The list of states that are subject to the travel advisory under Executive Order 205 was updated June 29, 2020. The list can be found here, and will be updated as necessary. 

As a reminder, the New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH) published " Interim Guidance for Quarantine Restrictions on Travelers Arriving in New York State Following Out of State Travel ." This guidance includes travel advisory exemptions for essential workers. Our staff predominantly fall under the "long-term" exemption. We encourage Chapters to notify all staff regarding the travel advisory and its exemptions.

Employees subject to precautionary quarantine under this travel advisory are eligible to use accrued leave time or, if they do not have any, unpaid sick leave, until they are able to return to work. The law is silent on whether an employee can be required to use their accrued leave, and in those instances we recommend that you provide unpaid leave if an employee does not want to use their accrued paid leave to cover their period of precautionary quarantine. If you have an employee subject to precautionary quarantine who is capable of working from home, you may request that they work from home in lieu of using accrued time. As long as an employee is notified about the travel advisory prior to traveling to an impacted state, they will not be eligible for additional paid sick leave under New York emergency paid leave, which makes it all the more important to notify all staff if you have not already.

We anticipate scenarios will arise in which a member of an employee's household  travels to a state impacted by the travel advisory. Under those circumstances, if an employee is unable to work from home, it will be up to your discretion whether to request that they not come into work. The employee would not be eligible for New York Emergency Paid Leave, so you would need to evaluate whether or not to require the employee to use accrued time to remain home.

Clarification on Community Habilitation-Residential Service Documentation

The Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) issued a "COVID-19 DDRO Service Authorization" memo on June 8 to OPWDD agencies operating Supervised Individual Residential Alternatives (IRAs) and Community Residences (CRs). 

We received several questions about the language in this memo, particularly the section " CH-R services delivered on or after July 3, 2020, your agency will be expected to deliver and document Group CH-R services in accordance with a Staff Action Plan and as described in Administrative Memorandum Community Habilitation."

We reached out to OPWDD's Deputy Commissioner of Regional Offices, who provided additional direction on this section of the memo. Post July 2, 2020, the service documentation requirements within ADM#2015-01 will govern the delivery of CH-R. ADM#2015-01 can be viewed here. 

Sample Day Habilitation Reopening Plan

During our weekly calls with the Executive Directors, we have been discussing the future of day services and potential reopening of the day habilitation sites. While OPWDD has not issued any formal guidance on reopening, several Chapters are developing plans in anticipation of notice from OPWDD to reopen. Liberty Arc has provided us with a draft of their Day Habilitation Reopening Plan. This is a very comprehensive plan that can be used as a reference when developing your own reopening plan. We will continue to share reopening plans as we obtain them. Thank you to Liberty Arc for sharing this great resource with all the Arc New York Chapters. 

Media Coverage and Advocacy on Proposed OPWDD Cuts 

Lohud continued their coverage of the I/DD field with story featuring voices of providers and advocates opposing the drastic cuts proposed to OPWDD voluntary providers, including The Arc Rockland Executive Director Carmine Marchionda. You can read the full story here. As we continue to advocate for appropriate resources to support New Yorkers with disabilities, The Arc New York families, staff, self-advocates and community members surpassed 10,000 emails sent to state leaders through our online advocacy platform.