NY State Senate Bill 2025-S1918

Senate Bill S1918

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Establishes a specialized health home program to serve certain individuals with physical disabilities

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance 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

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Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Feb 04, 2025	reported and committed to finance
Jan 14, 2025	referred to health

Votes

- Feb 4, 2025 - Health Committee Vote
  S1918
  
  12
  
  Aye
  
  0
  
  Nay
  
  3
  
  Aye with Reservations
  
  0
  
  Absent
  
  0
  
  Excused
  
  0
  
  Abstained
  - - Health Committee Vote: Feb 4, 2025
      
      aye (12)
      
      Ashby
      
      Brouk
      
      Felder
      
      Gonzalez
      
      Hoylman-Sigal
      
      Jackson
      
      Myrie
      
      Parker
      
      Rhoads
      
      Rivera
      
      Ryan
      
      Webb
      
      aye wr (3)
      
      Gallivan
      
      Martins
      
      Stec

co-Sponsors

2025-S1918 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Finance
Law Section:: Social Services Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §365-l, Soc Serv L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2021-2022: S8861
2023-2024: S4789

2025-S1918 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Establishes a specialized health home program to serve certain individuals with physical disabilities who are Medicaid eligible adults eighteen years of age or older with a diagnosis of a neurological, muscular, or neuromuscular condition, and a mobility impairment; provides that a specialized health home shall be reimbursed on a fee-for-service basis and shall receive enhanced rates of payment; makes related provisions.

2025-S1918 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S1918

SPONSOR: RIVERA
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the social services law, in relation to a specialized
health home program to serve certain individuals with physical disabili-
ties

 
PURPOSE:

Establishes a specialized health home program to serve certain individ-
uals with physical disability.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends section 365-I of the Social Services Law by adding a
new subdivision 2-e that would establish a specialized health home
program for individuals with physical disabilities. The bill would
establish eligibility criteria for program participation, reimbursement
rates, and require the Commissioner of Health to make regulations relat-
ing to the program.

Section 2 provides the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The Health Home program has been primarily oriented towards populations
with complex medical needs and mental health, substance use, or
intellectual/developmental disabilities that necessitate personalized
care management. In 2019, the Department of Health established a
specialized health home for adults with physical disabilities, operated
by the Independence Care System, in recognition of this underserved
population that needed support.  Unfortunately, the program is struggl-
ing under a framework that does not fit the unique needs of these indi-
viduals.

People with physical disabilities need a different range of care than
most others in the health home program. They need a health home that
understands the needs and risk factors of adults with physical disabili-
ties, such as the importance of repairing and maintaining customized
wheelchairs, loaning backup chairs when needed, authorizing an appropri-
ate amount of moisture barrier creams to prevent pressure injuries,
taking measures to prevent urinary tract infections in people with cath-
eters, and other specialized knowledge and equipment.

This amendment to the Health Home law would provide specific legislative
authority for a program for adults with physical disabilities within the
Health Home framework that has distinct eligibility criteria; a model of
care focused on maintaining members' health, maximizing their function
with wheeled mobility, and supporting independent living; performance
measures that focus on reducing the most common risk factors for poor
health and hospitalizations; and payment to support the resources needed
to successfully operate this specialized program. Establishing a more
appropriate framework for this population within the Health Home program
will better serve the needs of adults with physical disabilities.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2021-2022: S8861/A9293 Gottfried

2023-2024: S4789/No same-as

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the 90th day after it shall become law.

2025-S1918 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1918
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 14, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  RIVERA, CLEARE -- read twice and ordered printed,
   and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health
 
 AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation  to  a  specialized
   health  home  program to serve certain individuals with physical disa-
   bilities

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Section  365-l  of  the social services law is amended by
 adding a new subdivision 2-e to read as follows:
   2-E. THE  COMMISSIONER  SHALL  ESTABLISH  A  SPECIALIZED  HEALTH  HOME
 PROGRAM TO SERVE INDIVIDUALS WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES WHO ARE MEDICAID
 ELIGIBLE  ADULTS  EIGHTEEN  YEARS  OF AGE OR OLDER WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF A
 NEUROLOGICAL, MUSCULAR,  OR  NEUROMUSCULAR  CONDITION,  AND  A  MOBILITY
 IMPAIRMENT.  A SPECIALIZED HEALTH HOME SHALL BE REIMBURSED ON A FEE-FOR-
 SERVICE BASIS AND SHALL RECEIVE ENHANCED RATES OF PAYMENT ESTABLISHED BY
 THE COMMISSIONER. THE COMMISSIONER IS AUTHORIZED AND DIRECTED  TO  APPLY
 FOR  FEDERAL  WAIVERS  OR  STATE PLAN AMENDMENTS IF SUCH ACTION WOULD BE
 NECESSARY TO ASSIST IN PROMOTING THE  OBJECTIVES  OF  THIS  SUBDIVISION.
 SPECIALIZED  HEALTH  HOMES  RECEIVING FUNDS UNDER THIS SUBDIVISION SHALL
 DOCUMENT AND DEMONSTRATE THE EFFECTIVE USE OF FUNDS DISTRIBUTED  HEREIN.
 THE  COMMISSIONER  SHALL ESTABLISH STANDARDS FOR OPERATION OF A SPECIAL-
 IZED HEALTH HOME, INCLUDING REGULATIONS TO IMPLEMENT THIS SUBDIVISION.
   § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
 have  become  a  law.  Effective immediately, the commissioner of health
 shall make regulations and take  all  actions  reasonably  necessary  to
 implement this act on that date.
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD04796-01-5

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Senate Bill S1918

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Sponsored By

Gustavo Rivera