At a time when the current federal administration is signaling a shift away from Housing First in favor of more coercive and restrictive housing models, we must be clear. Housing First must be protected and expanded. Approaches that require treatment or abstinence before providing housing create unnecessary barriers, delay stability, and ultimately worsen outcomes. Housing is the platform from which recovery can begin, not something to be earned after the fact.

This makes our upcoming Executive Seminar especially timely and important.

We are excited to announce the addition of Patrick Wildes, former Assistant Secretary for Health and Human Services and Mental Hygiene at the 黑料正能量 State Governor鈥檚 Office and current Director of the Government Law Center at Albany Law School, to our federal policy panel. His expertise will be invaluable as we examine the rapidly evolving federal policy landscape.

During the seminar, we will provide a comprehensive overview of recent federal policy changes, including those impacting housing, Medicaid, and behavioral health services. We will also explore what these changes mean for 黑料正能量 and, critically, what can be done in response.

The discussion will focus on:

• What government can do to protect and strengthen proven models like Housing First and many others
• How providers can adapt and continue delivering effective, person-centered services
• What advocates can do to push back against harmful policies and advance solutions that promote recovery, dignity, and stability

As federal priorities shift, it is essential that we come together to ensure that people with mental health conditions, substance use challenges, and other disabilities are not left behind. We must continue to fight for policies that are grounded in evidence, equity, and human dignity.

We encourage all members and partners to join us for this critical conversation.

Register Today:

Opportunity Starts at Home Campaign Releases New Fact Sheet on Recovery, Mental Health, and Housing
By Julie Walker | National Low Income Housing Coalition | April 13, 2026

罢丑别鈥�鈥�(OSAH) campaign released a new  describing the essential connection between access to affordable housing and recovery for individuals with substance use disorders and/or mental health conditions. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) designates a stable home as one of the four essential dimensions of recovery. Housing insecurity, on the other hand, is associated with declining mental health, increased risk of incarceration, and a significantly higher risk of opioid overdose. More affordable housing and investments in supportive housing models that place people in housing without requiring abstinence or treatment are necessary to promote long-term recovery from substance use disorders.  

Access to a safe and stable environment is essential in recovery, but systemic barriers frequently prevent people from securing the housing they need to heal. Many individuals with SUDs or mental health conditions are disproportionately represented in the criminal legal system, often due to a lack of treatment access. Housing providers frequently use criminal history as a reason for denial, a practice that serves as a barrier to housing access and potentially violates fair housing laws.  

The most effective housing solution for individuals with substance use disorders involves prioritizing immediate placement in housing without requiring abstinence or treatment as a prerequisite. Evidence from a systematic review of 26 studies reveals that programs that house people without requiring treatment saw an 88% reduction in homelessness and 41% improvement in housing stability. Participants in supportive housing were also found to be 3.4 times less likely to use drugs or alcohol during their first year compared to those in programs that require treatment first. 

By strengthening existing affordable housing solutions and investing in supportive housing models, policymakers and communities can promote recovery and build a more equitable system of care. Recovery and mental health advocates play a vital role in ensuring that people who are housing insecure or experiencing homelessness can access the stable environment they need and deserve.   

The fact sheet was developed with the help of campaign partners the , the , and . In total, the campaign has posted 18 multi-sector fact sheets on its website. Each fact sheet compiles landmark research to help policymakers, opinion leaders, and the public understand the deep connections between housing and other national priorities, from healthcare to education to economic growth. Housing advocates are encouraged to download the fact sheets and use them in making the case for cross-sector collaboration with potential allies in other sectors. Expanding the movement for housing justice requires ensuring that sector partners understand how housing directly impacts their own missions and goals.鈥� 

Read the fact sheet .

The post Executive Seminar: Patrick Wildes Joining Federal Policy Panel! appeared first on The Alliance for Rights and Recovery.

At the Alliance for Rights and Recovery, we believe our top priority must be clear: ensure that as many eligible people as possible remain covered by Medicaid. Coverage is the foundation for accessing mental health and substance use services, as well as the broader supports people need to live, work, and recover in their communities.

To do that, we must take a broad and proactive approach to exemptions. Categories such as 鈥渕edically frail鈥� and individuals with substance use disorders must be defined and implemented in ways that capture as many eligible people as possible, not restrict access through narrow interpretations. The flexibility within these definitions must be used to protect coverage, not limit it.

For those who are not exempt, the state must go further in creating real pathways to meet new requirements. This includes expanding access to employment, education, and meaningful volunteer opportunities that can help individuals maintain their coverage while also supporting their recovery and long-term stability. These opportunities must be accessible, supportive, and aligned with people鈥檚 needs.

At the same time, we must recognize that increased eligibility checks and work verification requirements will inevitably create new administrative barriers. That is why it is critical to make the recertification and verification process as simple and streamlined as possible, minimizing paperwork, maximizing automatic verification where possible, and reducing the risk that individuals lose coverage simply because they cannot navigate complex systems.

Even with these efforts, we know that people are at risk of losing coverage due to administrative hurdles or fluctuating work situations. That makes it all the more urgent that we act now to protect access to support and prevent unnecessary disruptions in services.

These issues will be a key focus of our upcoming Executive Seminar, where we will break down recent federal policy changes, discuss what 黑料正能量 has reportedly been doing to respond, and outline what we can do together to protect the 黑料正能量ers we serve as these changes take effect.

We encourage all members and partners to join us for this timely and critical conversation.

Register Today:

Trump and 黑料正能量 Are in a Tug of War Over Medicaid Coverage
By Joseph Goldstein | 黑料正能量 Times | April 13, 2026

Health authorities in 黑料正能量 State are racing to devise strategies to blunt a new federal law that will restrict access to government health insurance programs, including Medicaid, that cover more than half of 黑料正能量 City鈥檚 residents.

To keep as many 黑料正能量ers as possible from being cut from the Medicaid rolls next year, state and city officials are looking for ways to prove that patients are afflicted with addictions or are medically frail, conditions that would exempt them from the new restrictions. And they are considering how to sign people up for volunteer work 鈥� such as helping other 黑料正能量ers navigate Medicaid鈥檚 new rules 鈥� which could satisfy the law鈥檚 work requirements.

鈥淲e鈥檙e getting very creative,鈥� Dr. Alister Martin, the city鈥檚 new health commissioner, said in a recent interview.

When President Trump鈥檚 signature domestic policy bill passed last year, state health officials feared that perhaps 1.5 million people in 黑料正能量 might lose health coverage. Those predictions have grown somewhat less dire as officials have come up with possible methods for keeping people insured and exempting them from the new work requirements. Those requirements and other restrictions are expected to start next year.

Under the president鈥檚 bill, many adults on Medicaid will be required to work at least 80 hours a month to keep their insurance, unless they are in school, pregnant or raising children younger than 14, or if they qualify for another exemption. The rules are intended to push more people into the work force and reduce what Republicans have characterized as waste and fraud in government programs. The regulations were introduced  the Trump administration鈥檚 tax cuts.

States must now verify twice a year that many Medicaid recipients remain eligible, a requirement that is expected to result in many people losing coverage periodically, especially if their work hours vary or they move between jobs, or have difficulty navigating the paperwork requirements.

Since 2010, when the Affordable Care Act was passed, the number of uninsured Americans has dropped substantially. In 黑料正能量 State, the share of adults and children without health insurance dropped  . Now, that number is expected to rise again.

The question is by how much.

鈥淭his is truly a seismic shift in Medicaid policy, the largest in the history of the program,鈥� Amir Bassiri, the state Medicaid director, said at a panel discussion hosted last month by the United Hospital Fund, a nonprofit.

Chris Pope, a health care analyst at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, said that he expected many states 鈥� especially those with Democratic leaders who wanted to expand the social safety net 鈥� to try to blunt the law by searching for exemptions. State officials have a substantial incentive for doing so: The federal government pays 90 percent of the health coverage costs for some Medicaid recipients, with the states paying the remainder.

