NYAPRS Note: In just one week, over 600 mental health self and system advocates will once again come to Albany to raise your voices to advance our recovery, rehabilitation and rights agenda. This year we’re focusing on 4 areas: Housing, Criminal Justice, Medicaid and Local Community Services. Attached and below please find a listing of those priorities according to which section of the FY 2015-16 state budget and legislative committee to which they apply, as well as our ‘Get on the Bus’ flyer with updated schedule*. Please note that we will have sign language interpreters and Spanish translators on hand. Confirm that you’ll need them and send any questions to us at mary@nyaprs.org.
We are expecting full buses from Long Island (2), New York City (7), Binghamton (1), White Plains (1), Newburgh (1) and Westport (1); WE STILL HAVE SOME ROOM ON THE FOLLOWING BUSES: please contact our NYAPRS representative TODAY with the names of 10-15 people who’d like to go…contact:
- Buffalo: Daniel Neal at DNeal@communitymissions.org
- Syracuse: Jason Erwin at jerwin@ocmsinc.org
- Rochester: Veronica Weider at vweider@mharochester.org
- Jamestown to Elmira: Michelle Jensen at mjensen@arbordevelopment.org
This year, we’re collaborating with ACL so ACL members can/should reply to this as well.
Thanks all!
NYAPRS February 25th Annual Legislative Day Schedule
9:30am Breakfast, Check-In; Hart Auditorium, The Egg
10:00am Welcome
10:05am Presentations on NYAPRS 2015-16 State Public Policy Priorities
11:05 am Featured Speakers
11:35 am Presentation of Awards
11:45 am Role Play of Legislative Advocacy Meetings
12:00noon Lunch
12:30pm Capital News Conference, Room 130 Legislative Office Building
1:00 pm Capital Rally
1:30 pm Meet with Your State Legislators
4:00 pm Re-group at Buses, Return Home
NYAPRS FY 2015-2016 Budget and Legislative Agenda
Annual Albany Legislative Day February 25, 2015
NYAPRS’ 2015-16 budget priorities are based on our firm conviction that adequate investments in housing, a full continuum of rehabilitative supports, enhanced criminal justice protections and re-entry supports, managed care rights and choice protections and an appropriately compensated workforce are essential to the health, recovery, rights, and community inclusion of New Yorkers with psychiatric disabilities.
NEW FUNDING, RESTORATIONS and LEGISLATION
MENTAL HEALTH
- Shore up Community Housing to address the crisis caused by steadily rising supported and congregate housing costs that are now almost 50% higher than current funding levels.
- Request: Add $82 million to the Executive Budget $18 million allocation
- Expand Housing for the Homeless by creating 30,000 units of NYNY IV supportive housing that prioritizes housing for persons with disabilities and those experiencing chronic homelessness.
- Request: Expand the Executive allocation from 5,000 to 30,000 units at $30 million
- Preserve Community Housing and Supports for adult home residents to meet previously approved agreements to support transition to community settings
- Request: Preserve previously approved $30 million allocation
- Improve Police and Mental Health System Response by annualizing and expanding Crisis Intervention Teams in NYS localities
- Request: Annualize and expand current $400,000 allocation to $1 million
- Approve Mental Health Tax Check off Bill to raise awareness and counter discrimination
- Request: Pass A.833/S.632 (no associated cost)
HEALTH
- Approve Implementation of the Community First Choice program that ensures that enhanced federal funding from the CFCO program is reinvested into personalized assistance for New Yorkers with disabilities to make safe and effective community transitions from institutional settings.
- Request: Approve CFCO implementation with full reinvestment of savings
- Preserve Prescriber Prevails to ensure the safety and choice of public benefit consumers
- Request: Restore $4.1 million
- Restore EQUAL Funding to support the health and home related needs of adult home residents with disabilities.
- Request: Restore $6.6 million
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
- Establish Presumptive Medicaid Eligibility for all individuals discharged from forensic settings to enable immediate access to needed services and supports
- Request: Approve amount TBD
- Raise the Age of Youthful Offender Status to 21
- Prohibit Solitary Confinement for people with psychiatric or physical disabilities; Approve A.1346A
APPROVE EXECUTIVE BUDGET PROPOSALS
MENTAL HEALTH
- Expand OMH Criminal Justice Services for persons leaving state prisons through pre-discharge planning, wrap-around community supports, and supported housing
- Request: Approve the Executive Budget’s $22 million allocation
- Approve Local Mental Health Services Expansion to address locally identified unmet needs, including urgent care, crisis respite, housing and recovery supports
- Request: Approve Executive Budget’s $15 million initiative
- Preserve the Transition to Medicaid Managed Care through supports to community providers, Vital Access investments, and managed care readiness supports for non-Medicaid providers.
- Request: Sustain the previously approved investment of $115 million
- Preserve the 2% Cost of Living for community mental health direct care and clinical workforce.
- Request: Sustain the previously approved $20 million allocation