February 6, 2026



The Arc New York Delivers Testimony at Budget Hearing

The Arc New York CEO Erik Geizer delivered oral testimony at the Joint Legislative Public Hearing on Mental Hygiene on Wednesday, urging legislators to include our full budget request in their one-house budgets—and uphold them through negotiations.



His message focused on system-wide investments to support people with IDD and our direct care workforce. Geizer acknowledged the positive impact of recent investments by the Hochul administration, but made it clear those investments have not even compensated for inflation since 2020, and there is more work to be done.

“A loaf of bread that was $5 in 2020 costs roughly $6.25 today," Geizer said.

"We’re not asking for butter. We have to beg every year to afford the bread.”

Governor Hochul's budget proposal includes a 1.7% Targeted Inflationary Increase (TII). Geizer called on the panel of legislators to commit an additional 1% to satisfy our full request of a 2.7% TII, which would correctly adjust for the last year's inflation. He also urged them to support our package of Careforce Affordability initiatives to provide opportunities for affordable healthcare, housing, and childcare for the direct care workforce.

Legislators asked thoughtful and pointed questions throughout the hearing, which aligned with our advocacy message, and frequently referenced need for our specific budget requests. This was a powerful demonstration that our advocacy is reaching decision makers and making an impact. They understand our issues, and are using their platform to relay our message. 

Watch The Arc New York oral testimony here and the panel questions that followed here. You can also read the full written testimony submitted by The Arc New York here and a transcript of the oral testimony here. The entire hearing and all submitted written testimonies are available on the NYS Senate website.

Our overview of the FY27 Executive Budget can be found in our January 23 update. Additionally, you can view the FY27 Senate Finance Blue Book and Assembly Ways and Means Yellow Book to see their analysis of the governor’s Executive Budget.

Updated Budget Advocacy Toolkit Resources

Following the release of Executive Budget, legislators are gathering information to inform their one-house budget bills. To support our advocates with educating their representatives, we've updated The Arc New York’s advocacy toolkit with new materials to reflect our ask of legislators and support our advocates in educating their representatives. You can view the full toolkit here, along with a description of each resource.

We are calling on state leaders to include the following requests in the 2026-27 New York State Budget:

• A 2.7% Inflationary Increase to fully correct for rising costs
• Restored funding for the OPWDD Healthcare Enhancement Program to improve health benefits and reduce out-of-pocket costs for staff
• Careforce Housing affordability initiatives to support access to affordable housing and homeownership for direct care staff
• The Enhanced Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit to encourage workforce participation and provide financial relief to working families

February 2026 Speak Up and Call for Action!

As the second phase of our budget advocacy moves into full swing, we are launching a statewide month-long calling campaign!

Telephone calls are still powerful tools for advocacy! Not only will legislative offices hear directly from their constituents, it will give you an opportunity to share your personal story. Your stories drive action!

What is the Calling Campaign?

The campaign is a collective push for members of The Arc New York community to place at least 5,000 calls to legislators telling them what they need to do to support people with IDD in the NYS budget. Instructions and a call script can be found here.

Who should call?

YOU! And your family, and friends across the state

Who are we calling?

NYS Senators and Assemblymembers OR Staff

When are we calling?

Starting Monday February 9 or any day in February including weekends until we reach 5,000 calls!

Why are we calling?

The Executive Budget only includes a 1.7% Targeted Inflationary Increase (TII) and we need the full 2.7% just to match inflation for the year, and we need support for our Careforce Affordability package!

What number do I call?

You can find your representative's phone numbers on the Senate and Assembly websites below:

FIND YOUR NYS ASSEMBLYMEMBER

FIND YOUR NYS SENATOR

How should I let you know to count my calls?

Complete this short form to let us know who you called so we can track our shared success!

You can call any time, day, night and weekends to leave a message if you don’t want to speak directly with a staff member. As an additional step, emailing a personal message is great too!

Once you look up your representative, you will find options to message them to their email address directly or use the online form.

A sample call script and full instructions can be found here, and an editable version can be downloaded here. Please feel free to change the script to make it your own as needed for brevity, ease, and to tell your story. Let’s get to 5,000 calls!!!

Statewide Opportunities to Rally Together! 

Invest in Us Rally in Syracuse, February 27 @ 10:00 AM

Join us to hear from family members, direct support professionals, and people with I/DD who receive support from AccessCNY and Arc of Onondaga as they share why funding is needed to ensure the sustainability of essential supports and services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who live in Central New York. View the flyer here.

Virtual: Five Boroughs DDC Legislative Town Hall

The NYC Five Borough Developmental Disabilities Council will host its Virtual Legislative Town Hall, Friday March 6, 10:00 AM-noon to discuss the FY27 NYS Budget. OPWDD Commissioner Willow Baer will serve on a moderated panel with participation of representatives from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, NYC Early Intervention, and legislators. View the flyer and register here!

NYDA Capitol Rally March 10 @ 11:30 AM

We are pleased to announce that The Arc New York and our NYDA partners hold another a rally at the NYS Capitol on Tuesday, March 10, 11:30 AM-12:30 PM in the War Room on the 2nd floor of the NYS Capitol building. Our goal is to get 400-500 people there as a show of force and solidarity from across the state.

This is also a great opportunity to schedule meetings with your legislators and legislative offices before and after the rally. We will circulate a flyer and registration link once it is available. You do not need to register to join, but it helps us coordinate the event.

Rally in Valley March 13 @ 11:00 AM

We are proud to join the downstate Arc New York Chapters, Jawonio, and other providers as they host the 2026 Rally in the Valley. This annual event is a powerful gathering of advocates, staff, and families who unite to send a clear message to our leaders: it is essential to protect Medicaid, invest in our workforce, and ensure dignity for New Yorkers with disabilities.

The rally will take place on Friday, March 13, 2026, at the Rockland Community College Fieldhouse in Suffern, NY. The program officially begins at 11:00 AM, but we recommend that attendees arrive by 9:45 AM to get settled. We encourage everyone to wear their organization's colors and bring plenty of homemade signs to help make our collective voice heard!

Check out the event flyer or click here for registration details and more information.

ICYMI: The Arc US 2026 Policy & Advocacy Chapter Kick-Off webinar

In case you missed it, The Arc of the United States held a webinar to kick off policy and advocacy initiatives for the remaining year. With a short congressional calendar, narrow margins, and an election year ahead, 2026 presents real opportunities to advance disability policy. During the webinar, they covered key federal priorities—including Medicaid, SNAP, special education, and DD Act funding—as well as emerging issues like the potential move of IDEA oversight, the new federal voucher program, and growing bipartisan momentum around the Keeping All Students Safe Act. You can view the webinar slides here and recording 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.