鈥淢y assessment of the work requirements is there is the greatest possible incentive for states to find every possible loophole,鈥� Mr. Pope said. 鈥淎 blue state like 黑料正能量, I think they鈥檙e going to be looking to implement it in the loosest possible way.鈥�

Dr. Martin said that the effort to keep 黑料正能量ers on Medicaid 鈥� which has not previously been reported 鈥� felt particularly urgent to him, like one of those sci-fi movies in which scientists had to save everyone on Earth from an approaching asteroid.

Still, some health care analysts expressed concern that not enough was being done, given that key provisions of the domestic policy bill were going into effect over the next year.

鈥淚鈥檓 not seeing the kind of public planning process to reassure me they are ready or that they鈥檙e going to be ready,鈥� said Bill Hammond, a health care policy analyst at the Empire Center for Public Policy, a think tank in Albany, N.Y.

The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said in a statement that states would be 鈥渞equired to implement these provisions in accordance with the law, and C.M.S. will issue guidance to ensure exemptions are applied appropriately and that eligible beneficiaries are protected.鈥�

To reduce the number of people stymied by paperwork and red tape, 黑料正能量 State has been working to automatically certify residents who are already fulfilling the requirements, by accessing information not only from state databases but from payroll providers.

Elisabeth Benjamin, vice president of health initiatives at the Community Service Society, a nonprofit that supports anti-poverty policies, said that officials were confronting considerable challenges in their effort to prepare for the Medicaid changes.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e doing the best they can to figure out what they can automate, but people are still going to lose coverage 鈥� a lot of people,鈥� Ms. Benjamin said. 鈥淢any of those people are already working, but proving it will be hard.鈥�

She predicted that agricultural laborers upstate and employees in industries with high turnover, intermittent hours or off-the-books payments 鈥� such as kitchen and construction workers 鈥� could be especially prone to losing their health insurance.

The Congressional Budget Office had estimated  because they cannot meet the work requirements, while others will lose their insurance because of administrative hurdles or difficulty .

In 黑料正能量, health officials said that if people lost Medicaid coverage, they would forgo health care, .

 of 黑料正能量ers on Medicaid will probably qualify for exemptions from the new work requirements, which will go into effect next January, according to a presentation that the State Department of Heath shared at the panel discussion.

People with a substance use disorder, for instance, are exempt from the work requirements under the new law. So health officials have been thinking about how to get people鈥檚 addictions properly certified and documented.

It鈥檚 possible that even addictions diagnosed or treated long ago might qualify, even if they 鈥渕ay seem too old,鈥� Mr. Bassiri, the state Medicaid official, said recently. He said that his department was waiting for further guidance from the federal government. 鈥淲e鈥檙e waiting to get a sense of the fine print on the regulations as to how far back things can apply,鈥� he said.

The new federal law also exempts Medicaid recipients who are deemed 鈥渕edically frail鈥� 鈥� a vague description that physicians can interpret widely, said Dr. Martin, the 黑料正能量 City health commissioner.

鈥淭he medical frailty exemption is kind of squishy,鈥� he said, explaining that the city鈥檚 Department of Health and Mental Hygiene was considering how to create a standardized and easy process for physicians to certify patients under this exemption.

鈥淲e鈥檙e looking at what are the tools and levers we can create to make it easy for physicians to really quickly write almost a form letter by clicking a button,鈥� Dr. Martin said.

Dr. Martin鈥檚 r茅sum茅 appears to make him well suited to tackle the problem. An emergency room physician, he once ran voter registration drives for patients while they waited for care. The registration form, once filled out, served as a proof of address, allowing patients to access a range of social services.

Keeping as many 黑料正能量ers insured as possible could prove to be the main challenge of Dr. Martin鈥檚 tenure.

鈥淭his is why I鈥檓 here,鈥� he said in a recent interview, after meeting with colleagues at a city health department clinic in Downtown Brooklyn.

For those who did not otherwise qualify for exemptions from the work requirements, Dr. Martin said he planned to partner with city officials to offer options for community service 鈥� which can satisfy the requirements, even if unpaid.

Dr. Martin has also begun thinking about how to mobilize underemployed 黑料正能量ers to volunteer with the health department or public hospital system, as a way to keep their health insurance.

鈥淲hat if the volunteering that they were doing was helping other 黑料正能量ers stay covered on Medicaid?鈥� he said.

Mr. Pope, the analyst at the Manhattan Institute, said he expected the provision that allowed 鈥渃ommunity service鈥� or a 鈥渨ork program鈥� in place of employment to emerge as 鈥渢he biggest loophole.鈥� He predicted that the federal government would struggle to police that.

The rule requiring 80 hours of work a month might prove flexible. That requirement, according to state health officials, is based on the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, meaning someone would have to earn about $580 a month to qualify.

Health officials said that because the minimum hourly wage in 黑料正能量 State was more than twice that, the requirement could be satisfied with far fewer hours of work a month.

The officials also pointed out that an entire borough might be spared from the work requirement, because the law exempts residents in counties with unemployment rates of 8 percent or above. The unemployment rate in the Bronx was  late last year.

It remains unclear exactly how many 黑料正能量ers will lose federally subsidized health insurance under the new law. Officials have said that the state plans to cover some people who lose federally subsidized insurance. Still, public health experts expect the ranks of the uninsured to rise. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to be able to exempt our way out of that,鈥� Dr. Martin said.

The post Executive Seminar Preview: Protecting Medicaid Coverage Amid Federal Changes and What It Means for 黑料正能量ers! appeared first on The Alliance for Rights and Recovery.

At the same time, these findings highlight a broader truth. Hospitals and emergency rooms cannot and should not be the primary entry point for mental health services. This is why it is critical that 黑料正能量 continues to build out a comprehensive crisis service continuum that provides people with the right support, in the right place, at the right time.

That means investing in and expanding:

• Daniel鈥檚 Law first responder teams that provide health-led crisis responses
• Crisis stabilization centers that offer immediate, short-term support
• Peer respites and crisis residences that create safe, community-based alternatives to hospitalization
• Other innovative, community-based crisis services that reduce reliance on ERs

Equally important is ensuring that people have access to effective, ongoing community-based services that can prevent crises before they occur. When individuals are connected to housing, peer support, treatment, and recovery services, we reduce the likelihood of emergency situations and improve long-term outcomes.

For those who do go through hospitalization, we must ensure that discharge planning is not an afterthought. The need for comprehensive discharge plans and direct connections to community-based supports, as required by new regulations, is essential to preventing readmissions and ensuring continuity of services. People should never leave a hospital without a clear pathway to the services and supports they need to recover and thrive.

These issues, and the broader efforts to strengthen 黑料正能量鈥檚 mental health system, will be discussed at tomorrow鈥檚 Executive Seminar, where staff from the 黑料正能量 State Office of Mental Health will present on recent budget investments and this year鈥檚 proposals. They will share how these efforts are working to build a more complete continuum of mental health and substance use services across the state.

We encourage all members and partners to join us for this important conversation. Strengthening accountability is critical, but it must go hand in hand with building the community-based system 黑料正能量ers need and deserve.

Register Today:

黑料正能量-Presbyterian Agrees to Mental Health Overhaul After State Finds Care Failures
By Amanda D鈥橝mbrosio | Crain鈥檚 Healthcare | April 13, 2026

黑料正能量-Presbyterian agreed to overhaul its mental health protocols after an investigation found the hospital system failed to monitor psychiatric patients 鈥� in some cases allowing them to escape from the emergency room 鈥� and neglected to reopen mental health beds shuttered during the pandemic.

State Attorney General Letitia James announced the settlement with 黑料正能量-Presbyterian on Monday following a years-long investigation into its psychiatric treatment programs. The probe highlights the state鈥檚 continued effort to increase psychiatric capacity and improve treatment amid an ongoing mental health crisis.

鈥淭oo many 黑料正能量ers experiencing mental health crises have been met with inadequate care when they need help most,鈥� James said in a statement. She said 黑料正能量-Presbyterian agreed to reforms that will help protect patients, strengthen oversight and ensure individuals in crisis have access to services.

Under the settlement, 黑料正能量-Presbyterian will pay $500,000 to the state for misconduct and implement changes including updating its electronic health records system, improving oversight of psychiatric patients in the emergency room and strengthening discharge planning.

