People with Developmental Disabilities, Office for

Agency Web Site: http://www.opwdd.ny.gov/

Mission

The mission of the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) is to help people with developmental disabilities live richer lives. The agency’s vision is to ensure that people with developmental disabilities enjoy meaningful relationships with family, friends, and others in their lives; experience personal health and growth; and live in homes and fully participate in the communities of their choice.

Budget Highlights

The 2012-13 Executive Budget recommends almost $4.8 billion All Funds appropriations ($1.7 billion General Fund; $3.1 billion Other Funds) for OPWDD to continue to support a comprehensive system of care serving the more than 126,000 persons with developmental disabilities and their families. This is an increase of $183 million (+4 percent) from 2011-12 appropriations, which is largely a technical change to cover anticipated growth in Medicaid State Share costs of not-for-profit programs previously supported in other appropriations, offset by the actions outlined below.

The overall recommendation maintains the State’s commitment to support a wide range of New Yorkers with developmental disabilities, including those who are medically frail, behaviorally challenged - especially those with autism - those who have been placed out-of-State or who are “aging out” of education or other child care systems, as well as those living at home, while maintaining essential direct supports and services to ensure high-quality care is being provided. However, OPWDD continues to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of its operations and the network of not-for-profit providers it oversees and financially supports. Major new budget actions to promote cost efficiency, streamline operations, and restructure programs and services include:

Eliminate Planned Cost of Living Adjustments/Rate Increases. Currently, providers receive automatic payment increases with no relation to actual cost growth or performance. The Executive Budget eliminates the planned 3.6 percent annual human services COLA and maintains existing rates for other programs including various residential and day programs for individuals with developmental disabilities. A new program will be established for 2013-14 which will provide increases based on actual costs and meeting performance outcomes and will include limits on administrative expenses and executive compensation.

OPWDD Reforms. Significant steps have been initiated, and will continue to be taken to ensure the safety of individuals with developmental disabilities in the State's care, and to improve the overall quality, health and safety and cost-effectiveness of State services. Recent efforts include:

• Increased hiring qualifications and training standards in State operated programs and services for direct support professionals, including pre-employment psychological and fitness training, mandatory drug testing, rigorous background checks, and a minimum of a high school diploma.
• Refocused efforts on cases of abuse, creation of a centralized Incident Management Unit with real time oversight of incidents, and an overhauled investigations process that has direct relationships with local law enforcement/State Police.
• Holding non-profit providers more accountable for their performance. A restructured Early Alert program to facilitate quickly remedying deficiencies in nonprofit provider services, including imposition of fines and revocation of their operating certificates, when appropriate.
• An improved statewide standardized and objective process to ensure that potential new non-profit providers have the requisite fiscal and programmatic expertise, and a COMPASS initiative that supports and recognizes providers that have achieved excellence in service delivery.
• Enhanced fire safety efforts, including implementing recommendations of outside experts to comply with enhanced standards, unannounced fire drills, better training and safety plans, direct relations with local fire personnel, and capital improvements. The 2012-13 Executive Budget reprioritizes OPWDD capital funds to support necessary enhancements in community residential and day programs to meet Life Safety Code and/or Health Care Facility fire safety standards. Appropriations of nearly $56 million in 2012-13, and more than $330 million over the course of the Five-Year Capital Plan, are included for this purpose.

In addition, OPWDD is seeking a Federal 1115 Waiver to increase the flexibility of services provided to individuals with developmental disabilities, improve care coordination of their long-term, acute and behavioral health care services, increase funding transparency, and improve service quality and outcomes.

The Executive Budget continues efforts to be effective and efficient in State Operations and local assistance costs via stringent controls and reduced use of institutional services, and invests some of these savings in more effective community based programs.

State Operations savings include implementing enterprise-wide efforts to reduce purchasing costs, streamlining IT applications, restructuring agency administration while reducing agency administrative staffing levels, and continuing to move individuals from institutional settings to the most integrated setting possible. Local assistance reforms include returning individuals from more costly out-of-state placements, utilizing more appropriate and less costly alternative to support people, and annualizing rate reforms begun in 2011-12.

The Executive Budget reinvests these savings to support 2,300 new non-residential service opportunities for respite, crisis, employment, and community integration programs; over 250 new community residential opportunities; and funding to return all 92 individuals residing out-of-state to community residential options in New York.

Centralized 24-hour hotline for reporting allegations of abuse and neglect. Pursuant to the recommendations from the preliminary report from the Governor's Special Advisor on Vulnerable Persons which is expected to be released in early 2012, a new, centralized 24-hour hotline will be created for the reporting of allegations of abuse and neglect. This reporting system should include all residential programs operated, licensed or certified by OMH, OPWDD, OASAS, the Office for Children and Family Services (OCFS), the Department of Health Adult Care Facilities and State Education Department facilities both in-state and out-of-state. The hotline will have a trained staff to screen, classify and route the report to the appropriate state agency for investigation. Funding will be housed by OCFS.

For more information on this agency's budget recommendations located in the Executive Budget Briefing Book, click on the following link:

Briefing Book – Mental Hygiene (PDF)

Note: Most recent estimates as of 1/17/2012

Click for additional detailed appropriation tables