The Governor’s proposed budget makes drastic changes to the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance (CDPA) program that will put the whole program at risk! This proposal, if enacted, would significantly reduce the number of Fiscal Intermediaries (FIs) in the State. FIs provide necessary assistance to ensure CDPA consumers are successful and maintain their independence in the community through training, ongoing support, payroll and other administrative assistance.
Even more alarmingly, the State is planning to cut the reimbursements to FIs so drastically that it would immediately put most of the FIs, including all of the Independent Living Centers who are FIs, out of business immediately. The Governor believes that all FIs do is process payroll, which demonstrates a lack of understanding of CDPA. Such radical and ill-informed changes to CDPA puts the entire program at risk and threatens existing consumers.
Last week, NYAIL and CDPAANYS had a successful Budget Advocacy Day where hundreds of Independent Living advocates, FIs, and CDPA consumers came to Albany to fight this proposal. The legislators heard our concerns. However, they need to keep hearing from us! The Senate and Assembly will be putting out their one house budget proposals in a few weeks, and it is very important that those budget proposals successfully get rid of this very harmful proposal and that puts the whole CDPA program at risk!
*Action:*Follow the "Take Action" link to send a letter https://www.votervoice.net/BroadcastLinks/qrrkqpix61j1NuDCDamt1A to your legislators urging them to #SaveCDPA in their one house budget proposals!
Take Action! https://www.votervoice.net/BroadcastLinks/qrrkqpix61j1NuDCDamt1A
For information on our CDPA program, click here to visit the NCCI website.