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 individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities live fulfilling lives. OPWDD’s vision is to ensure that individuals enjoy meaningful relationships with family, friends, and others; experience personal health and growth; live in homes of their choice; and fully participate in their communities.

Organization and Staffing

The Executive Budget recommends a year-end workforce target of 18,602 full time equivalent employees (FTEs). As OPWDD transitions more individuals to community-integrated settings, OPWDD's staffing complement will be adjusted to reflect higher staffing levels in community-based service settings (e.g., group homes) and lower staffing at the State's institutions. The Budget assumes OPWDD's workforce will decrease by 253 FTEs through attrition as OPWDD continues to close State operated facilities --- consistent with Federal requirements --- and reinvest in comparable community-oriented services.

Budget Highlights

The FY 2018 Executive Budget recommends approximately $4.5 billion in All Funds appropriations, including $2.3 billion for Aid to Localities, $2.1 billion for State Operations and $86 million for Capital Projects, which represents a $64 million increase from FY 2017. The increase supports new investments in OPWDD program priorities, expansion of supportive housing capacity and increased costs related to the minimum wage.

In total, OPWDD will utilize this funding to support a comprehensive system of care that serves 130,000 New Yorkers and their families. These resources will continue to support OPWDD's person-centered model, which delivers services through a network of State-operated and Not For Profit (NFP) operated settings.

This budget continues the Governor's long-standing commitment to supporting individuals with developmental disabilities in the most appropriate community-based settings. Specifically, the budget includes:

Make $120 Million Available for Program Priorities, Including New Service Opportunities. The Executive Budget includes State resources that leverage a total of $120 million in new funding on an annualized basis. This investment will continue helping individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who currently live at home or in residential schools as they transition to adult services in the OPWDD system. It also supports other programmatic reforms. Over the last several years, OPWDD has leveraged this funding and other resources to:

• Expand the Availability of Certified Housing Supports in the Community. OPWDD oversees and operates one of the largest community-based residential programs in the nation, ensuring some of New York’s most vulnerable residents have safe and affordable places to live. The certified options include residences that are operated by both the State and its network of not-for-profit provider agencies, which provide 24/7 supports, or homes that offer less than 24/7 supervision for people who are able to live more independently. In total, OPWDD supports more than 37,300 individuals in community-based residential programs for a total cost of $5.1 billion annually. Over the past four years, OPWDD has expanded these services by offering certified residential supports in the community to more than 4,300 individuals.
• Support More Independent Living. In addition to the more traditional certified residential options, OPWDD also supports people who reside on their own by providing rental subsidies to individuals who wish to live in an apartment in their community. Today, OPWDD authorizes rental subsidies to more than 4,200 individuals, an increase of about 75 percent from FY 2013.
• Provide More Day Program and Employment Options. Day and employment services are a crucial aspect of offering participants the personal, social and vocational supports needed to live in their community. OPWDD has invested significantly in these services, and increased the array of available employment readiness programs over the past four years. There are currently more than 78,700 enrollments in day and employment supports, representing a net increase of 2 percent since FY 2013.
• Increase Respite Availability. Respite services provide temporary relief to family caregivers, helping people with developmental disabilities live at home with their families for longer periods. Over the past four years, the State has provided families with respite services that support more than 41,000 enrollments – an increase of over 7 percent.

Commit $15 Million to Develop Independent Living Housing. The Budget provides $15 million in capital funding to expand independent living housing capacity. This investment builds upon the agency’s successes in providing safe and accessible residential opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities capable of living in an apartment of their own. These funds are in addition to resources that will be available from the five-year, $20 billion affordable and supportive housing plan, which will help support the development of residential opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Invest a Total of $21 Million to Expand Crisis Services. In 2014, OPWDD implemented the START (Systemic Therapeutic Assessment, Respite and Treatment) Program, which is a crisis prevention response model focused on ensuring effective treatment earlier, reducing dependency on higher levels of service. The Budget provides an additional $12 million above the FY 2017 investment to continue expansion of START services in the downstate area.

Dedicate $24 Million to Transition Individuals to Community-Based Settings. Consistent with the Olmstead Cabinet report and the requirements of the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the FY 2018 Budget continues to support efforts to assist individuals to transition from developmental centers (56 individuals) and intermediate care facilities (100 individuals) to more integrated, community-based supports. As was the process with previous efforts to transition people from institutional programs, including the successful closure of the Broome Developmental Center at the end of FY 2016, OPWDD will utilize a combination of not-for-profit and State-operated services to deliver these new community-based service opportunities to meet the specific needs of the individuals.

Support OPWDD’s Transition to Managed Care. The OPWDD system will transition to managed care in phases, beginning with an enhanced care coordination model through the development of regional Care Coordination Organizations (CCOs) before a transition to a fully capitated rate structure. Beginning in late 2017, CCOs are expected to begin operations and will be rolled-out on a regional basis. Enrollment on a voluntary basis in managed care is expected to begin in 2019, and the transition to managed care is planned to be completed within a five year period. The Budget applies ongoing Department of Health (DOH) Global Cap resources to support the initial start-up costs of transitioning the OPWDD service delivery system from a fee-for-service payment structure to managed care. OPWDD is the last remaining Medicaid system to transition to managed care, which has shown enhanced quality outcomes and cost control for other Medicaid populations. Developing and implementing a managed care system for OPWDD requires short-term investments for start-up and administration costs at both the state agency and provider agency levels, which will be supported by DOH Global Cap resources. Any savings resulting from the implementation of care coordination organizations and managed care will be reinvested in the OPWDD system.

Establish Blue Ribbon Panel for the Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities on Staten Island. The Budget will convene a blue ribbon panel to examine the feasibility of transitioning the Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities (IBR) from the OPWDD to the CUNY College of Staten Island (COSI). The panel will include prominent researchers, academicians, parents and political leaders.

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)

Program Highlights

Residential Services - Residential programs are licensed by OPWDD to provide varying levels of housing and related services, and are operated by OPWDD or nonprofit agencies. Residential services include, but are not limited to: adaptive skill development; assistance with activities of daily living; community inclusion and relationship building; training and support for independence in travel; adult educational supports; and development of social, leisure, self-advocacy, informed choice and appropriate behavioral skills.

Day Programs - Day programs include day habilitation, community habilitation and employment type services, each focused on giving participants the personal, social and vocational supports needed to live in their community. Programming varies depending upon each individual’s needs and interests and takes place at locations outside of an individual's residence. These services aim to assist individuals to acquire, retain or improve their self-help, socialization and adaptive skills, including communication, travel and other areas of adult education.

Clinic Services - Clinic Services include physical therapy, occupational therapy, psychology, speech and language pathology, medical/dental services and health care services. These services assist individuals with developmental disabilities to maintain the effectiveness of the treatment, enable the individual to remain in his/her current residential setting and enhance the individual’s quality of life.

All Other Services - These services include a bundle of options for individuals, including self-direction, respite services, care coordination services, and family counseling type services.

Note: Most recent estimates as of 1/17/2017