A Message from Commissioner Baer on Governor Hochul's Executive B...

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Governor Hochul released her proposed 2027 Fiscal Year Executive Budget earlier this week, outlining her priorities for New York while continuing her commitment to our service system and our shared vision for a more inclusive New York for people with developmental disabilities.

The Governor’s budget is balanced and includes significant affordability measures that will benefit all New Yorkers. These include an historic $4.5 billion investment in childcare and Pre-K services that will help working families, a plan to lower the cost of auto insurance, and measures to improve access to health care and affordable housing. You can read more here.

The Governor’s progressive agenda will touch the lives of those who use our service system, including people with developmental disabilities and their families, as well as our vital workforce and provider partners. In addition, the Governor's proposed budget outlined several initiatives that directly benefit our service system and will improve the everyday lives of the people we support. Some key highlights include:

• A Fifth Consecutive Targeted Inflationary or Cost of Living Increase of 1.7 percent for voluntary-operated providers of OPWDD services will provide fiscal relief, empower providers to manage rising operating costs, and enable them to offer more competitive wages. This investment builds on the state’s investment of over $4 billion since 2022 to help not-for-profit providers manage rising costs and ensure competitive wages for direct care staff, including a historic $850 million boost in FY 2025.

   

• A New Family Care Rate Increase of 5 percent to enhance of one of OPWDD’s most integrated residential options, making rates more sustainable for providers.

   

• $5 Million for a New Assistive Technology Innovation Center to support research, commercialization, and startup companies developing technologies that will help people with disabilities become competitively employed and live more independently.

   

• New State resources ($30 million in FY 2027, $60 million annualized) to fund new service opportunities to help people to receive the support they need, including people who are entering our service system, those already receiving services, and those whose needs have changed.

   

• An additional $15 million to Develop Housing, specifically independent living opportunities, that build upon the state’s five-year, $25 billion, affordable and supportive housing initiative.

   

• Expansion of the MTA 2025-2029 Capital Program to ensure that at least 60 additional subway stations become accessible, advancing the system to over 50 percent accessibility and impacting nearly 70 percent of riders.

   

• The Launch of the Adaptive Clothing Grant Program for People with Disabilities, backed by $60,000 for grants through the Fashion Innovation Center.

Continued Capital Investments Include:

• Modernizing Research in Developmental Disabilities by maintaining the $75 million capital investment for the Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities (IBR) included in last year’s budget, which includes renovating the Staten Island campus, developing a Genomics Core facility, and creation of the Willowbrook Center for Learning.

   

• Continuing to Create Regional Disability Clinics using the $25 million investment included in last year’s budget, which supports the development of Regional Disability Clinics that increase accessibility and improve the quality of healthcare for people with developmental disabilities who access services in Article 16 and Article 28 clinics.

In her remarks, Governor Hochul stressed that her budget is “not just words on paper,” but part of a comprehensive plan to address the needs of New Yorkers. In the weeks ahead, I’ll be representing you as I explain our priorities and the challenges our service system continues to face to members of the State Legislature who will soon be crafting their own budget proposals.  

I look forward to this process and to continuing to work with you as we strive to ensure the final budget our state adopts helps us achieve a service system that works for people with developmental disabilities and their families, as well as our community partners and professionals who support them every day.

Sincerely,

Willow Baer 
Commissioner