The attorney general鈥檚 office launched an investigation into 黑料正能量-Presbyterian after hearing testimony from patients and providers in 2022 about the lack of access to mental health care. Investigators reviewed medical records and emergency department data of patients with behavioral health conditions from 2018 to 2024 at 黑料正能量-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital.

The investigation found that 黑料正能量-Presbyterian repeatedly failed to keep track of patients experiencing psychiatric emergencies, allowing them to leave the hospital without receiving necessary care. In one instance, a patient with a history of suicide attempts and homocide ideation was referred for inpatient psychiatric care. The patient waited in the emergency room for more than two days until they could be transferred to a bed, and eventually left the hospital without being admitted, the investigation found.

The attorney general鈥檚 office also found that 黑料正能量-Presbyterian failed to reopen inpatient psychiatric beds that closed during the pandemic, despite state policies mandating that hospitals bring such beds back online. 黑料正能量-Presbyterian is licensed for 513 psychiatric beds across its 10 hospital campuses, but more than 100 of those beds remained offline as of May 2023, the investigation found.

Angela Karafazli, a spokeswoman for 黑料正能量-Presbyterian, said in a statement that the health system 鈥渞emains committed to continuous improvement for our patients and the communities we serve.鈥�

鈥淪ince 2022 we have continued to strengthen policies and workflows, expand mental health capacity with inpatient beds and outpatient services, and improve safety,鈥� Karafazli said, adding that the attorney general鈥檚 findings recognize those improvements.

NY AG Reaches Settlement with 黑料正能量-Presbyterian Hospital
By Johan Sheridan | ABC News 10 | April 13, 2026

黑料正能量-Presbyterian Hospital has agreed to overhaul its screening and security protocols and pay $500,000 in fees and costs after state investigators discovered that the hospital system treated psychiatric patients improperly and kept over 100 inpatient psychiatric beds out of service across its system post-COVID. The settlement mandates new observation protocols and monitoring requirements, and NYP administrators have to upgrade their electronic records system so medical providers have up-to-date, accurate information. The state will also impose a $10,000 penalty for any future violations of the terms of the settlement.

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) 鈥� 黑料正能量 Attorney General Letitia James announced a settlement with the 黑料正能量-Presbyterian Hospital system on Monday. The settlement requires the healthcare network to reform its emergency mental health care program.

The legal agreement signed on Friday forces the NYP Hospital system to overhaul its screening and security protocols to prevent patients from wandering out of emergency rooms unsupervised, alongside paying $500,000 for legal fees and court costs. But while they agreed to the settlement, legally, the hospital network neither admitted nor denied the findings from the AG鈥檚 office.

A spokesperson defended their practices in a statement Monday morning: 鈥淧roviding safe, high-quality care for patients with complex behavioral and medical health needs, is a priority,鈥� NYP said. 鈥淪ince 2022 we have continued to strengthen policies and workflows, expand mental health capacity with inpatient beds and outpatient services, and improve safety鈥攊mprovements that the Attorney General鈥檚 findings acknowledge. We are proud to have one of the largest behavioral health footprints of any multi-campus hospital in 黑料正能量 and remain committed to continuous improvement for our patients and the communities we serve.鈥�

But according to James, state investigators discovered that the hospital system treated psychiatric patients improperly, and that they broke the law to keep available mental health beds closed post-COVID.

鈥淭oo many 黑料正能量ers experiencing mental health crises have been met with inadequate care when they need help most,鈥� the attorney general said in a statement announcing the settlement. 鈥淢ental health care is necessary medical care, and hospitals have a legal and moral obligation to treat these crises with urgency and compassion.鈥�

Investigators at the AG鈥檚 office reported that care in ERs repeatedly broke down at NYP, including consistent failures to properly screen or stabilize patients with behavioral health issues. They said they found that hospital staff didn鈥檛 properly supervise patients or review any external records from emergency medical workers when determining care.

According to the AG鈥檚 office, in one case, a suicidal teenager left the hospital within minutes of his evaluation because staff didn鈥檛 follow safety precautions. Another patient ran from the emergency department after attacking a bystander, but hospital staff waited until the next day to notify police. Another patient鈥攁 schizophrenic septuagenarian鈥攍eft without supervision, sleeping in the lobbies of area buildings during a rainstorm.

The investigation also apparently revealed that NYP failed to bring its licensed inpatient psychiatric beds back online after the pandemic. As of May 2023, they were keeping over 100 beds out of service across its system. Investigators said that contributed to a shortage of inpatient care as emergency rooms overflowed with patients experiencing a mental health crisis.

But ultimately, NYP did submit a state-approved plan in late 2023 to restore offline units, expand outpatient programs, and bring its enterprise-wide psychiatric bed capacity to 499.

In the interest of safety, the settlement mandates new observation protocols and monitoring requirements. NYP administrators also have to upgrade their electronic records system so medical providers have up-to-date, accurate information.

The state will also impose a $10,000 penalty for any future violations of the terms of the settlement.

Take a look at the terms of the settlement here:

The post Executive Seminar Preview: Strengthening Accountability and Expanding NY鈥檚 Crisis Continuum! appeared first on The Alliance for Rights and Recovery.

Recent reporting on the push to overhaul Tier 6 pensions highlights the immense influence of public sector unions and the willingness of state leaders to consider costly proposals, with estimates reaching $1.5 billion annually. While we respect the role of unions and the importance of fair compensation, it is deeply frustrating to see such significant increases gain traction while the nonprofit mental health and substance use sector, long referred to as the state鈥檚 鈥渋ndirect workforce,鈥漜ontinues to be underfunded and overlooked.

Our sector carries an enormous share of responsibility. Nonprofit providers serve far greater numbers of individuals, often with more complex needs, and require sustained, long-term engagement to support recovery and stability. Unlike state-operated systems, which primarily serve individuals once they are already hospitalized, community-based providers must find, engage, and support people where they are, often before crises escalate. This work is essential to reducing hospitalizations, strengthening communities, and improving outcomes.

And yet, despite this critical role, our workforce continues to lag behind. At a time when other sectors are advancing major funding increases, we are still fighting for a modest but necessary 4% targeted inflationary increase to stabilize services, retain staff, and meet growing demand.

If 黑料正能量 is serious about affordability, equity, and system transformation, it must invest in the very workforce that makes community-based support possible.

These issues will be front and center at our upcoming Executive Seminar, where representatives from the 黑料正能量 State Office of Mental Health will discuss how current budget proposals, along with prior state investments, are intended to strengthen the continuum of mental health and substance use services. This will be a critical opportunity to better understand what鈥檚 at stake and how we can collectively advocate for a system that prioritizes community services, workforce sustainability, and long-term recovery.

The time to act is now. We must ensure that this year鈥檚 final budget reflects the true needs of 黑料正能量ers and the providers who serve them every day.

Register Today:

Opposing Tier 6 Changes is a Lonely Stance in Albany
By Nick Reisman | Politico | April 13, 2026

The labor-led drive to overhaul the Tier 6 pension category is steamrolling through the state Capitol 鈥� with few officials disagreeing with powerful unions seeking to lower the retirement age and reduce employee contributions.

It鈥檚 a disheartening development for Republican Assemblymember Michael Fitzpatrick, a Long Island lawmaker who is perhaps the most vocal and rare opponent to changing the pension.

A former financial services worker, Fitzpatrick knows firsthand how pension costs can become unwieldy. But his legislative colleagues have become, in effect, captured by higher pay and strict limits on how much money they can earn in the private sector, Fitzpatrick believes. Opposing politically active unions can be a career killer for state lawmakers in both parties.

鈥淵ou now, in a sense, have a professional Legislature,鈥� Fitzpatrick said in an interview. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 right where the unions want us. You鈥檙e asking the legislators to vote against their own financial best interest. So who is going to say no to the alphabet soup of unions when, if I lose, I鈥檓 out of the pension system.鈥�

The Tier 6 fight is testing the clout of the state鈥檚 influential public employee unions 鈥� including groups that represent teachers, state workers and municipal employees. The unions are communicating directly with their members, urging them to lobby lawmakers for the changes. The aggressive push, though, is meeting little bipartisan resistance. Legislators and Gov. Kathy Hochul attended an Albany rally staged by unions last month in support of overhauling Tier 6.

