for the purpose of enhancing the hourly pay for all staff that have direct care/support responsibilities for individuals with I/DD. This wage enhancement will enable provider agencies to raise wages by approximately $2.19 per hour.
The annual COLA is intended to increase budgets appropriately to adjust for inflation and rising costs. In the past decade, inflation rose 27%, yet providers of supports and services received only a 1.2% COLA. A 5.4% COLA was committed in the 2022-23 budget, but this promised increase does not compensate for a decade of underfunding. Upholding the COLA will support the increased cost of delivering quality services and sustain supports for the future.
We'll keep you apprised of more opportunities to voice your support for New Yorkers with I/DD throughout the budget season!
End of Year Federal Action Alert and Advocacy Tools
Congress is working on its end-of-the year package and The Arc is advocating for them to include key issues for people with disabilities and their families, specifically:
-
Increasing the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) asset limit so people with disabilities can save and not be forced to live in poverty.
-
Permanently funding the Money Follows the Person (MFP) program to support people with disabilities and seniors with moving back home after time in a congregate setting.
-
Stopping the torture of people with disabilities using shock devices at the Judge Rotenberg Center in Massachusetts.
Please help to advocate for these critical issues by participating in and sharing this action alert with your networks. Because time is of the essence, phone calls are especially impactful!
The Arc has also put together sample social media, fact sheets, and other materials in this toolkit (under the End of Year priority folder).
Thank you for all of your efforts and please don’t hesitate to reach out to Philip Aydinian with any questions.
NYS Congressman Jeffries Elected House Democrat Leader
This week, the US House Democratic Caucus elected New York state Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (NY-8) as minority leader. Congressman Jeffries will be the first black lawmaker to lead a political party's caucus in either chamber. He will follow Nancy Pelosi, who chose not to vie for the position.
