Assemblyman Josh Jensen (R,C-Greece), the ranking minority member on the Assembly Health Committee, and Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio (R,C-Riverhead), the ranking Minority member on the Assembly People with Disabilities Committee, held a joint press conference in Albany alongside their Assembly colleagues calling for a much-needed delay in the transition of the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP), which provides vital home health care services to 280,000 elderly and disabled New Yorkers. The transition will move the program to a single statewide fiscal intermediary. Members of the Assembly are advocating for an extension until July 1 to ensure a smooth transition and prevent any disruption to the vital services that many rely on.

New Yorkers who use CDPAP and their caregivers are required to register with the newly chosen provider, Public Partnerships LLC (PPL), before the April 1 deadline. Just yesterday, after the Department of Health promised the transition was on track, they announced a one-month “grace period,” further extending the delay.

PPL was awarded the contract to manage the $9 billion Medicaid program following last year’s budget and crafted a transition plan in just a few weeks. The transition period began on Jan. 6, 2025. Given this delay and ongoing challenges, it is clear that PPL is not on track to complete the transition within the short time frame.

As of March 17, only 220,000 consumers have started or completed the registration process, with 55,000 leaving CDPAP for the Personal Care Services Program. This leaves more than 100,000 consumers who have either not started or not completed the transition process—an alarmingly high number—with little time to do so.

“The state’s accelerated timeline for transitioning CDPAP to a single fiscal intermediary has unnecessarily put thousands of vulnerable New Yorkers at risk of losing care that they rely on. With so many consumers and caregivers still not successfully registered, it is clear this process needs more time. Extending the deadline is a common-sense solution to prevent unnecessary disruptions and ensure individuals who rely on these services are not left without the support and help they need,” said Jensen.

“The failed transitional plan put forth by the governor is delayed for 30 days. We demand a delay until July. This reckless change in the provision of CDPAP’s fiscal intermediary services is a full-blown catastrophe. The phones are jammed, the system is broken, people are terrified, home care workers are unpaid and this is all while seniors and people with disabilities are days away from losing the care they need. CDPAP is not the problem—it’s the solution. It empowers people to live with dignity in their own homes. The governor’s transitional plan simply rips that away. The bottom line is, delay the deadline and save thousands of lives before it’s too late,” said Giglio.