Message from New Acting Commissioner Kerri Neifeld

Message From New Acting Commissioner Kerri Neifeld

Today is my first day serving as Acting Commissioner of OPWDD. I want to take a moment to introduce myself and to thank you for welcoming me into this role. I have received many warm wishes since being nominated by Governor Kathy Hochul. Although I already know many family members, self-advocates, service providers and advocacy organizations through my prior work in the Governor’s office, there are many people I have yet to meet and know. I look forward to making my way across the state to meet and talk to as many of you as possible. I especially look forward to meeting the people that OPWDD supports and their families, as well as the Direct Support Professionals (DSP) who are the backbone of our system.

I am truly honored and humbled to be serving as your Acting Commissioner and I want you to know that as of today, day one, I plan to focus my full attention and energy on addressing the most pressing issue facing our service system right now – the growing workforce challenges. These challenges were significant before the pandemic and have steadily worsened since the onset of COVID-19. I know many people OPWDD supports, and their families, live in fear of losing the supports that you rely on every day, while others have already had to give up necessary and vital services. And I know that many of our DSPs work hard, day in and day out, but may feel undervalued and unappreciated. I am committed to working closely with the OPWDD stakeholder community to find solutions to this issue, so that the people OPWDD serves can access the supports and services they need and our DSPs can continue to do the work they love.

There are many other challenges facing our system today, such as increases in the number of people seeking services, the steadily growing cost of providing services, and the increasing complexity of individual support needs. Additionally, the old model for serving people is no longer working for everyone and we need to bring new and innovative ways to support and serve people into being. I know that staff at all levels are battle-weary after 18+ months of the pandemic. These are truly difficult times, but we can and will address these and all other challenges by working together.

Governor Hochul has committed to restoring faith in government. To that end, I am committed to building OPWDD’s relationships with the people we support, their families, providers, advocates and our state and legislative leaders. I know OPWDD cannot solve these issues alone and that we must work together as a community. We must step forward and think creatively to forge a new path in the wake of COVID’s damaging effects on our system. We can do more, we can do better – and I know we will.

Despite the challenges that we face as a community, I feel hopeful for the future of our system. I pledge to work tirelessly alongside you to turn adversity into opportunity. I am confident that together, we will continue to provide quality supports and services and restore New York as a national leader in supporting people with developmental disabilities as they pursue their life goals and aspirations.

In the days and months ahead, I will be engaging with as many of you as I can to hear about your lives, challenges and hopes for the future, and to partner with you to find solutions to the problems we face. I look forward to working with all of you.

Best regards,

Kerri E. Neifeld

Acting Commissioner

Support Disability Services During the Workforce Shortage

Addressing New York’s “Empty Bed” Policy

A Letter to Senator Stewart-Cousins and Assemblyman Heastie

March 10, 2021
Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins Assemblyman Carl Heastie
President Pro Tempore and Speaker
Majority Leader New York State Assembly
New York State Senate
Senator Stewart-Cousins and Assemblyman Heastie,
As members of the organizations listed above, groups of families and concerned individual advocates, we are closely
following the current New York State budget process on behalf of those with Intellectual and Developmental
Disabilities. Some of us provided testimony at the Joint Legislative Budget Hearing on Mental Hygiene and held a
Virtual Town Hall for families and individuals on the impacts of the Governor’s Budget proposals. We continue to
advocate for the roll back of the cuts and underfunding in the Budget for programs run by OPWDD (Office for People
with Developmental Disabilities) that, if not addressed, will result in the continued loss of services for those with
IDD, some of the most vulnerable in our population.
We strongly urge you, as our legislative leaders, to restore funding for OPWDD in the Governor’s IDD Budget. The
focus of IDD advocates across the State is as follows. One involves OPWDD sharing in the increase in Medicaid funds
the state is currently receiving and the other calls for the reinstatement of the COLA.
First, the state has received a Pandemic enhanced FMAP (Federal Medicaid Assistance Percentages) match which
based on OPWDD spending is estimated to be over $252 million. Yet the Not-for-Profit providers have received zero
dollars from this FMAP increase. This inequity needs to be addressed. These FMAP Funds could eliminate the cuts
to OPWDD’s supports and services that began during the last year. Additionally, the additional FMAP increase for
HCBS (Home and Community Based Services) in the current federal stimulus legislation should be spent on
OPWDD’s HCBS programs as intended by Congress.
Second, now is the time to address the continued deferral in the Budget of the statutory COLA for all OPWDD
service sectors. This COLA could begin to address the continued pressure on service providers which has been
exacerbated by years of underfunding, the unreimbursed expenditure on PPE costs and the costs incurred to keep
vital programs up and running.
We appreciate the complexity and difficulty of addressing all of the state’s needs. As you evaluate the Governor’s
budget for OPWDD, please recognize that these proposals will protect the services and supports on which people
with IDD depend. We urge you to act on these proposals.

Thank you for your service on behalf of all New Yorkers,

Elly Rufer on behalf of Self-Advocates and Family Groups Representing individuals with Intellectual and
Developmental Disabilities across New York State
cc: Senator John Mannion,
Senator Liz Kreuger
Senator Robert Ortt
Senator Gustavo Rivera
Assembly Member Thomas Abinanti
Assembly Member Helene Weinstein
Assembly Member Aileen Gunther
Assembly Member. Richard Gottfried