Public-sector labor leaders want to lower the retirement age to 55 after 30 years of service and reduce how much workers pay into the system depending on their income. As it now stands, contribution rates into the pension fund top out at 6 percent of a worker鈥檚 take-home pay; a union-backed proposal would lower contributions to as low as 3 percent for employees earning less than $75,000.

Union officials have also made clear they intend to weigh Tier 6 support heavily when considering endorsements this election year. United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew  that the pension push will 鈥渁bsolutely鈥� be part of the group鈥檚 endorsement consideration.

All told, the changes are expected  for school districts, local governments and the state government.

Those costs will, in turn, be shouldered in many cases by property taxpayers just as Hochul and the Democratic-controlled Legislature press for affordability measures in state budget talks.

鈥淚 know how the system works,鈥� Fitzpatrick said. 鈥淲e are creating a math problem. We cannot in my opinion vote for this and claim affordability.鈥�

But Fitzpatrick鈥檚 opposition to Tier 6 is largely an outlier among the 213 members of the Legislature. Few Republicans have been vocal about their concerns with changing the pension tier and the potential impact on one of the highest taxed states in the country.

鈥淩aising the legislature鈥檚 salary to $142,000 has changed the calculation around what should be public service,鈥� said Ken Girardin, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a fiscally conservative think tank. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 increased the electoral anxiety level for lawmakers and that鈥檚 created an opening for the unions to demand crazier stuff.鈥�

Tier 6 was created in 2012 at the behest of then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo with the long-term goal of easing pension costs 鈥� especially for local governments and school districts producing budgets that limited how much they could raise from property taxes. Unions blasted the pension change and over the years have fought to chip away at the intended savings.

Fiscal hawks warn that the depth of the changes being sought by labor this time will further drive up costs.

鈥淣o one can credibly say they鈥檙e advancing affordability in 黑料正能量 when they鈥檙e also sweetening public pensions and driving up property taxes,鈥� Girardin said.

The post Executive Seminar Preview: Budget Delays and the Fight to Invest in 黑料正能量鈥檚 Mental Health Workforce! appeared first on The Alliance for Rights and Recovery.

It is critical to remember: this is the President鈥檚 proposed budget, not the final federal budget. While it signals the Administration鈥檚 priorities and vision, Congress ultimately holds the power of the purse. As we saw with the federal spending package passed earlier this year, lawmakers can and do push back, crafting and passing budgets that differ significantly from initial proposals.

The proposed elimination of SAMHSA as a standalone agency and consolidation of key funding streams threatens to erode decades of progress in building a comprehensive, community-based behavioral health system. Dedicated funding for prevention, recovery, workforce development, and equity-focused programs is essential to ensuring that people receive timely, appropriate support. Without these investments, and without a dedicated federal agency focused specifically on mental health and substance use, we risk increased disparities, weakened infrastructure, and poorer outcomes nationwide.

The Alliance for Rights and Recovery will be actively advocating with Congress throughout the coming months to ensure that this proposal does not become the final federal budget. We will push for a federal spending plan that protects and strengthens mental health and substance use services, preserves critical programs, and maintains a strong, visible federal commitment to behavioral health.

We encourage our members and partners to stay engaged. This issue will be a key focus of our upcoming Executive Seminar, where we will provide an overview of recent federal budget developments, what these proposed changes could mean for 黑料正能量ers, and, most importantly, what actions we can take together to influence the outcome.

Register Today:

Now is the time to raise our voices. The future of our behavioral health system depends on it.

The 2027 SAMHSA Budget Proposal: Substantial System Shock
By Ron Manderscheid

The proposed 2027 Administration budget for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is not a routine fiscal adjustment. It is a structural overhaul鈥攐ne that effectively dismantles the agency as we know it while reducing total federal investment in behavioral health at a time of sustained and growing need. Framed as consolidation and innovation, the proposal raises foundational questions about federal priorities, system capacity, and the future of community-based behavioral health in the United States.

A Disappearing Agency
At the center of the proposal is the elimination of SAMHSA as a distinct entity through its consolidation into the newly proposed Administration for a Healthy America (AHA). This restructuring is accompanied by a proposed reduction in the SAMHSA-related mental and behavioral health portfolio from approximately $7.346 billion in FY 2026 to $6.769 billion in FY 2027, a cut of roughly $576 million.

While core functions may be redistributed across federal structures, the symbolic and operational loss is potentially far-reaching. For more than three decades, SAMHSA has served as the federal government鈥檚 primary steward of community mental health and substance use services. Its disappearance signals a shift away from a dedicated, specialized focus toward a more diffuse鈥攁nd potentially less accountable鈥攁pproach. Behavioral health risks becoming subsumed within broader health bureaucracies, where it has historically struggled to maintain visibility, priority, and resources.

Block Grants Consolidated
The proposal eliminates three cornerstone funding streams:

• Community Mental Health Services Block Grant
• Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services Block Grant
• State Opioid Response Grants

In their place, the Administration proposes a single Behavioral Health Innovation Block Grant, totaling approximately $4.6 billion.

On paper, consolidation offers flexibility. States could align funding more efficiently across mental health and substance use systems. But in practice, this move removes dedicated funding silos that ensured minimum investment levels in critical areas. Without these guardrails, states facing fiscal pressures may redirect funds away from prevention, recovery supports, or underserved populations.

The timing is particularly consequential. The opioid crisis remains volatile, stimulant use is rising, and mental health needs鈥攅specially among youth鈥攃ontinue to escalate. Folding targeted responses into a generalized funding pool risks diluting focus precisely when specificity is most needed.

The Quiet Elimination of Infrastructure
Perhaps the most consequential aspect of the proposal is the elimination of approximately 30 grant programs, many of which form the backbone of community-based behavioral health infrastructure. These include:

• Minority Fellowship Programs (~$20M)
• Primary and Behavioral Health Care Integration (~$60M)
• Strategic Prevention Framework (~$137M)
• Tribal Behavioral Health Grants (~$52M)
• Minority AIDS Initiative (~$119M)
• Mental Health Awareness and Training (~$28M)
• Homelessness Prevention Programs (~$28M)
• Mental Health Crisis Response Partnership Pilot (~$20M)

These are not marginal programs. They represent decades of federal investment in workforce development, prevention science, integrated care, and health equity.

Their elimination would have cascading effects:

Workforce Pipeline Disruption. Programs such as the Minority Fellowship Programs have been central to diversifying the behavioral health workforce. Their removal would slow progress toward culturally competent care at a time when disparities remain stark.

Setbacks in Integration. The loss of Primary and Behavioral Health Care Integration funding would undermine one of the most promising strategies for improving outcomes and reducing costs. Integration remains uneven nationally and requires sustained investment鈥攏ot withdrawal.

Prevention Erosion. The Strategic Prevention Framework has been a cornerstone of evidence-based prevention. Eliminating it would risk shifting the system further toward crisis response rather than upstream intervention.

Tribal and Equity Impacts. Cuts to Tribal Behavioral Health and Minority AIDS programs would disproportionately affect populations already facing systemic barriers. These are not easily replaced at the state or local level.

PAIMI: Loss of Human Rights Protections. The proposed two-thirds reduction in the Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI) program鈥攆rom $40 million to $14.146 million鈥攊s particularly concerning.

PAIMI serves as a critical safeguard for the rights of individuals with serious mental illness, especially those in institutional or custodial settings. A reduction of this magnitude would significantly weaken oversight capacity, increasing the risk of abuse, neglect, and civil rights violations.

In an era of expanding involuntary treatment debates and growing pressures on crisis systems, weakening advocacy infrastructure sends a deeply troubling signal.

What Would Survive
Not all programs are eliminated. The budget preserves a subset of services and functions, including elements of:

• Recovery support and community-based services
• Consumer and technical assistance centers
• Selected treatment and service delivery programs

These surviving elements suggest continued recognition of recovery and community-based care as essential components of the behavioral health system.

