Bill Text: NY S09615 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Establishes an annual cost of living adjustment for human services programs indexed to inflation.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-12-14 - REFERRED TO RULES [S09615 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-S09615-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          9615

                    IN SENATE

                                    December 14, 2022
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  BROUK  -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules

        AN ACT relating to establishing an annual cost of living adjustment  for
          designated human services programs

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. 1. Subject to available appropriations and approval of  the
     2  director  of  the  budget,  the  commissioners  of  the office of mental
     3  health, office for people with  developmental  disabilities,  office  of
     4  addiction  services  and  supports,  office  of temporary and disability
     5  assistance, office of children and family services, and the state office
     6  for the aging shall  establish  an  annual  cost  of  living  adjustment
     7  (COLA),  effective  beginning  April  1,  2023,  for  projecting for the
     8  effects of inflation upon rates of payments,  contracts,  or  any  other
     9  form of reimbursement for the programs and services listed in paragraphs
    10  (i),  (ii),  (iii),  (iv),  (v),  and  (vi)  of subdivision four of this
    11  section.  The COLA established herein shall be applied to the  appropri-
    12  ate  portion  of reimbursable costs or contract amounts. Where appropri-
    13  ate, transfers to the department  of  health  (DOH)  shall  be  made  as
    14  reimbursement for the state share of medical assistance.
    15    2.  Notwithstanding  any inconsistent provision of law, subject to the
    16  approval of the director of  the  budget  and  available  appropriations
    17  therefore,  for state fiscal years beginning April 1, 2023 and thereaft-
    18  er, the commissioners shall provide funding to support an annual cost of
    19  living adjustment under this section in an amount equal to the  consumer
    20  price  index  -  urban  (CPI-U) from the previous July, published by the
    21  bureau of labor statistics of the U.S.  Department  of  Labor,  for  all
    22  eligible  programs  and  services  as determined pursuant to subdivision
    23  four of this section.
    24    3. Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of law, and as  approved
    25  by  the  director  of  the  budget, the annual cost of living adjustment
    26  (COLA) established in subdivision two of this section shall be inclusive
    27  of all other cost of living type increases, inflation factors, or  trend
    28  factors  that are newly applied effective April first of each such state

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD16427-02-2

        S. 9615                             2

     1  fiscal year. Except for the annual  cost  of  living  adjustment  (COLA)
     2  established  in subdivision two of this section, the commissioners shall
     3  not apply any other new cost of living adjustments for  the  purpose  of
     4  establishing   rates  of  payments,  contracts  or  any  other  form  of
     5  reimbursement.
     6    4. Eligible programs and services. (i) Programs and  services  funded,
     7  licensed, or certified by the office of mental health (OMH) eligible for
     8  the  cost  of  living  adjustment established in subdivision two of this
     9  section, pending federal approval where applicable, include:  office  of
    10  mental  health  licensed  outpatient programs, pursuant to parts 587 and
    11  599 of title 14 CRR-NY  of  the  office  of  mental  health  regulations
    12  including  clinic,  continuing  day  treatment, day treatment, intensive
    13  outpatient programs and partial hospitalization; outreach; crisis  resi-
    14  dence;  crisis  stabilization,  crisis/respite beds; mobile crisis, part
    15  590 comprehensive psychiatric emergency program services; crisis  inter-
    16  vention;  home  based crisis intervention; family care; supported single
    17  room occupancy; supported housing; supported housing community services;
    18  treatment congregate; supported congregate; community residence -  chil-
    19  dren  and  youth;  treatment/apartment;  supported  apartment; community
    20  residence single  room  occupancy;  on-site  rehabilitation;  employment
    21  programs;  recreation;  respite care; transportation; psychosocial club;
    22  assertive  community  treatment;  case  management;  care  coordination,
    23  including  health  home  plus  services;  local government unit adminis-
    24  tration;  monitoring  and  evaluation;  children  and  youth  vocational
    25  services;  single  point  of access; school-based mental health program;
    26  family support children and youth; advocacy/support  services;  drop  in
    27  centers; recovery centers; transition management services; bridger; home
    28  and  community-based  waiver services; behavioral health waiver services
    29  authorized pursuant to the section 1115 MRT waiver; self-help  programs;
    30  consumer  service dollars; conference of local mental hygiene directors;
    31  multicultural  initiative;  ongoing  integrated   supported   employment
    32  services;   supported  education;  mentally  ill/chemical  abuse  (MICA)
    33  network; personalized recovery oriented services;  children  and  family
    34  treatment and support services; residential treatment facilities operat-
    35  ing  pursuant  to  part  584  of title 14-NYCRR; geriatric demonstration
    36  programs; community-based mental health family  treatment  and  support;
    37  coordinated  children's service initiative; homeless services; and prom-
    38  ises zone.
    39    (ii) Programs and services  funded,  licensed,  or  certified  by  the
    40  office  for  people with developmental disabilities (OPWDD) eligible for
    41  the cost  of  living  adjustment  established  herein,  pending  federal
    42  approval  where applicable, include: local/unified services; chapter 620
    43  services; voluntary operated community residential services; article  16
    44  clinics;  day  treatment  services;  family  support  services; 100% day
    45  training; epilepsy services; traumatic brain injury services;  hepatitis
    46  B  services;  independent  practitioner  services  for  individuals with
    47  intellectual and/or  developmental  disabilities;  crisis  services  for
    48  individuals  with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities; family
    49  care  residential  habilitation;  supervised  residential  habilitation;
    50  supportive residential habilitation; respite; day habilitation; prevoca-
    51  tional  services; supported employment; community habilitation; interme-
    52  diate care facility day and residential  services;  specialty  hospital;
    53  pathways  to  employment;  intensive behavioral services; basic home and
    54  community-based services  (HCBS)  plan  support;  health  home  services
    55  provided   by  care  coordination  organizations;  community  transition

