NYAIL Newsletter, March 2023

NYAIL News 2023, Issue 3

Advocacy Updates

Budget Advocacy Day in Review

On February 6 the NY Association on Independent Living (NYAIL) and Consumer Directed Action of NYS (CDANYS) held our first in-person Budget Advocacy Day in Albany since 2020. Hundreds of advocates were fighting for a state budget prioritizing the basic human rights of people with disabilities. Additionally, there were several legislators who spoke to the need to fully fund Fair Pay, increasing funding for Independent Living Centers, Access to Home, and the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program. There was also excitement around the proposed expansion of the Medicaid Buy-in for Working People with Disabilities. After the opening program in the well the NY Caring Majority held a press conference in the Capitol. Various legislators and caregivers shared how fully funding Fair Pay would improve quality of life outcomes.

We have been meeting with members of Governor Hochul’s staff following the advocacy day, along with Assembly and Senate legislative analysts, and the office of the Chief Disability Officer (CDO). These conversations will continue to happen. We strongly encourage you to meet with as many legislators as possible, urging the leadership to support our priorities.

Throughout March there will be several advocacy opportunities both in-person and virtually. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or sign up to receive our action alerts.

A picture of staff from NRCIL in The Well during Advocacy Day.

A picture of staff from Independent Living Inc in The Well during Advocacy Day.

A picture of staff from WNYIL in The Well during Advocacy Day.

A picture of the audience of advocates in The Well in Albany during our Advocacy Day.

NYS Proposed Executive Budget

As you probably know the NYS fiscal year 2024 budget was released on February 1. The timing was significantly later than normal because Governor Hochul was elected to her first four-year term. Here at NYAIL, we did our very best to respond to the budget prior to our joint Budget Advocacy Day with CDANYS. Below is a brief summary of our priorities:

HEALTH

We strongly support:

• Fair Pay for Home Care.

• Repealing cuts to eligibility for Medicaid community-based long-term services and supports (LTSS).

We strongly oppose:

• Repealing the RFO process for Fiscal Intermediaries in the CDPA Program.

• Proposed minimum wage indexing proposal and the downstate wage parity elimination (That would essentially undo the progress made on increasing home care wages last year).

EMPLOYMENT

We strongly support:

• Expanding eligibility for New York’s Medicaid Buy-In Program for Working People with Disabilities.

AGING

We strongly support:

• Increasing funding for the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program.

HOUSING

We strongly support:

•Increasing funding for Access to Home.

•Creating a Visitability Tax Credit.

GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS

We strongly support:

•Restoring the Interagency Coordinating Council for Services to Persons who are deaf, Deafblind or Hard of Hearing within the Office of the Chief Disability Officer (CDO).

You can read our full Budget Advocacy Priorities document

to learn more about each issue.

Upcoming Advocacy Opportunities

n Wednesday, March 8, the NY Caring Majority will be in Albany on International Women’s Day highlighting the need for Fair Pay. This link contains all the information, including how to register.

On Monday, March 13 at 9:30 a.m. we will be joining the NY Association for Psychiatric Recovery Services (NYAPRS) for their Budget Advocacy Day at the Egg which is connected to the Empire State Plaza concourse. Later on, we will be meeting up with the NY Caring Majority and CDANY for a press conference and advocacy for Fair Pay. The one-house proposed budget for the Assembly and Senate should be out (on or around March 10). We will let you know as more information becomes available.

Celebration of the Chief Disability Office

The NY Council of Blind Vendors hosted the one-year anniversary celebration of the Office of the Chief Disability Officer (CDO) on February 14 at the Albany Marriott. NYAIL and some member Independent Living Centers, along with several disability-servicing and state agencies came together to celebrate the one-year appointment of Kimberly Hill Ridley as the CDO. For years NYAIL lead the charge advocating for an office specifically for representing people with disabilities in state government. We look forward to continuing our work with the CDO to ensure the human rights of people with disabilities.

Webinar Series

On February 22^nd Jenna McClosky with the NY Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Program presented significant changes on both the state and federal level. We had 236 registered attendees. If you would like to watch the recording, click here.

The recording for our January webinar about effective communication strategies while advocating and lobbying is also available here.

Next week we will share registration information for our March webinar on protecting your mental health during advocacy.

Center Spotlights

Photo of Elizabeth Valdez in her wheelchair giving a speech while sitting in front of other advocates.

Pictured above: Elizabeth Valdez, BCID's systems advocate, urged the MTA to fix Access-A-Ride at a news conference on February 24th before the City Council hearing on the service.

This month we spotlight the Brooklyn Center for Independence (BCID), along with the Center for Independence of the Disabled New York (CIDNY). Together they have been advocating for accessibility upgrades to Amtrak stations, along with being important voices in the Independent Living Movement opposing New York City Mayor Eric Adam’s plans to institutionalize homeless people with mental health issues. There is not any coverage on the subway front from actions at the end of February; however, we have shared various articles supporting the opposition of Mayor Adam’s plans.

NYAIL administers several statewide and regional programs in collaboration with its member ILCs, all of which are focused on helping people with disabilities live independently in the community.

Learn more about NYAIL's program by visiting: ilny.us/programs