Southern Tier Independence Center (STIC) joins disability advocates statewide in deploring Governor Hochul’s refusal to enact a straightforward extension for the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) transition. Despite abundant and mounting evidence that the April 1 deadline is impossible to meet, the Hochul administration instead announced a 30-day “grace period” allowing late enrollment until April 30—but without moving the April 1 cutoff.  This solves few problems and adds to the cascading confusion surrounding this foreseeable fiasco.

It's been clear for months that meeting the April 1 deadline is impossible. If there is no extension, we can predict the resulting chaos--even with this fake "grace period".  People will lose services and have to rely on friends or family in an emergency, or end up in the ER or worse.  Personal Assistants will go unpaid and either quit or keep working for free, hoping they'll eventually be reimbursed--while their own bills for rent, car payments, and health expenses keep coming.  It's hard to comprehend the indifference, dishonesty, and cynicism driving this disastrous plan forward. 

Demand that the Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald and the Governor enact a real extension, not a phony "grace period" which will accomplish nothing other than muddying the waters of accountability, waters sourced from the governor's desk!  Call the Governor and the Health Commissioner and let them hear our voices loud and clear, that they must halt this train before it hurtles off a cliff.  

Call them both: Follow our link below or call Dr. McDonald at 518-474-2011 and Governor Hochul at 518-474-8390.  Thank you for your advocacy.