Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio (R,C-Riverhead), the ranking member of the Assembly Committee on People with Disabilities, issued her strongest call yet for immediate action to address the disastrous transition of the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) to a new statewide intermediary, Public Partnerships LLC (PPL).

Despite repeated warnings, press releases and direct communication with the Department of Health, the situation has only worsened. Home care aides across New York state are still reporting delayed or incorrect paychecks and lapses in health insurance, leaving both caregivers and vulnerable patients abandoned by the very system designed to support them.

“This is the third time I’ve had to sound the alarm,” said Giglio. “Families were promised a smooth transition. Instead, thousands of aides have been left scrambling without paychecks, without insurance, and in some cases, consumers are left without the care they need to survive. This is unacceptable, and it is inexcusable.”

The CDPAP program, critical to more than 250,000 New Yorkers with long-term medical needs, allows individuals to hire their own caregivers, including family members and community aides. Before the transition to PPL, more than 425,000 personal aides served these valued New Yorkers. Since the transition, PPL reports 155,000 aides were paid as of April 27, in the third payroll cycle. This number alone is a stark commentary on the failure of the PPL transition.

 When the Department of Health shifted to PPL, it pledged better efficiency. Instead, the transition has been riddled with technical failures, delayed pay and bureaucratic stonewalling. These problems have left aides without pay and consumers without care.

Giglio is demanding real accountability from the Department of Health as well as an independent audit of the contract with PPL so providers and patients aren’t left in limbo any longer. Giglio also stated that “immediate full backpay should be given to all caregivers impacted by this botched rollout” as well as “health insurance be reinstated for any aide who lost coverage during this transition”.

“This isn’t just a payroll glitch … It’s life and death for many families,” Giglio said. “New York cannot continue to hide behind bureaucratic excuses while real people suffer.”

For further details on the CDPAP transition issues, refer to the following Times Union article: CDPAP glitches continue with pay errors, lapsed health insurance.