NY State Senate Bill 2025-S1222

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Disabilities Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

Please enter your contact information

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

A valid email address is required.

Home address is used to determine the senate district in which you reside. Your support or opposition to this bill is then shared immediately with the senator who represents you.

Optional services from the NY State Senate:

Create an account. An account allows you to officially support or oppose key legislation, sign petitions with a single click, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Include a custom message for your Senator? (Optional)

Enter a message to your senator. Many New Yorkers use this to share the reasoning behind their support or opposition to the bill. Others might share a personal anecdote about how the bill would affect them or people they care about.

Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 08, 2025	referred to disabilities

co-Sponsors

View additional co-sponsors

2025-S1222 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A283
Current Committee:: Senate Disabilities
Law Section:: Public Health Law
Laws Affected:: Add §2557-a, Pub Health L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2021-2022: S5676, A6579
2023-2024: S1198, A10175

2025-S1222 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Directs the commissioner of health to do a comprehensive assessment of the existing methodology used to determine payment for early intervention screenings, evaluations, services and service coordination; directs recommendations on reimbursement methodology as well as needs under the program.

2025-S1222 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S1222

SPONSOR: RIVERA
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public health law, in relation to a review and
recommendations of reimbursement adequacy and other matters relating to
early intervention

 
PURPOSE:

To review reimbursement adequacy for early intervention services.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends the public health law by adding section 2557-a as it
relates to early intervention program review. This section directs the
Commissioner of Health to conduct a comprehensive study and review the
program's models of service delivery and the rates of reimbursement. The
review would include: a comprehensive assessment of existing methods to
determine reimbursement rates; analysis of salary levels for individuals
within the discipline; analysis of provider cost for the program; analy-

sis by discipline and labor region salary levels; and recommendations
for updating or maintaining reimbursement methods. This section also
directs the commissioner to submit the findings of the report and the
recommendations to elected officials and to post them on the depart-
ment's website within one year of the effective date.

Section 2 provides the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The early intervention (El) program provides services for babies and
toddlers (0-3 years old) with developmental delays and disabilities.  El
services help many children meet developmental milestones they would
otherwise miss. Most El services are provided in each individual fami-
ly's home and some are provided in groups and centers.

El reimbursement rates have only been raised once since the 1990s, the
FY24-25 budget provided a 5% increase. Individual providers and provider
agencies have been steadily leaving the program because they cannot
afford to keep providing the services at the State's payment rates. In
some parts of the State, there is an utter lack of providers qualified
to provide El services. In areas without an overall provider shortage,
there is still a shortage of El providers because they can make a more
sustainable living by serving people through other types of programs.
Even in areas that have a pool of available El providers, families in
certain neighborhoods are unable to find a provider who will come to
their home. From New York City to Rochester and throughout the State,
babies with disabilities are waiting months to receive the time-sensi-
tive services they need and deserve. Since El is only available to chil-
dren until their third birthday, a delay in services is a denial of
services.

Despite years of raising the issue of low reimbursement and the result-
ing provider shortage, no serious effort has been made to evaluate the
true costs of providing El services or to compare the salaries of the
same type of provider in and out of the El program.  The reimbursement
rates were not high in 1990 and they are certainly not adequate now. The
State needs to reevaluate its payment methodologies and ensure that all
children eligible for El are able to access the services they need
before it's too late.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2021-2022: S5676 / A6579 Gottfried - Vetoed memo. 74

2023-2024: S1198-A / A10175 Paulin - Vetoed memo. 49

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2025-S1222 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1222
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by Sens. RIVERA, ASHBY, BROUK, HELMING, MYRIE, ROLISON, SALA-
   ZAR,  WEBB  --  read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be
   committed to the Committee on Disabilities
 
 AN ACT to amend the public health law,  in  relation  to  a  review  and
   recommendations  of  reimbursement adequacy and other matters relating
   to early intervention
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  The  public health law is amended by adding a new section
 2557-a to read as follows:
   § 2557-A. EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM REVIEW. 1. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL
 CONDUCT A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY  AND  REVIEW  OF  THE  EARLY  INTERVENTION
 PROGRAM  INCLUDING  THE  MODELS  OF  SERVICE  DELIVERY  AND THE RATES OF
 REIMBURSEMENT FOR EACH SUCH SERVICE AND MODEL  MADE  THROUGH  THE  EARLY
 INTERVENTION PROGRAM FOR EFFICACY, ADEQUACY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF SERVICE
 DELIVERY  AND  THE  FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF INDIVIDUALIZED FAMILY SERVICE
 PLANS. THE REVIEW SHALL INCLUDE:
   (A) A COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE  EXISTING  METHODOLOGY  USED  TO
 DETERMINE   PAYMENT  FOR  EARLY  INTERVENTION  SCREENINGS,  EVALUATIONS,
 SERVICES AND SERVICE COORDINATION, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO:
   (I) ANALYSIS OF EARLY INTERVENTION RULES, REGULATIONS,  AND  POLICIES,
 INCLUDING POLICIES, PROCESSES, AND REVENUE SOURCES;
   (II)  ANALYSIS OF COSTS TO PROVIDERS PARTICIPATING IN THE EARLY INTER-
 VENTION PROGRAM, INCLUDING TIME AND COST OF TRAVEL,  SERVICE  PROVISION,
 AND ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITIES; AND
   (III)  ANALYSIS  BY  DISCIPLINE  AND LABOR REGION OF SALARY LEVELS FOR
 INDIVIDUALS PROVIDING EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES COMPARED TO THE SALARY
 LEVELS FOR INDIVIDUALS IN THE SAME DISCIPLINES AND LABOR REGIONS PROVID-
 ING SERVICES OTHER THAN IN THE EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM;
   (B) RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MAINTAINING OR CHANGING REIMBURSEMENT  METHOD-
 OLOGIES.  RECOMMENDATIONS  UNDER THIS PARAGRAPH SHALL BE CONSISTENT WITH
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD00007-01-5

