Joint Legislative Public Hearings on Human Services 2024-2025 Executive Budget Proposal
Support for New York State’s human services has never been more essential. As New York works to recover from the pandemic, we must strengthen access to healthcare and other benefits and address the disparities laid bare. We must prepare thoughtfully for coming changes, including the end of the public health emergency and the expansion of the Medicare Savings Program. We must acknowledge and address ongoing challenges – including the importance of programs that reduce homelessness and housing insecurity, and the imperative to support the increasing number of people suffering from long COVID. We urge the Legislature to decisively affirm its Constitutional commitment to aid and support the most vulnerable New Yorkers, to help ensure an equitable recovery for all of us.
This testimony touches on the work of the New York State Office for the Aging, the Office of Children and Family Services, the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, and the Department of Health. We will discuss the positions set forth below:
- Maintain legislature’s funding for the Disability Advocates Program (DAP) with a $1.5 million add-on to the Executive Budget.
- Allocate $8 million in the final budget to the Office of Children and Families to establish a Kinship Legal Network pilot program.
- Increase the shelter allowances to 100% of HUD fair market rent; until the shelter allowance is increased, improve the Shelter Supplement and Rental Supplement Programs.
- Increase the Basic Needs grants to reflect inflation.
- Expand relief available to victims of “skimming.”
- Expand the ability of public assistance recipients to maximize their income.
- Invest a total of $2.767 million in the Managed Care Consumer Assistance Program (MCCAP) in the final budget.
- Restore Full Funding of $50 M for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
Full written testimony is available: Human Services Testimony
*Updated 2/20/2024