However, preservation alone is not sufficient. Without the broader ecosystem of prevention, workforce development, and integrated care, these programs risk operating in isolation鈥攁ddressing downstream consequences without the upstream supports needed to reduce demand.

Major System-Level Implications
Taken together, the proposal represents a shift from a comprehensive public health model to a more state-driven framework with fewer federal mandates and less categorical funding.

This shift carries several major risks:

Increased State Variability. States would have greater discretion鈥攂ut also greater responsibility. Wealthier or more policy-committed states may sustain robust systems, while others may scale back, leading to widening geographic disparities.

Erosion of National Strategy. SAMHSA has historically provided a unifying national vision for behavioral health. Its elimination would risk fragmenting efforts across states and federal agencies, reducing coherence, coordination, and shared learning.

Long-Term Costs. Cuts to prevention, integration, and workforce development may yield short-term federal savings but are likely to increase downstream costs in emergency care, incarceration, and lost productivity.

Strain on Local Systems. Counties and community providers鈥攁lready operating under tight margins鈥攚ould bear the brunt of these changes. Many rely on SAMHSA funding not only for services, but also for technical assistance, data infrastructure, and innovation support.

The Bottom Line
The 2027 SAMHSA budget proposal is not simply a reduction鈥攊t also is a proposed redefinition of the federal role in behavioral health. It prioritizes consolidation and flexibility over specialization and targeted investment.

Behavioral health systems are not static. They are built鈥攐r dismantled鈥攖hrough sustained policy choices. This proposal marks a pivotal moment. The question is not just what will be cut, but what will be lost鈥攁nd how long it will take to rebuild. Urgent advocacy with the Congress will be necessary to prevent these losses.

The post Executive Seminar: Federal Budget Proposal Threatens Behavioral Health, What鈥檚 at Stake and How to Act! appeared first on The Alliance for Rights and Recovery.

The Alliance continues to call on the Legislature and Governor to include $15 million in the final budget to expand Daniel鈥檚 Law pilot programs and ensure continued support for the Behavioral Health Crisis Technical Assistance Center (BHTAC). These investments are essential to building a strong, statewide crisis response system that prioritizes compassion, reduces harm, and connects individuals to services in their communities.

At the same time, we must address systemic barriers that prevent people from accessing services. We continue to advocate for carving mental health and substance use services out of Medicaid managed care, which has too often resulted in delays, denials, and inadequate reimbursement for providers. A carve-out would help ensure that individuals receive timely, appropriate services while stabilizing the provider network that so many 黑料正能量ers rely on.

We also urge the Legislature and Governor to restore and maintain funding for adult home programs and CIAD (Coalition for the Institutionalized Aged and Disabled). These programs are critical in protecting the rights, dignity, and quality of life of adult home residents, providing advocacy, legal support, and resources that ensure individuals have a voice in their services and living conditions. Without this funding, some of the most vulnerable 黑料正能量ers risk losing essential supports and protections.

We encourage our community to join us at our upcoming Alliance Executive Seminar, where OMH staff will provide updates on efforts to expand the crisis services continuum and other initiatives aimed at strengthening 黑料正能量鈥檚 mental health system.

Register Today:

Now is the time to invest in solutions that work and ensure every 黑料正能量er can access the services they need, when and where they need it.

Mental Health Advocates Press Lawmakers on Daniel鈥檚 Law, Adult Homes, Medicaid Carve-Out in Late Budget
By Emyle Watkins | Buffalo Toronto Public Media | April 9, 2026

With the 黑料正能量 State budget now a week overdue, advocates continue to press lawmakers to include funding for legislation important to their causes.

BTPM NPR Disability Reporter Emyle Watkins recently spoke with Luke Sikinyi, the vice president for public policy at the Alliance for Rights and Recovery, an organization that advocates for the rights and resources of 黑料正能量ers with mental health conditions.

Watkins and Sikinyi discuss several issues mental health advocates are pushing for in the budget, including a cost-of-living increase for workers, continued funding for a Daniel’s Law pilot, a different funding model for services under long term care plans and protection for resources for people living in adult homes.

You can listen to the entire interview on this page, or read the transcript below.

TRANSCRIPT:
This is a rush transcript created by a contractor and may be updated over time to be more accurate.聽

Emyle Watkins:
Well, Luke, thank you so much for joining me here on BTPM NPR. To start, I’m wondering if you could talk a little bit about what the Alliance for Rights and Recovery does.

Luke Sikinyi:
So the Alliance for Rights and Recovery is a statewide and national mental health and rights organization. We are really focused on the people and what we can do to provide more support for folks who have mental health, substance use and trauma related challenges. And we do that through a number of avenues. The first that I’ve mainly focused on is around advocacy and policy. So really trying to support rights, create more access to effective programs with a particular focus on peer support programs. We also do a number of training programs to support the workforce and make sure that they have all of the tools for culturally responsive services to folks in community-based organizations or working with community-based organizations. And then we hold a number of events as well. So we do training events, some service provision like our PeerBridger program, which helps get people out of hospitals and really back into their communities without having to go back to the hospital.

And then a lot of advocacy work on behalf of our communities and bringing folks together so that they can really have a voice for themselves.

Emyle Watkins:
I know one of the challenges throughout human services in general is just staffing. And a lot of that comes down to these wages that are determined by the state budget and how much money is invested into programs funded by the Office of Mental Health, for example. I know this year they’re working on a targeted inflationary increase, what most people would probably call a cost of living increase. Can you talk a little bit about what the budget included for Office of Mental Health and other mental health supports as far as the TII, what you wanted and what you think you might ultimately get?

Luke Sikinyi:
Yeah. So I think to start with the TII, part of why a lot of our programs are struggling at the moment is because for decades we were underinvested in and the state did not provide a cost of living adjustment that was commensurate to inflationary increases. So over the last years, and the real large credit to the governor, Hokal, as well as the legislature over the last four years, we’ve consistently received some level of support through an inflationary increase. But last year’s inflation was essentially calculated at about 2.7%. And because we know how difficult this year’s budget with the funding cuts from the federal government have been, our advocates, the statewide behavioral health advocates have been calling for that 2.7% increase. This is really just the bare minimum that we need. This doesn’t account for all of the other increases that we should have received but didn’t, but we also know it’s a tough budget year for this.

So we called for 2.7%. In the governor’s proposed budget, she included a 1.7% increase, whereas a couple weeks ago when the legislature released their individual one house budgets, they both, the Senate and the assembly included 4% increase for all of this human service agencies, so all of the folks who are under the O agencies, if you will. And so we are really incredibly happy to see that. And right now what we’re doing is really pushing for that 4% to be included in the final budget and know that we have a lot of folks who are behind us. We are doing a number of actions in the capital almost every day so that we can continue to push it. And we’ve heard a lot of positives from the legislature. The question really will be when they’re in those three-way negotiations, whether they and the governor’s office are able to agree to find the money to really provide this desperately needed increase for us.

Emyle Watkins:
What kind of difference would it make on the people level of getting more than the 2.7%, especially because I know a lot of workers in the mental healthcare system are also people who have been through it themselves and are now making their living by helping other people.

Luke Sikinyi:
Yeah. I mean, I think it’s huge. We’ve seen an average turnover rate of about 30% in our programs. And part of that is because it’s been hard to keep up with rising costs for every individual. And for folks who are working in this space, many of who are making even less than someone might be making at McDonald’s. And we’re doing what are essentially, especially as the minimum wage has increased over the last decade, we’re seeing a lot of people at or pretty close to minimum wage salaries, but are doing work that takes quite a lot of dedication and energy and effort. So that’s part of the challenge of this turnover. So our goal here is the increase for both the agencies and the workforces to both raise salaries, but also reduce the burden on agencies to cover rising costs elsewhere, which can prevent them from hiring more staff, which means that with less staff, more of the people who are staying have to take on even more work and are more likely to enter burnout because we still have to serve folks.

And on top of that, it also means that there will be more people available to serve the rising demand in services instead of agencies and organizations and programs having to turn people away because slots are full and create these long wait lists for folks to receive services that they really want and need right now. So we’re really hoping to get that 4% so that we can see a little bit of more breathing room for our agencies and to at least keep pace with inflation so that we’re not losing even more staff.

