Bill Text: NY S03108 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Directs the independent developmental disability ombudsman program to establish a service delivery structure based in New York state that includes a toll-free telephone hotline, an interactive website, and availability of in-person, telephone and email access to ombudsman program staff or volunteers; to provide assistance for navigating and completing processes; to assist individuals in filing and preparing appeals; to assist individuals with any problems encountered; and to educate individuals on their rights and responsibilities with respect to access to services provided by the office for people with developmental disabilities and care coordination provided by health homes serving individuals with developmental disabilities or services provided by other providers.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-2)

Status: (Vetoed) 2024-12-13 - VETOED MEMO.97 [S03108 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S03108-Amended.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         3108--A

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 27, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sens.  MANNION,  BROUK,  SALAZAR, SKOUFIS, WEBER -- read
          twice and ordered printed, and when printed to  be  committed  to  the
          Committee on Disabilities -- recommitted to the Committee on Disabili-
          ties in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged,
          bill  amended,  ordered  reprinted  as amended and recommitted to said
          committee

        AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to the duties of the
          independent developmental disability ombudsman program

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1.  Section  33.28  of  the  mental  hygiene law, as added by
     2  section 1 of part KK of chapter 57 of the laws of 2023,  is  amended  to
     3  read as follows:
     4  § 33.28 Independent developmental disability ombudsman program.
     5    (a) There is hereby established by the office for people with develop-
     6  mental  disabilities  the independent developmental disability ombudsman
     7  program for the purpose  of  assisting  individuals  with  developmental
     8  disabilities  to  ensure  access  by such individuals to services and to
     9  preserve their rights.
    10    (b) Such ombudsman program shall have the following duties, including,
    11  but not limited to:
    12    1. establishing a service delivery structure based in New  York  state
    13  that includes a toll-free telephone hotline, an interactive website, and
    14  availability  of  in-person,  telephone  and  email  access to ombudsman
    15  program staff or volunteers;
    16    2. identifying, investigating, referring and resolving complaints that
    17  are made by, or on behalf of individuals relative to access to  services
    18  provided  by  the  office  for people with developmental disabilities or
    19  care coordination or other providers certified and/or authorized by  the
    20  office  to  provide services to people with developmental disabilities[,

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD05102-02-3

        S. 3108--A                          2

     1  and access to initial  and  continuing  intellectual  and  developmental
     2  disability services and supports];
     3    3.  providing assistance for navigating and completing processes, such
     4  as paperwork and documentation,  to  access  services  provided  by  the
     5  office  for  people  with developmental disabilities or the care coordi-
     6  nation provided by health homes serving individuals  with  developmental
     7  disabilities  to  individuals or services   provided by other providers,
     8  and/or anyone seeking assistance on their behalf;
     9    4. assisting individuals in filing and preparing appeals, and  repres-
    10  enting  individuals  in  appeals and hearings concerning adverse benefit
    11  determinations regarding services provided by the office for people with
    12  developmental disabilities or  health  homes  serving  individuals  with
    13  developmental  disabilities to individuals or services provided by other
    14  providers;
    15    5.  collecting,  tracking,  and  quantifying  problems  and  inquiries
    16  encountered by individuals; and
    17    6.  educating  individuals  on  their rights and responsibilities with
    18  respect to access to services provided by the  office  for  people  with
    19  developmental  disabilities  and  care  coordination  provided by health
    20  homes serving individuals with developmental  disabilities  or  services
    21  provided by other providers.
    22    (c)  Notices  and  materials provided to individuals by the office for
    23  people with developmental disabilities, providers of services,  and  the
    24  health  homes  serving individuals with developmental disabilities shall
    25  include the name, phone number and website address  of  the  independent
    26  developmental disability ombudsman program established by the office for
    27  people  with  developmental disabilities pursuant to this section.  [The
    28  phone number shall be available for forty hours every week.]
    29    (d) Funds available for expenditure pursuant to this section  for  the
    30  establishment  of  an  independent  developmental  disability  ombudsman
    31  program may be allocated and distributed  by  the  commissioner  of  the
    32  office  for  people  with  developmental  disabilities,  subject  to the
    33  approval of the director of the budget, but only after the  commissioner
    34  of the office for people with developmental disabilities holds a request
    35  for  proposal  process  for the establishment of an independent develop-
    36  mental disability ombudsman program. Only domestic not-for-profit corpo-
    37  rations shall be eligible to submit proposals for such program. Entities
    38  that currently receive funding from the office for people with  develop-
    39  mental  disabilities  to  provide  services to people with developmental
    40  disabilities, or to operate care  coordination  organizations,  or  that
    41  bill  the Medicaid program for medical or health care services, shall be
    42  excluded from consideration. The commissioner of the office  for  people
    43  with developmental disabilities shall consider all competitive proposals
    44  submitted  through such request for proposal process and shall determine
    45  which proposal submitted is appropriate  for  the  establishment  of  an
    46  independent  developmental  disability ombudsman program. In making such
    47  determination, applicants who demonstrate experience providing  advocacy
    48  or  assistance  to  people  with  developmental disabilities, experience
    49  operating a call center, or experience tracking and  reporting  on  case
    50  activities  while  protecting  individual  confidentiality shall receive
    51  deference for the award.
    52    § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
    53  it shall have become a law and shall apply to all policies and contracts
    54  issued, renewed, modified, altered or amended on and  after  such  date;
    55  provided,  however,  that  if  section 1 of part KK of chapter 57 of the
    56  laws of 2023 shall not have taken effect on or  before  such  date  then

        S. 3108--A                          3

     1  this  act  shall  take effect on the same date and in the same manner as
     2  such section of such part of such chapter of the  laws  of  2023,  takes
     3  effect.
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