Lawmakers Want to Make Changes to NY’s Home Care Program

Several state lawmakers say they want to undo aspects of New York’s controversial remaking of a popular home care program after the budget is finalized.

More than 200,000 disabled people are enrolled in the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program. What’s changing is that instead of have 600 agencies share in processing payments to caregivers, the state Department of Health wants everyone to go through one – Public Partnerships LLC.

But, for months, lawmakers have expressed concern over the transition, saying that Public Partnerships has failed to register consumers, and workers are not getting paid.

Deadlines have been extended, and company representatives say workers who have filled out paperwork correctly – 130,000, at last count – are getting paid. An estimated 155,000 caregivers should be paid this week.

But Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, D-Brooklyn, said she wants to find a legislative solution so that credible fiscal intermediaries can continue operating instead of having a single company overseeing the program.

“This is not working,” Simon said. “It has not gone very smoothly, and I think that we probably should have given it at least a year to actually be a transition.”

Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, D-Manhattan, said there’s interest in creating alternatives to the state’s plan for the program.

“Let’s come up with a good legislative solution, instead of just saying, ‘Well, let’s extend an enrollment for a little bit.’ That’s not going to solve it,” Rosenthal said. “We didn’t vote for a plan like this.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul and state health officials continue to defend the transition. Hochul blamed fiscal intermediaries for attempting to “thwart our efforts” by not providing information about patients that would ease the transition.

“This is not an unexpected transition,” Hochul said at a news conference. “Your care will not get disrupted in the long term. A few hiccups early on, we’re taking care of.”

Officials are committed to “protecting access to care and supporting caregivers,” said health department spokesperson Cadence Acquaviva, who encouraged caregivers and consumers to send questions to PPL and the health department.

State Sen. Shelley Mayer, D-Yonkers, stepped out of caucus meetings over the budget to join Rosenthal and Simon at the rally.

“We would never accept people not being paid for the work they have done, or being behind a payment,” Mayer said in reference to reports that workers aren’t getting paid. “We would call the Department of Labor. We would call the attorney general. We’d call the district attorney and say, ‘Bring criminal charges for the failure to pay people what they are owed.’”

Lacey Hautzinger, a spokesperson for PPL, said that 2,000 people are operating the customer service center six days a week, and the company offers daily webinars and appointments to assist with any issues consumers and caregivers may have. She wrote in a statement that the company is “committed to continuity of care and the sustainability of this program.”

Story by Jeongyoon Han/New York Public News Network
Jeongyoon Han is a Capitol News Bureau reporter for the New York Public News Network, producing multimedia stories on issues of statewide interest and importance.

Image: Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, D-Brooklyn, said she wants to change how the state runs the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program. “This is not working,” she told reporters on Tuesday. (Credit: Jeongyoon Han/New York Public News Network)