Emyle Watkins:
I feel like every year there is often a little bit of debate over, do we put more funding into inpatient? Do we put more funding into community-based services or how do we balance that? I guess just more generally looking at this budget, what would you like to see in the final budget as far as a balance or a priority between those two types of services?

Luke Sikinyi:
I mean, I think for us, we are always pushing for more community-based support services, particularly because that’s where the majority of folks who interact with our public mental health system that most folks are receiving from nonprofit service providers and rather than hospitals. I think a lot of focus goes to hospitals because most of the wider community doesn’t really understand that most behavioral health services are provided in community-based care settings. And that’s particularly important because that also, those are the agencies and programs that really do the prevention work that can help people not even need a hospital or institutionalization in the first place. They are doing the housing work to help people get, who are struggling with a lack of housing or homelessness to get back into supportive housing or other housing programs to be stabilized. But they’re also doing a lot of the recovery services so that if someone does go to a hospital when they are discharged, they have recovery support services that can help them reintegrate into the community and stay out of the hospital long-term and enter and maintain their recovery.

So that’s where we have typically focused our energy and would like to see more effort and more funding go into for this year’s budget. It’s also part of the reason why we think the targeted inflationary increase is so important. But I think this year’s budget has been fairly good about, even though it’s a small budget, there are some efforts to support more of the community-based programs like a push to allow for co-licensure of both substance use and mental health services so that people don’t have to go from back and forth. And it also reduces a little bit of burden on the agencies so that they can provide both services without having to build to two different agencies and have two different licenses in order to do that.

Emyle Watkins:
I know a important service that your organization has really pushed for is Daniel’s law and crisis intervention. Can you talk a little bit about what we’re seeing as far as Daniel’s law in the proposed budgets and what your organization would like to see and a little background on what Daniel’s law is for people who aren’t familiar?

Luke Sikinyi:
Yeah. So Daniel’s law is proposed legislation led by Senator Samuel Bruck and Assembly Member Harry Bronson that would really change the way the state practices crisis response for mental health and substance use crisis situations. This really was born out of the death of Daniel Prude back in 2020, which was now about six years ago as of last week. And he died at the hands of police while experiencing a mental health and substance use crisis. He went to the hospital, was quickly released, but was still experiencing his crisis and was found running through the streets of Rochester naked. And rather than really offering him the compassion support that was required in that moment, police put a spit hood over his head and held him in the cold streets of Rochester down while still naked, which led to his death, and it was due to those actions.

And unfortunately, Daniel Prude’s story is not dissimilar to many others who have died because of police interactions during a crisis or been harmed because of it. And so after that, a lot of advocates, including ourselves and the Full Daniels Law Coalition, which really began in Rochester, but is now fully statewide, have been calling for a shift towards non-police responders for these types of calls. And through a lot of years of advocacy, one year we were able to get a task force led by the State Office of Mental Health. And through those recommendations from the task force, one thing that was recommended is to create both pilot programs to test this model out, which would be a peer and an EMT going to these calls rather than a police officer and peers being folks with their own mental health experience, but highly trained in crisis response.

The second thing that they recommended was the creation of a Behavioral Health Crisis Technical Assistance Center. And last year in the budget, we were able to get both things funded. So we were able to get $8 million with two million of that going to the Behavioral Health Crisis Technical Assistance Center, which has begun meeting in the last two months. And the second part was $6 million of the eight went to these crisis response pilot programs. And those three programs with two million each were awarded last month, so we’re going to see those start rolling out. But right now what we’re doing is trying to expand the number of those programs as well as make sure that the funding is there for longer than this one-year injection. So OMH, the state was able to stress the funding that was a one-time investment from last year for three years, but we know that there will need to be more funding to either expand the number of programs, which is what we’re looking to do, and also to maintain that these are consistent and that these aren’t just three-year programs and we don’t have funding for them afterwards.

So it’s really about the stability of those programs as well as the BH TAC. So this year we called for an additional eight million, and while the governor didn’t put anything in her proposed budget, in the legislative one house budgets, the Senate included 15 million for these exact purposes, with about two million going back to the BH TAC again. So what we’re pushing for at the moment is to include that full 15 million in the final budget so that we can expand the number of pilot programs. And we’re hoping to really get the support of both the assembly and the governor’s office in those final negotiations to match what the Senate put in their One House budget.

Emyle Watkins:
Something that is watched closely during budget season is what does the governor not include funding for? And then what does the legislature restore? I’m wondering if you can talk a little bit about what adult homes are and the advocacy programs that exist for them and what they’re facing right now.

Luke Sikinyi:
Yeah. So I think one of the biggest things here is adult homes are places, where folks who don’t have as much support and have either physical or mental health challenges and need essentially round the clock or are determined to need round the clock support. So many people end up in adult homes. I think a lot of folks think of this just as folks who are elderly and are there because of challenges due to age, but we also see a lot of folks with disabilities in these kinds of locations. And this year’s budget, the governor cut a couple programs that were really critical to providing rights protection and support and avenues to rectify wrongs that might have happened or mistreatment in adult homes. So the first was the adult home advocacy and resident council programs, which is only about $230,000. And this program helps residents fight evictions, the system that often is pushing, is more stacked in favor of the facility heads rather than the actual residents.

And it also allows them to organize councils to bring up issues that they’re seeing in their residences. And this funding also allows for legal support and help from a couple small legal firms throughout the state. The governor also cut the equal program or the enhancing the quality of adult living program, which is about $6.5 million. And this program funds essentially basic quality of life improvements like clothing, air conditioners, and capital repairs for people’s living spaces. And that has a requirement that residents have a say in how these funds are used. So this funding was also cut in the governor’s proposed budget. And the last thing the governor cut in her proposed budget was funding for the Coalition for Institutionalized Aged and Disabled. So this CAD, as we often refer to it, this is a group that advocates regularly with adult home residents in 黑料正能量 City, and they train resident leaders, organized councils so people can have a voice in the decisions and really supports them.

And this is one of the only organizations, or this the only organization that does this kind of work. And we want to make sure that this funding was placed back in the budget. So we were really thankful to the Senate and Assembly for rejecting those cuts that the governor proposed and restoring funds to both the Adult Home Advocacy Program, as well as the equal program. And the Assembly also restored funding for CAD, which was only about $175,000. So in total, all of these funds amount to about $7 million. And right now what we’re pushing for is for all of that seven million to be restored in the final budget so that we can ensure that adult home residents have access to advocacy efforts, legal support, and these basic quality of life improvement funding like for clothing and air conditioners and things like that, that sometimes the facilitator or the facility heads, the folks who run these adult homes don’t offer themselves.

Emyle Watkins:
Thank you so much. We only got to talk about a couple topics today, but I’m wondering if you had the chance to sit down with the governor and the legislature today and tell them anything, what would you want them to know heading into negotiations?

Luke Sikinyi:
Yeah, I think one of the other things that wasn’t included in the budget that I wanted to talk a little bit about was we joined many other advocates in the behavioral health space calling for a carve out of behavioral health services from Medicaid managed care. And particularly the reason behind that is because what we’ve seen with the managed care system has been a lot of lack of access. It was said that switching to the managed care system was going to create more access, really streamlined services. And what we’ve seen has actually been the exact opposite with a lot of folks being denied services unnecessarily. And then a lot of folks who, from the provider side, providing services that are needed by individuals, but then not getting the requisite payment afterwards or having to fight months and months and months to get the payment that they deserve based off of what they had provided and a lack of understanding of regulations from the MCOs.

So we’ve called for those services to be carved out and it could save the state about $400 million, which could fund things like the targeted inflationary increase, and also put that money back into those community-based services so that we can really deal with this behavioral health crisis. And we are seeing a huge lack of access, seeing worker turnover. And it’s really critical right now, especially as the federal government moves to cut a lot of funding to states, particularly 黑料正能量, where we’re seeing actions around Medicaid and investigations around Medicaid fraud and the possibility that we have Medicaid funding cut. Again, it’s critical that the state take this time now in this year’s budget to really prop up our service industry, particularly the nonprofits who rely so heavily on state and federal funding to ensure that the backbone of services is maintained as we go through what could be a very difficult time because of the federal cuts.

