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NYDA Legislative Roundtable Registration
Between December 3 and 17th, New York Disability Advocates (NYDA), will host State legislators for virtual regional roundtable discussions with NYS legislators on the I/DD service system. The conversation will elevate NYDA’s priorities for the Fiscal Year 2026 Executive Budget.
You may register for one or all of the forums depending on your region and interest in hearing perspectives from across the state. The forums will be held in webinar format, with an MC and panel of provider agency representatives. Questions can be asked in the chat.
Roundtables are scheduled for the Capital/Hudson Valley region, the Central New York/North Country region, Long Island, and all five boroughs of New York City. A Western New York forum was held earlier this month, hosted by DDAWNY.
The goal of the forums is to inform legislators of our FY26 budget request prior to the release of the Executive Budget, which we expect in the second or third week of January.
View the invitation and schedule here and RSVP directly through the button at the bottom, or register directly here.
The forums are open to the public, and we encourage you to share the opportunity with your networks and communities.
Updated FY26 Budget Advocacy Resources
The Arc New York has compiled toolkit resources and messaging to help support your advocacy, including an info sheet for legislators, and another that offers information and talking points for advocates. These resources can be found below, and in our Budget Advocacy Toolkit.
Since our last update, a new NYDA resource sheet has been added, which discusses how a restricted rate increase or targeted wage increase only is not enough to address system sustainability, giving rationale as to why it is inequitable for both front-line staff and the continuum of I/DD supports and services. Please note: This document is not intended to share our asks with legislators, it is intended to provide responses if you receive questions about these alternate solutions.
Gov. Hochul Signs The Arc New York’s BOV Legislation into Law
As noted in a previous update, during the 2023-24 NYS legislative session, The Arc New York sought to increase the transparency of, and modernization to Mental Hygiene statute 13.33, which governors the creation, activities, and responsibilities of the Board of Visitors (BOV) for state-operated facilities. Through our efforts, we were able to write and advance legislation with Senator Mannion and Assemblymember Bichotte-Hermlyn. We are pleased to announce that Governor Hochul singed this bill into law on Friday, November 22 (Chp. 524 of 2024), with an effective date of March 22, 2025.
The legislation (A.10384/S.9246) amends the Boards of Visitors statute to ensure greater transparency of board activities, such as public posting of board activities and findings, and offering detailed information about meetings and procedures.
The Arc New York’s Advocacy and Oversight Committee ardently fought for greater transparency and operational effectiveness of the BOVs over the past year, and we thank them for their diligence, perspective, and insight.
Additional Legislation Pertaining to People with Disabilities
Signed, Chapter 122 - A.3982 (Jackson)/S.8796 (Mannion) – Extends certain provisions relating to the implementation of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 to conform state law with the federal statute.
Signed, Chapter 209 - A.9948 (Eachus)/ S.8903 (Martinez) – Expands accessibility to partial real property tax exemptions for people with disabilities, specifically including people whose primary residence is in a special needs trust, and property owners who have a tenant with a disability with a lease that provides them with life interest in the property as long as the tenant remains in the residence.
Signed, Chapter 521 – A.10315 (Shimsky)/ S.9107A (Mayer) - Ensures interest earned on reserve funds of special act school districts for certain children with disabilities is not treated as offsetting revenue for purposes of determining their tuition rate, allowing districts to keep a modest percentage in reserve year to year and earn interest without jeopardizing their tuition rate.
Vetoed, Message No. 54 - A.9523 (Seawright)/S.3105-A (Mannion) – Requires OPWDD to produce and publish a report on staffing, and other issues at the office’s state-operated facilities which cause the “displacement” of people with disabilities and requires a report to the State Legislature before the closure or reduction of service.
Governor Hochul vetoed this legislation as part of a package of 29 bills, which she stated would cost the state $24 million outside of the standard budget process.
She went on to add that, “Many of the proposed studies, task forces and commissions are important to a wide-variety of stakeholders and constituencies. Therefore, I am directing state agencies that have ongoing efforts or future plans to address the issues described in these bills to continue their efforts and to review and incorporate the goals in the legislation to the extent practicable. Where this is not the case, I am directing my office to work with State agencies to assess what components of the legislation can be implemented using resources already in their financial plans.”
The Arc New York will continue to work with the governor and OPWDD on this important transparency initiative.
NYDA Puts Spotlight on Late Provider Rates
Last week, New York Disability Advocates (NYDA) sent a letter to Department of Health Commissioner James McDonald, Division of the Budget Director Blake Washington, and Office for People with Developmental Disabilities Acting Commissioner Willow Baer, addressing the painfully late updated provider rates, which were approved on July 1, 2024.
In the letter, NYDA members noted that, “Agencies across the state face escalating operational costs, including health insurance renewals, property insurance increases, and cybersecurity expenses. However, there is no clear plan for funding future minimum wage adjustments, nor transparency into how the state calculated the most recent minimum wage increase.”
Simply put, the delay of rate increases hampers the ability for member agencies to plan accordingly and address the current and future challenges before them.
Additionally, NYDA members “…strongly urge the restoration of rate-setting authority to OPWDD from the DOH…Returning this authority to OPWDD will ensure rates are calculated and distributed more effectively, helping to mitigate delays and improve the responsiveness of the rate-setting process.”
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