Trump draws false link between autism and vaccines, New York’s Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program change gets more pushback, and more developmental disability news for the week ending Dec. 13, 2024.

Spotlight: CDPAP

NY Republicans urge Congress to intervene in troubled CDPAP transition Eight New York GOP members argued that the state has evaded federal oversight and rushed the restructuring of the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP). (Times Union)

Firm in alleged Hochul bid-rigging scheme was set for takeover before it even won contract A possibly hyped-up report that PPL posted a related job position prior to being awarded the contract. Not saying it might not be meaningful, but consider the source. (New York Post)

OP-ED: The negative impact of New York’s CDPAP program change on minority communities For the West African community, many of whom rely on multilingual caregivers, accessing culturally sensitive services through local fiscal intermediaries has been crucial. (Amsterdamnews.com)

Center for Disability Rights in Geneva, N.Y., says future in jeopardy under changes made by Hochul administration The Center holds a news conference to note that the CDPAP change will have “devastating” effects. (Finger Lakes Times)

Looking for Reform in All the Wrong Places: Why Can’t We Get Home Health Care Right? The Center for New York City Affairs takes on the CDPAP administrative change. (Centernyc.org)

Related: Hochul expected to veto contract trans­parency bill for second time The Boost won’t have the update in time for the newsletter, but the governor is expected to veto a bill Friday, Dec. 13, for a second time that would improve transparency of state spending. Current state Finance Law does not require the state comptroller’s office to review state contracts after the executive declares an emergency. And state leaders sometimes remove that oversight during negotiations — like with the recent $9 billion Medicaid home care contract.

Timely News

UnitedHealth Is Strategically Limiting Access to Critical Treatment for Kids With Autism A secret internal cost-cutting campaign targets a growing financial burden for the company: the treatment of thousands of children with autism across the country. (ProPublica)

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