Emyle Watkins:
It’s interesting that you mention managed care because I know that also home care services are asking to be removed from that system. Could you just briefly talk about what Medicaid managed care is? And is it time for the state to reevaluate if the managed care system and having managed care organizations at all make sense?

Luke Sikinyi:
Yeah. So essentially what happens with the managed care system is about 10 years ago or a little over 10 years ago, and many states have done this where the Medicaid program in most states is fee-for-service. So you provide a service, you get a specific fee and the state pays directly. The goal of managed care was to really have these insurance companies manage the dollars for Medicaid and the services and connection to services similar to your typical private insurance. But the goal was to save some of the funding by really organizing care based off of people’s needs and really supporting with that care management long-term. So really looking at the value-based services and providing those kind of services so that we can get some cost savings. And the goal was that if we could save money from the state, the managed care organizations would get paid, but also our Medicaid program would be able to reduce costs while providing effective services for folks.

And what we’ve seen instead has been that the managed care organizations have made money, but we have seen that really at the expense of people getting the services that they need and the providers receiving the funds that they need in order to provide those services. So what we’re calling for is essentially going back to a fee-for-service program so that we can ensure everyone gets the services that they need and that people are paid for those services, which will greatly help and reduce the sort of burden on both agencies and increase access for individuals.

Emyle Watkins:
Thank you so much, Luke. I really appreciate you taking the time today.

Luke Sikinyi:
Of course. Yeah. And it’s always great talking to you.

The post Don鈥檛 Miss Our Executive Seminar: Building a Better Crisis Continuum in 黑料正能量! appeared first on The Alliance for Rights and Recovery.

It is critical that 黑料正能量 takes every possible step to ensure that as many people as possible retain the health coverage they need. At the same time, the state must identify viable pathways for those who are no longer eligible for existing programs so they are not left without options. Gaps in coverage lead to delays in services, worsening health outcomes, and increased strain on emergency and crisis systems.

The Alliance will continue to closely monitor these developments and advocate for solutions that protect access and support continuity of services, particularly for those most at risk of falling through the cracks.

We encourage our community to join us at our upcoming Alliance Executive Seminar, where attendees will hear directly from OMH staff about how the state is working to mitigate the harms of federal policy changes. Alliance staff will also provide a detailed overview of the most critical federal shifts impacting 黑料正能量ers and the systems that serve them.

Register Today:

Staying informed and engaged will be essential as these changes continue to unfold.

Budget Update: Health Care Coverage for 450,000 黑料正能量ers Uncertain
By Katelyn Cordero and Maya Kaufman | Politico | April 10, 2026

Gov. Kathy Hochul and her budget director are raising concerns about a nearly $400 million proposal brought to the negotiating table this month by lawmakers to continue coverage for 450,000 Essential Plan enrollees who are set to lose the low-cost health insurance offering in July,

With state budget negotiations entering their second week beyond the statutory deadline, a sticking point is emerging over whether to proceed with  who received notification last week that they will be kicked off the state鈥檚 low-cost offering.

Hochul and state Budget Director Blake Washington both said they intend to focus on the 1.3 million 黑料正能量ers currently enrolled in the Essential Plan who the state can continue covering through a revamped program under the Affordable Care Act, after the federal government approved the plan.

But legislative leaders are backing a proposal that would allow coverage for individuals who earn too much money to qualify for that new coverage option, known as the Basic Health Plan, and too little to afford coverage through the exchange, according to an individual familiar with the matter, granted anonymity to discuss private deliberations.

The tightening of eligibility rules for the public health plan offering is due to federal policy changes in President Donald Trump鈥檚 . 黑料正能量 was to revert the expanded Essential Plan to the original Basic Health Plan.

A proposal introduced in the Senate and Assembly, devised by the Community Service Society of 黑料正能量 and , would provide coverage for those individuals to be left out of the Basic Health Plan. The plan is projected to cost $393 million for this fiscal year, jump to $633 million for 2027, and then $675 million for 2028.

When asked about the loss of coverage on Saturday, Hochul said her hands are tied and pointed a finger at House Republicans. The individual familiar with negotiations told POLITICO that Hochul has expressed reluctance to implement the plan laid out by CSSNY.

“黑料正能量鈥檚 Republican members of Congress聽own these health care cuts after voting to rip healthcare away from millions of working families,” Hochul spokesperson Nicolette Simmonds said in a statement to POLITICO. “While no state can backfill these devastating cuts, the Governor took decisive action to protect coverage for as many 黑料正能量ers as possible 鈥� over 1.3 million people that would鈥檝e otherwise lost coverage due to Republicans’ cruel decision.”

鈥淭he Governor will continue聽to negotiate with her partners in the Legislature to reach a budget agreement that delivers for all 黑料正能量ers,” she added.

The post Executive Seminar Preview: Protecting Health Coverage in a Changing Policy Landscape! appeared first on The Alliance for Rights and Recovery.

This is a valuable opportunity to hear directly from OMH staff about the progress being made on recent investments in 黑料正能量鈥檚 mental health system, as well as the steps the state is taking to expand and strengthen the full continuum of services to better support all 黑料正能量ers.

Bob Moon will join a distinguished panel of OMH leaders, including:

• Nicole Haggerty, LMHC, Deputy Director, Adult Community Care Group
• Liz Breier, CPRP, Chief Advocacy Officer, Office of Advocacy and Peer Support Services
• Janine Perazzo, LCSW, Assistant Commissioner, Office of Hospital Care and Community Transitions
• Sarah Kuriakose, PhD, BCBA-D, Director, Division of Crisis Services

Together, this panel will offer a comprehensive and candid look at the current behavioral health landscape, including updates on the state budget, new initiatives, federal impacts, and ongoing efforts to reduce administrative burden and strengthen system sustainability.

In addition, Bob Moon and the OMH team will host a dedicated session to answer audience questions. We strongly encourage attendees to submit questions in advance of next week鈥檚 event, particularly around:

• Progress on previous state investments
• Plans to expand the continuum of services
• Efforts to mitigate the impact of federal policy changes

Don鈥檛 miss this opportunity to engage directly with state leadership and help shape the conversation on the future of mental health services in 黑料正能量!

Register Today:

The post New Executive Seminar Speaker Announcement: Bob Moon Joins Opening Plenary! appeared first on The Alliance for Rights and Recovery.

At the heart of this issue is a workforce and service system that has been stretched beyond its limits. Without adequate investment, providers cannot recruit and retain staff, and critical programs cannot meet the growing demand for services. That is why the Alliance and other advocacy organizations continue to push for a 4% Targeted Inflationary Increase (COLA) in this year鈥檚 final state budget. This investment is essential to stabilize the workforce, strengthen community-based services, and ensure people can access support before reaching crisis.

As budget negotiations continue, we will keep pressing the Legislature and Governor to include this funding and other critical priorities in the final agreement.

We also encourage our community to join us at next week鈥檚 Alliance Executive Seminar, where OMH staff will discuss recent investments aimed at improving 黑料正能量鈥檚 mental health system, including efforts to expand community-based services and strengthen the overall continuum of support.

Register Today:

Now is the time to invest in the services that keep people out of hospitals, connected to their communities, and on a path toward recovery.

Disabilities Beat: 黑料正能量 Mental Health Advocates Urge 4% Funding Boost to Address Service Gaps
By Emyle Watkins | Buffalo Toronto Public Media | April 8, 2026

When the United States moved towards deinstitutionalizing people with mental health conditions and disabilities, the idea was to create a network of community services that would allow people to live as integrated into their communities as possible.

The laws since then have affirmed a person’s right to live and get treatment in the most integrated setting possible, but that doesn’t always mean the services are there.

This week on the Disabilities Beat, we share the personal story of a young Western 黑料正能量er, Emma Pratt, who found herself cycling through the state’s mental health system. She shares her belief that the cycle could have ended if resources in her rural community had been stronger. We also speak with a policy expert who says a 4% funding increase in the state budget for mental health services could help stabilize the programs meant to help 黑料正能量ers get help in their communities.

You can also hear or read .

