Alliance Alert: The Alliance for Rights and Recovery stands with the Behavioral Health Advocates coalition in calling for a 2.7% Targeted Inflationary Increase for mental health and substance use disorder agencies. While we appreciate the Governor’s proposed 1.7% temporary inflationary increase and recognize that it provides some relief, it falls far short of what providers and the workforce need to keep pace with rising costs, stabilize staffing, and sustain essential services across New York.
Community-based mental health and substance use providers are facing persistent workforce shortages, high vacancy and turnover rates, and increasing operational expenses, all while demand for services continues to grow. These pressures are only intensifying as we face new and unpredictable threats to services and funding at the federal level. Without sufficient investment in the core service system and the people who deliver support, agencies will struggle to maintain access, quality, and continuity of services that New Yorkers rely on for recovery, stability, and well-being.
We urge the Governor and the Legislature to strengthen the final state Budget by increasing the Targeted Inflationary Increase to at least 2.7%, in line with the July 2025 CPI-U. A meaningful investment in the behavioral health workforce and provider system is critical to ensuring these programs can continue to deliver lifesaving, recovery-oriented services and weather the challenges ahead. See the Behavioral Health Advocates’ statement below for more information.
This issue will be a central focus of the Alliance’s policy agenda during the upcoming legislative session and a key priority we will be fighting for at our Alliance Legislative Day on February 10th. We look forward to standing together with providers, staff, peers, family members, and other advocates to push for the investments our system urgently needs. More information about transportation, including buses, and our full list of legislative priorities will be released in the coming days.
