New York State Assembly, Albany, New York 12248 | ||
News | ||
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from the NYS Assembly Task Force on People with Disabilities |
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Kevin A. NYS Assembly Task Force on People with Disabilities
LDAD
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A Message from the Chair... Dear Friend, Over the course of the past year, the Assembly Task Force on People with Disabilities has made unprecedented progress in the fight for greater accessibility for all in New Yorks disability community. With your help, we successfully defeated a motion by the Department of State to impose drastically restrictive building code regulations on those requiring adequate space to live independently. The Task Force also held a public hearing that shed light on what was already suspected New York has not done nearly enough to fulfill the promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the mandate of the 1999 Olmstead vs. L.C. decision and the obligations and opportunities to remove people with disabilities from institutional living and fully integrate them into our communities. As many of you are aware, our survey last year of state agencies serving people with disabilities was largely ignored, with only the New York State Education Department providing any reasonable plan to comply with the U.S. Supreme Courts Olmstead ruling, which declares that states must provide services to people with disabilities in the most integrated settings appropriate to their needs. Given this fact and considering the alarming, oftentimes overwhelming testimony given during our hearing, I recently introduced legislation (A.9913a) to require state agencies to do something they should be doing on their own providing equal opportunities for every New Yorker, regardless of age or level of disability. Your time, testimony and tireless advocacy has been critical in this important journey. I am exceptionally pleased to work with both the Coalition to Implement Olmstead in New York and the New York State Disability Budget and Policy Coalition. Our diverse, informed and growing effort will improve the lives of disabled New Yorkers, offering greater opportunities to work, live independently and have a voice in local affairs. The Task Force on People with Disabilities is also working on several other major issues, many of which are new initiatives, introduced with careful input from the community of disability advocates. Please read page two of this newsletter for more information. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Task Force office at 518-455-4592.
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After two years of relentless advocacy by the disability community, the Medicaid Buy-In program has finally been signed into law. Effective in April, 2003, workers with disabilities will be able to buy into the Medicaid program by paying premiums on a sliding scale based on income, and can earn up to 250 percent of the federal poverty level, or $44,000, while still maintaining Medicaid benefits. Also, the cap on how much a person can retain in assets will be increased to $10,000. So many more will be able to work now that there will be no risk to existing Medicaid assistance. However, the Buy-In could be made even stronger by exempting spousal income, allowing people with disabilities to plan and save for retirement, and raising asset caps even higher. The Task Force will continue working on such additions to this important measure with my colleagues and many of you in the future. |
2002 Legislative Agenda |
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Each year, the Task Force adopts a legislative agenda based on what we hear are the priorities from New Yorks disability community. Listed below are several of the bills that the Task Force is supporting this year.
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