State Senator Steven Rhoades, District 5 | Official U.S. Senate headshot
State Senator Steven Rhoades, District 5 | Official U.S. Senate headshot
New York State Senator Steve Rhoads, along with Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt and other members of the Senate Republican Conference, have called for a federal investigation into the transition of New York’s Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) to a new statewide fiscal intermediary. They addressed their concerns in a letter to Robert Kennedy, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The letter highlights several issues arising from the transition, including technical problems faced by patients, conflicting information received by caregivers, and lack of transparency in enrollment figures. "Reports continue to surface of patients encountering technical issues, caregivers receiving conflicting information, and a lack of transparency regarding enrollment figures," the letter states.
Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt criticized the changes made to CDPAP: “This was a bad idea from the start. The CDPAP program is a lifeline for families and vulnerable New Yorkers." He urged Secretary Kennedy to investigate the implementation and transition process.
Senator Andrew Lanza echoed these sentiments, urging an investigation into what he described as a "slipshod CDPAP rollout."
The transition involves moving from approximately 700 fiscal intermediaries to one state-selected intermediary, Public Partnerships LLC. This change has sparked significant concern among senators about its impact on care quality and efficiency. Senator Steven Rhoads noted that Governor Kathy Hochul's decision had created chaos for many vulnerable New Yorkers.
Senator Jake Ashby expressed his disapproval of how the governor is handling this transition: “That the governor is blindly pushing ahead with this transition when the process is clearly not working for patients, providers or our healthcare workforce is simply wrong.”
Other senators voiced similar concerns over potential disruptions in services due to delays and confusion caused by this policy shift. They emphasized that nearly half of those served by CDPAP have yet to begin transitioning under this new system.
To address these concerns, Senate Republicans have introduced legislation proposing a 90-day delay in implementing these changes while they seek federal intervention. They hope this will provide time for more comprehensive planning and communication efforts aimed at protecting affected New Yorkers' well-being during such transitions.
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