March 1, 2024

Thank You for Raising your Voices!

Last week we had sent just over 9,000 emails to state leaders through our one-click budget advocacy campaign. We sent a call to action, asking our advocates bring that total to 10,000, and you delivered!

Within 24 hours, 1,000 people took action, sending over 5,000 emails. More raised their voices over the past week. Together you sent 8,000 emails to your legislative representatives in just seven days. Our total now stands at over 17,000, nearly doubling our outreach in one week’s time!

The leadership in both houses heard you as well. Assembly Speaker Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins each received over 1,000 messages in less than one day -- now over 2,220 emails each.

Thank you for raising your voices. We need to keep the pressure on. Every message you send will go to the leadership in both houses. You can send more than once, with the option of changing the text and subject of the message to make it as personal as you would like. With only 10 days until we expect the one-house budget bills to come out, it is a critical time to act, like, and share!

Adirondack, Capital District, and Hudson Valley Virtual Town Hall and Call Blitz

The Adirondack, Capital District, and Hudson Valley region of The Arc New York held a virtual town hall meeting for legislators and constituents last Friday, February 23. Dozens of constituents heard from speakers including front-line staff, self-advocates, families, and providers as they conveyed their request of legislators for a 3.2% COLA and Direct Support Wage Enhancement in this year’s budget. View the recording here.

Preceding this, the region launched a phone blitz campaign, resulting in over 2,000 phone conversations with legislators and their staff! They are now embarking on a series of in-person meetings. We commend the region for their advocacy, drive and vision, along with the all the regions of The Arc New York who have strongly engaged legislators in the past few months.

Rally in the Valley

The hard work and diligence of grassroots advocacy does not end with just one action. We are pleased to announce that next week, The Arc of Rockland County will join five other organizations for a “Rally in the Valley.” The rally will take place at 10 AM on Friday, March 8, at Kirkbride Hall, 5 Patriot Hills Lane in Stony Point.

To underscore the dire state of the care field, the rally will be held on the grounds of the former Letchworth Village, an institution designed to care for 2,500 children with disabilities that at one point warehoused 5,000. Lohud wrote a piece about the upcoming rally, while also highlighting the reasons behind the gathering and associated history of people with I/DD in New York state. Read the story here.

OPWDD Commissioner Neifeld to Step Down in June

Today, the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities’ (OPWDD) Commissioner Kerri Neifeld announced her departure from the agency effective at the end of June. In her letter to advocates and stakeholders she noted, “It has been my honor to serve amongst the dedicated and committed professionals within this organization and alongside you – inspiring self-advocates, family members and loved ones, and provider organizations…I am choosing to scale back my professional life in exchange for taking a bigger role in supporting my family.”

The Arc New York thanks Commissioner Neifeld for her leadership, accessibility, advocacy, and dedication. Throughout her tenure, she has been a strong voice for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and taken on the necessary challenges to advance the field. We are grateful for her work and wish Commissioner Neifeld the best in her future endeavors.

The Arc New York Supports Work Opportunity Tax Credit

The Arc New York joined nine other organizations consisting of non- and for-profit entities to support S4833A, which would create a NYS counterpart to the federal Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) program.

In letters sent to Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea-Stewart-Cousins, it was noted that the, “WOTC is a unique opportunity to focus tax policy on addressing the needs of underserved communities and employers alike…an expanded credit helps target communities with lower workforce participation rates and provides relief to essential industries that are facing workforce shortages.”

The WOTC is a federal tax that provides employers an incentive to hire individuals that have faced barriers to entering the workforce. The credit aims to increase workforce participation rates in many of our underserved and marginalized communities. The bill is aimed at making WOTC more effective in achieving the goals of providing funds for recruitment, training, and job opportunities for ten categories of individuals, including eligible veterans, SNAP & TANF recipients, individuals with disabilities, second chance workers, and long-term unemployed individuals so they can have a pathway to entering the workforce.

The Arc New York Seek Reforms for Board of Visitors

The Advocacy and Oversight Committee of The Arc New York has embarked on a mission to demand greater transparency and functionality of The Board of Visitors. Over the past year, the committee has sought to unravel the true standing and functionality of the Board of Visitors, as required by MHY Law Section 13.33.

In a letter sent to Governor Hochul this week, it was noted that, “…information on current board appointees, terms, meetings, minutes, and reports to the governor, senate and OPWDD as required under law are difficult to obtain if not impossible…it is unknown to those invested in the safety and security of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) if the duties of the BOV are being executed accordingly.”

Conversations with key legislative leaders are resulting in a closer look of the statute and how it might be updated to address some of these concerns.

We will update on our progress with this initiative in the coming weeks and months.

Statewide Family Support Services Committee Meeting

The next public meeting of the Statewide Family Support Services Committee will be held Wednesday, March 6, from 11 AM until 3 PM. You can join the meeting in person at the following locations:

• Empire State Plaza Meeting Room 1, Albany, NY
• Center for Family Support - 333 Seventh Avenue, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10001
• People Inc. - 1219 North Forest Road, Williamsville, NY 14221

The meeting will also be held virtually via WebEx. View the meeting details and register here.

Local FSS Advisory Councils throughout New York State, which are made up of people with developmental disabilities and family members, plan, coordinate and monitor the delivery of FSS across the state. In addition, a Statewide FSS Committee made up of one representative from each of the local FSS Advisory Councils advises OPWDD regarding families’ support needs, and the design, implementation and monitoring of FSS. View the full schedule of public meetings here.

Comments on 1915c HCBS Waiver

Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Waiver agreements must be renewed every five years. Once this renewal application is approved, the OPWDD Comprehensive HCBS waiver will remain in effect from October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2029. 

As part of this process, The Arc New York submitted comments on the waiver renewal. You can view the public notice, application, and webinar from OPWDD here.