Planned administrative cuts to group homes met with backlash

On Oct. 1, administrative cuts by the state Department of Health and the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities are set to take place that will end 50% payments to providers when residents leave for a few days.

News 12 Staff

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Sep 29, 2020, 9:59 PM

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Updated 1,440 days ago

Advocates for the developmentally disabled are calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to restore funding that is set to be slashed for group homes.

The state and federal government are reducing payments to providers by 50% whenever residents are hospitalized or go home for a night. It goes into effect on Oct. 1.

"This is unconscionable. The state is punishing families for staying connected," said Assemblyman Mike Lipetri (R-Massapequa).

If funding is cut to these homes, the lives of nearly 38,000 individuals with disabilities in New York who reside in a resident setting would be impacted.

Crystal Harrison has been working for Extraordinary People in Care, also known as EPIC, for five years. She's the resident manager at the Farmingdale group home and says it's already an unpaid field.

"I would like to see the director support professionals being compensated for the hard work that they do every day," she told News 12.

The Office for People with Developmental Disabilities says the budget enacted by the Legislature required savings – so the agency chose to preserve critical services rather than fund empty beds.

In a statement, the director of communications said OPWDD encourages providers and families to call on the federal government to provide the agency with the resources it needs to support our most vulnerable neighbors.

Gov. Cuomo's office did not yet respond to a request for comment.