 S. 1222                             2
 
 FEDERAL LAW AND SHALL INCLUDE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR APPROPRIATE CHANGES IN
 STATE LAW AND REGULATIONS. THE RECOMMENDATIONS SHALL CONSIDER  APPROPRI-
 ATE  PAYMENT  METHODOLOGIES AND RATES FOR IN-PERSON AND TELEHEALTH EARLY
 INTERVENTION  EVALUATIONS  AND  SERVICES  TO  ADDRESS BARRIERS IN TIMELY
 SERVICE PROVISION AS WELL AS RACIAL  AND  SOCIOECONOMIC  DISPARITIES  IN
 ACCESS,  WITH  CONSIDERATION  OF  FACTORS INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO,
 PAYMENT FOR BILINGUAL SERVICES,  TRAVEL  TIME,  GEOGRAPHIC  VARIABILITY,
 ACCESS  TO AND COST OF TECHNOLOGY, COST OF LIVING, AND OTHER BARRIERS TO
 TIMELY SERVICE PROVISION;
   (C) THE PROJECTED NUMBER OF CHILDREN WHO WILL NEED EARLY  INTERVENTION
 SERVICES IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS DISAGGREGATED BY COUNTY;
   (D) THE WORKFORCE NEEDED TO PROVIDE SERVICES IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS TO
 ALL  CHILDREN ELIGIBLE FOR EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES, DISAGGREGATED BY
 COUNTY; AND
   (E) OPPORTUNITIES FOR STAKEHOLDER INPUT ON CURRENT RATE METHODOLOGIES.
   2.  SUCH REVIEW SHALL ALSO INCLUDE AN ASSESSMENT OF  THE  EFFICACY  OF
 PROGRAM MODELS FOR THE PROVISION OF EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES, INCLUD-
 ING,  BUT  NOT  LIMITED TO GROUP SERVICES, INDIVIDUAL SERVICES, FACILITY
 BASED SERVICES AND HOME-BASED SERVICES AND THE  CONFIGURATIONS  OF  SUCH
 SERVICE  MODELS. SUCH REVIEW SHALL INCLUDE A COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT OF
 THE UTILIZATION OF EACH MODEL AND CONFIGURATION, INCLUDING  BARRIERS  TO
 FULLER UTILIZATIONS, AND UTILIZATION DISAGGREGATED BY CLINICAL SERVICE.
   3.    WITHIN  ONE  YEAR  AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION, THE
 COMMISSIONER SHALL SUBMIT A REPORT OF THE FINDINGS  AND  RECOMMENDATIONS
 UNDER  THIS  SECTION  TO  THE  GOVERNOR,  THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE
 SENATE, THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY, AND THE CHAIRS OF  THE  SENATE  AND
 ASSEMBLY  COMMITTEES ON HEALTH, AND SHALL POST THE REPORT ON THE DEPART-
 MENT'S WEBSITE.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

Comments

Open Legislation is a forum for New York State legislation. All comments are subject to review and community moderation is encouraged.

Comments deemed off-topic, commercial, campaign-related, self-promotional; or that contain profanity, hate or toxic speech; or that link to sites outside of the nysenate.gov domain are not permitted, and will not be published. Attempts to intimidate and silence contributors or deliberately deceive the public, including excessive or extraneous posting/posts, or coordinated activity, are prohibited and may result in the temporary or permanent banning of the user. Comment moderation is generally performed Monday through Friday. By contributing or voting you agree to the Terms of Participation and verify you are over 13.

Create an account. An account allows you to sign petitions with a single click, officially support or oppose key legislation, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Senate Bill S1222

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Disabilities Committee

co-Sponsors

2025-S1222 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S1222 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S1222 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S1222 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S1222

Share this bill

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Disabilities Committee

co-Sponsors

2025-S1222 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S1222 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S1222 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S1222 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments