Assembly holds hearing for OPWDD strategic plan

ALBANY | The New York State Assembly held a hearing Sept. 13 for the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities', OPWDD, Statewide Comprehensive 5.07 Strategic Plan for 2023 through 2027. Section 5.07 of the NYS Mental Hygiene Law requires OPWDD to make a five-year plan for providing services. OPWDD begin the process of creating its five-year plan, or strategic plan, in 2021 under the leadership of the new OPWDD Commissioner Kerri Neifeld. Neifeld was nominated for the role of commissioner in November 2021 by Gov. Kathy Hochul. In 2021 five regional public forums were held by OPWDD, where 100 people spoke. OPWDD met with 26 groups- people with disabilities, family members, service providers, and others. OPWDD also received letters and emails from more than 200 people. The stakeholder input informed OPWDD of the most important things to improve in the next five years: direct support workforce, self-direction, housing services, services for people with complex needs, how data and information are shared, and support for research. OPWDD took this information and turned it into three primary goals for the strategic plan. We believe the final version of the strategic plan will be strengthened because of the valuable input we received," Neifeld said in her testimony. The final version of the strategic plan is on schedule to be completed by Nov. 1. PERSON-CENTERED SUPPORT The first goal of the five-year plan is to support people in the most person-centered ways. This is broken down into four objectives: improving community integration; serving children, youth, and young adults; meeting complex needs; and serving diverse communities. The first objective focuses on growing day services, making it easier to get assistive technology and environmental modifications, and helping more people to use supported decision-making. The second objective focuses on looking at how waiver services used by children could be better, improving care management for children, and making crisis services easier for children to get. The third objective will focus on improving supports for people with complex needs, improving Intense Behavioral Support Services, making crisis services better and easier to get, and helping service providers support people with complex needs. The fourth objective will focus on a new OPWDD Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and look at how OPWDD supports all people. Neifeld said during the hearing that OPWDD did just appoint a chief diversity officer. STRENGTHEN OPWDD Goal two focuses on improving the direct support workforce, improving OPWDD's use of data, and improving stakeholder involvement. During the hearing, there were many testimonies given stating the difficulties accessing information from OPWDD and that communication needs to be increased. There were also many testimonies given stating that DSPs, or direct support professionals, need to be paid better. Neifeld said, "I think almost every element of our strategic plan is contingent on having a strong workforce." The first objective for goal two looks to provide financial support for the workforce, hire more workers and keep them employed, and improve workforce training and support. The second objective will improve technology and how OPWDD uses data to make services better, while the third objective will continue to meet with people we support, family members, and providers to plan together. IMPROVE SERVICE SYSTEM The third goal is all about finding ways to make services less complicated and to better serve people. This will be obtained through three objectives: improving support services, changing rules, and supporting research and innovation. The first objective is to improve support services including self-direction, housing services, access to health services, and reviewing the quality of care management/ care coordination. While the second and third objectives increase flexibility through better regulations and review programs and study new ways to support people respectfully. FEEDBACK FOR OPWDD The People with Disabilities Committee oversaw the hearing for OPWDD's strategic plan. The committee is made up of assembly members who have family members with a developmental disability, have experience in the field, or have heard from their constituents about the ways OPWDD needs to improve. Committee members seem hopeful that OPWDD is now moving in the right direction, but said the final strategic plan needs to be more specific. "What's a five-year plan without action steps," consistent and a person with a developmental disability BJ Stasio asked during his testimony. Rabbi Simcha Weinstein, a parent of a child with a developmental disability and a member of the Jewish Autism Network, Families Together in NYS, and NYADD, said during his testimony, "The need is great, the potential is endless." Weinstein went on to say that there are great services for young children with autism, but nothing once children hit puberty. Erik Geizer, CEO of The Arc New York, said, "The goals of OPWDD are sizable but they are vital." At the end of the day, the developmental disability community seems hopeful that a turn of tides is coming as a result of the new commissioner and strategic plan. Heather Burroughs, a mother of four children with special needs, spoke with candor during her testimony letting the committee know that she was tired and that the community needs help. She left the committee with a reminder that this plan is long overdue, saying, "... we've waited 12 years for this five-year plan."

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Assembly holds hearing for OPWDD strategic plan

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