TRANSCRIPT:
This is a rush transcript created by a contractor and may be updated over time to be more accurate.聽

Emyle Watkins:
Hi, I’m Emyle Watkins, and this is the Disabilities Beat.

When the United States moved towards deinstitutionalizing people with mental health conditions and disabilities, the idea was to create a network of community services that would allow people to live as integrated into their communities as possible.

The laws since then have affirmed a person’s right to live and get treatment in the most integrated setting possible, but that doesn’t always mean the services are there.

Emma Pratt:
Big thing is that they’re set up for short term, like stabilization kind of stays. And I spent months.

Emyle Watkins:
From 12 to 18 years old, Western 黑料正能量er Emma Pratt, spent time cycling through 黑料正能量’s mental health system. She says after a mental health crisis, she’d often end up in hospital programs far longer than they were designed for, waiting for placement into long-term treatment.

Emma Pratt:
One room that when I was there for three months, I started whittling a little hole in the window to get fresh air. So, it’s just really isolating and it’s honestly dehumanizing. I didn’t know what I deserved to just be locked up on a unit for months at a time. It felt more like a punishment than a here, we’re here to help you.

Emyle Watkins:
Sometimes the closest residential program was in West Seneca, an hour and a half from her family.

Amanda Marie:
If Emma was having a hard day, I wasn’t able to just show up there.

Emyle Watkins:
Her mother, Amanda Marie.

Amanda Marie:
We did have to figure out, am I going to have enough gas money to go see Emma or pick her up and have her come back home for a home visit once she got to that point? I wasn’t able to work, because just navigating the systems and being a support for Emma was a full-time job.

Emyle Watkins:
And when Pratt would finally make it home to a rural community south of Rochester, she didn’t have the services she needed to succeed in the community.

Emma Pratt:
I only had a care manager I would see once a month for maybe 20 minutes. They would kind of just say, “Hey, how are you doing?” And that was about it. I had the skill builder. I got lucky I had a really good one, but still, it just wasn’t enough.

Emyle Watkins:
Pratt believes if these community-based services had been better, she would’ve spent less time in the hospital.

Emma Pratt:
There were a lot of times that when I wasn’t getting the services, things would just reach a point where I absolutely had to go to the hospital. So, I think if I had had more of those community-based services and connections in my community, it could’ve caught me before I got to that crisis point. And I think a lot of my hospitalizations probably would’ve been avoided if I had the support that I needed, because it really was just, I had gotten to a point where I was struggling so much it just wasn’t safe for me to be home anymore.

Emyle Watkins:
Luke Sikinyi, the Vice President of Public Policy at the Alliance for Rights and Recovery, which advocates for 黑料正能量ers with mental health conditions, says it’s hard to keep programs staffed even at the adult level.

Luke Sikinyi:
We’ve seen an average turnover rate of about 30% in our programs. And part of that is because it’s been hard to keep up with rising costs for every individual and for folks who are working in this space, many of whom are making even less than someone might be making at McDonald’s.

Emyle Watkins:
This year, advocates asked the state for a 2.7% targeted inflationary increase, which is essentially a cost of living increase for these programs and workers.

Luke Sikinyi:
This is really just the bare minimum that we need.

Emyle Watkins:
The governor came back proposing 1.7%. However, the Senate and Assembly have both voiced support for 4% across human services agencies, including mental health. Advocates are now pushing for that 4% to help fuel those community supports.

Luke Sikinyi:
I think a lot of focus goes to hospitals, because most of the wider community doesn’t really understand that most behavioral health services are provided in community-based care settings.

Emyle Watkins:
As for Pratt, she is now in her early twenties. Pratt and her mother both became peer advocates, people who are trained to use their lived experience to help others with mental health conditions in their community.

Emma Pratt:
It’s all about empowering the peer to use their voice, and build self-advocacy skills and coping skills and all of the skills that you need to be successful.

Emyle Watkins:
Pratt has seen the difference that work can make, and she hopes the state will support more funding for community-based services.

Emma Pratt:
So, I think if there were more community-based services that can meet them where they’re at, I think a lot of times kids wouldn’t even end up institutionalized in the first place if they had access to those services when they needed it in the first place.

Emyle Watkins:
For more on this story, visit our website at btpm.org. I’m Emyle Watkins. Thanks for listening.

The post Executive Seminar Preview: Building a Stronger Mental Health System Through Community Funding! Register Today! appeared first on The Alliance for Rights and Recovery.

The Alliance continues to closely monitor the effects of federal policy changes and inquiries into 黑料正能量鈥檚 Medicaid system to ensure that people do not lose needed coverage while they remain eligible for services. Medicaid is a lifeline for millions of 黑料正能量ers, including those accessing mental health and substance use services, and any disruption to coverage can have serious consequences for individuals, families, and providers.

We are particularly concerned about how broader federal policy shifts, including changes tied to H.R. 1 and evolving federal oversight approaches, may create additional administrative burdens or barriers to services if not carefully managed.

We encourage our community to join us at next week鈥檚 Alliance Executive Seminar, where we will hear directly from OMH staff about how the state is working to mitigate harm from federal policy changes. Alliance staff will also provide a comprehensive overview of recent federal developments and what they mean for 黑料正能量ers receiving services and the providers who support them.

Register Today:

Staying informed and engaged is critical as these issues continue to evolve.

By Katelyn Cordero | Politico | April 7, 2026

ALBANY, 黑料正能量 鈥� Gov. Kathy Hochul鈥檚 administration defended the integrity of 黑料正能量鈥檚 $124 billion Medicaid program in a response to a letter from  accusing the state of allowing fraud, waste and abuse, the state Department of Health confirmed to POLITICO.

Oz focused his 鈥渇raud-busting鈥� campaign on 黑料正能量 last month when he issued  claiming the state鈥檚 鈥渆levated costs鈥� reflect 鈥減otential fraud, expansive benefit structures, and excessive provider payment levels,鈥� citing two recent criminal indictments of home care providers.

The state Health Department refuted the claims and set the record straight on some concerns outlined by CMS, according to agency spokesperson Cadence Acquaviva. However, the agency declined to release the letter sent to CMS.

鈥淭he fundamental mischaracterizations and misinformation outlined in the letter by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is a targeted attempt to obscure the facts,鈥� Acquaviva said in a statement to POLITICO. 鈥淭he bottom line is 黑料正能量鈥檚 Medicaid program advances longstanding federal objectives while maintaining rigorous, results-driven controls to identify, investigate and prevent waste, fraud and abuse, realizing more than $15 billion in cost savings and recoveries in the past five years alone.鈥�

Context: 黑料正能量 has the second largest Medicaid program in the U.S., surpassed only by California in total cost, and spends significantly more per person than most other states, . About 6.8 million mostly low-income 黑料正能量ers 鈥� roughly a third of the state鈥檚 population 鈥� were enrolled in Medicaid as of February, according to the state Department of Health.

Hochul recently visited Oz in Washington to secure a waiver to continue providing low-cost health care coverage to 1.3 million 黑料正能量ers enrolled in the state鈥檚 Essential Plan. Oz also approved an extension of the state鈥檚 lucrative health plan tax and a $212 million grant for the state鈥檚 rural health care system, providing a welcome boost to the state鈥檚 coffers.

Setting the record straight: The state alleges that CMS mischaracterized the Hochul administration鈥檚 effort to combat waste, fraud and abuse. Specifically, the health department corrected a CMS claim that 75 percent of Medicaid beneficiaries received personal care services in 2025. In reality, that figure is closer to 6 percent.

The state also pushed back on the idea that the program鈥檚 growth is an indicator of fraud, noting that many of the concerns in the letter reflect intentional reforms 鈥� such as changes to Non-Emergency Medical Transportation and the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program, as well as behavioral health investments 鈥� not fraud.

In addition, state health officials highlighted strengthened oversight measures and more than $15 billion in savings and recoveries of state funding over five years, along with recent changes to streamline programs like CDPAP in an effort to reduce opportunities for abuse.

CMS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The post Don鈥檛 Miss Our Executive Seminar: Protecting Access to Services! appeared first on The Alliance for Rights and Recovery.