NYSACRA

STATE BUDGET 2006-07

Today, NYSACRA staff were invited guests at Governor George Pataki’s presentation of his Executive Budget and annual fiscal plan for 2006-2007.  There they heard that in 1995, (when he first became Governor) New York had a $5 billion budget deficit, eleven years later a $2 billion budget surplus is projected for this fiscal year. The Governor said that his fiscal reform agenda has restored order to NYS’s finances.  Commissioner Maul’s budget briefing booklet, which is on the NYSACRA website and is being mailed out by OMRDD today, states “that Fiscal Year 2006-2007 will bring more opportunities to the people we serve while we again concentrate on achieving efficient and effective methods of operation…”

Some highlights from the OMRDD program include:

• 3.03% trend factor for all ICF, Medicaid Service Coordination, and HCBS Waiver programs including Family Care, Supported Employment, and Respite.  Also includes all NYS-OPTS programs that began operations in 2005.
• $80 million in additional funding will be available to cover prior period costs that were not recognized in the previous fiscal year.
• Funding for the second phase of the Health Care initiative that began in the 2005-06 fiscal year for qualifying nonprofit providers to improve health care for their employees.
• Funding for 140 new residential opportunities and 890 new day habilitation opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities who are aging out of their educational programs.
• 75 new in-State residential opportunities will be developed to help implement Billy’s law.
• $20 million for the expansion of the NYS-OPTS initiative begun in the 2004-05 fiscal year.
• Full funding for NYS-CARES and NYS-CARES II and an expansion of new residential and day services under NYS-CARES II.
• OMRDD will extend its criminal background checks to include a FBI review of fingerprints taken.

The Governor’s budget also included an emphasis on combating Medicaid Fraud and Abuse to reduce cost.  A seven-point plan will restructure the state’s current Medicaid anti-fraud efforts and expand the State’s ability to detect, investigate and prosecute Medicaid fraud waste and abuse.  The Governor stated that New York “will have one of the largest fraud-fighting units in the nation.”  Commissioner Maul’s briefing book also mentioned this initiative and an expanded partnership with the new Office of State Medicaid Inspector General.

Commissioner Maul will be meeting with association executives later this week to provide more details of the OMRDD budget.  Please contact Jim Kosakoski or Forest Cotten in the NYSACRA office if you have any questions.  A more detailed analysis will be available as soon as possible.

Links:

PDF of OMR Budget Briefing Booklet (PDF 2MB)
(See OMR website or link on www.nysacra.org for better copy)

Governor's Budget Bill for Health & Mental Hygiene (PDF 550kb)
(OMRDD Starts on Page 253)

Governor's Budget Briefing Documents & More