        S. 9615                             3

     1  services; family education and training;  fiscal  intermediary;  support
     2  broker; and personal resource accounts.
     3    (iii)  Programs  and  services  funded,  licensed, or certified by the
     4  office of addiction services and supports (OASAS) eligible for the  cost
     5  of  living adjustment established herein, pending federal approval where
     6  applicable, include: medically supervised withdrawal services - residen-
     7  tial; medically supervised withdrawal services -  outpatient;  medically
     8  managed  detoxification; medically monitored withdrawal; inpatient reha-
     9  bilitation services; outpatient  opioid  treatment;  residential  opioid
    10  treatment; KEEP units outpatient; residential opioid treatment to absti-
    11  nence;  problem  gambling  treatment;  medically  supervised outpatient;
    12  outpatient  rehabilitation;   specialized   services   substance   abuse
    13  programs;  home and community-based waiver services pursuant to subdivi-
    14  sion 9 of section 366 of the social services law;  children  and  family
    15  treatment and support services; continuum of care rental assistance case
    16  management;  NY/NY  III  post-treatment  housing;  NY/NY III housing for
    17  persons at risk for homelessness;  permanent  supported  housing;  youth
    18  clubhouse;  recovery  community  centers;  recovery community organizing
    19  initiative; residential rehabilitation services for youth (RRSY); inten-
    20  sive residential; community residential; supportive living;  residential
    21  services;  job  placement  initiative;  case  management; family support
    22  navigator; local government unit administration; peer engagement;  voca-
    23  tional   rehabilitation;   support   services;  HIV  early  intervention
    24  services; dual diagnosis coordinator; problem gambling resource centers;
    25  problem  gambling  prevention;  prevention  resource  centers;   primary
    26  prevention services; other prevention services; and community services.
    27    (iv)  Programs  and  services  funded,  licensed,  or certified by the
    28  office of temporary and disability assistance (OTDA)  eligible  for  the
    29  cost  of  living adjustment established herein, pending federal approval
    30  where applicable, include:  nutrition  outreach  and  education  program
    31  (NOEP).
    32    (v) Programs and services funded, licensed, or certified by the office
    33  of  children  and family services (OCFS) eligible for the cost of living
    34  adjustment established herein, pending federal approval  where  applica-
    35  ble,  include:  programs  for  which  the  office of children and family
    36  services establishes maximum state aid rates pursuant to  section  398-a
    37  of  the social services law and section 4003 of the education law; emer-
    38  gency foster homes; foster family boarding homes and therapeutic  foster
    39  homes as defined by the regulations of the office of children and family
    40  services;  supervised  settings  as defined by subdivision 22 of section
    41  371 of the social services law, as added by section 1-a  of  part  L  of
    42  chapter  56  of  the  laws  of 2021; adoptive parents receiving adoption
    43  subsidy pursuant to section 453 of the social services law; and  congre-
    44  gate  and  scattered supportive housing programs and supportive services
    45  provided under the NY/NY  III  supportive  housing  agreement  to  young
    46  adults leaving or having recently left foster care.
    47    (vi) Programs and services funded, licensed, or certified by the state
    48  office  for  the aging (SOFA) eligible for the cost of living adjustment
    49  established herein, pending federal approval where applicable,  include:
    50  community  services  for  the elderly; expanded in-home services for the
    51  elderly; and supplemental nutrition assistance program.
    52    5. Each local government unit or direct  contract  provider  receiving
    53  funding  for  the  cost  of  living  adjustment established herein shall
    54  submit a written certification, in such form and at such  time  as  each
    55  commissioner  shall prescribe, attesting how such funding will be or was
    56  used to first promote the recruitment  and  retention  of  non-executive

        S. 9615                             4

     1  direct  care staff, non-executive direct support professionals, non-exe-
     2  cutive clinical staff, or respond to other critical non-personal service
     3  costs prior to supporting any salary increases or other compensation for
     4  executive level job titles.
     5    6.  Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of law to the contrary,
     6  agency commissioners shall be authorized to recoup funding from a  local
     7  governmental  unit  or  direct  contract provider for the cost of living
     8  adjustment established herein determined to have been used in  a  manner
     9  inconsistent  with  the  appropriation,  or  any other provision of this
    10  section. Such agency commissioners shall be  authorized  to  employ  any
    11  legal mechanism to recoup such funds, including an offset of other funds
    12  that are owed to such local governmental unit or direct contract provid-
    13  er.
    14    §  2.  This  act  shall take effect immediately and shall be deemed to
    15  have been in full force and effect on and after April 1, 2023.
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