May 29, 2026

Final Enacted Budget Includes 2.7% Increase!

Late Wednesday night, the NYS Senate and Assembly passed the FY2027 Budget, which Governor Kathy Hochul signed yesterday, finally enacting New York's 2027FY budget. The budget was nearly two months late, and passed only days before the end of session. According to Spectrum News, “The $268 billion spending plan is the latest one in 16 years. The timeline to get this done was tight, as the Legislature is scheduled to leave Albany for the year on June 4.”

Read the Governor’s press release outlining her key successes, and the Senate and Assembly press releases to learn more.

The final budget includes a 2.7% Targeted Inflationary Increase (TII) in funding for nonprofit providers of IDD services. The attestation language in the Health and Mental Hygiene Article VII bill allows providers flexibility in using the funding to best meet the needs of the people they support.

This flexible 2.7% increase is the investment we called for at the outset of the budget cycle, and the final enacted budget adds 1% in additional investment beyond what the Governor included in her Executive Budget proposal. In total, over the past five budget cycles, the Hochul administration has funded 17.5% in rate increases for nonprofit IDD providers and an additional $850 million through rate rebasing.

The prior administration provided only a 1.2% increase over 11 budget cycles. That decade without investment drove essential services for New Yorkers with disability into crisis. Governor Hochul's administration has made unprecedented investments that have lifted our system from crisis, and we continue to advocate for sustained, appropriate investment to meet the complex needs of the people we support.

We thank you, and every one of our dedicated advocates for your tenacity and dedication, for taking time out to rally at the Capitol and across the state, for the letters you wrote, the calls you made, the meetings you attended, and more. All of your individual actions made an impact, and the strength of our collective voices helped realize success in securing a 2.7% increase. Please take a moment to enjoy this victory before we take up the charge again.

Also, just as we asked you to contact your legislators to advocate for the 2.7% TII, we now encourage you to reach out and thank them for including this investment in the final budget. You can send them direct email from this list, or call their offices directly.

You can read our summary of Appropriation and Article VII bills of note here. Governor Hochul has yet to sign the Appropriation bills, but they are expected to move forward.

OPWDD Strategic Planning Forums

OPWDD will hold forums across New York State this summer to share updates about their work and hear from you, as they officially kick off work on the agency's Strategic Plan for the next five years.

This year's forums will be more interactive, and give more opportunities to share your thoughts on: 

• Navigating the OPWDD system 
• What High Quality Services Mean to You, and
• Planning for the future of OPWDD

Regional and virtual forums have been scheduled in June and July. Get the full schedule and sign up to participate here.

Laura Kennedy Receives Honorary Degree from CSI

Congratulations to Laura Kennedy, who will receive an honorary degree from the College of Staten Island at their commencement tomorrow. A valued member of The Arc New York family, Laura served on the boards of AHRC New York City, The Arc New York, and The Arc of the United States, and held the position of president at all three organizations. She had a pivotal role in the preservation of The Arc New York Archives and in the creation of the Willowbrook Mile at CSI.

We extend our congratulations and thanks to Laura for her leadership as an advocate for people with disabilities. Learn more about Laura and this well-deserved honor here.

This and all advocacy updates are archived on The Arc New York website for future reference. Please contact us if you have questions regarding any of this information.