January 23, 2008
Please
come to the MHANYS Legislative Day on March 12th in Meeting Room
Five in the Concourse from 9—12 and help advocate for funding
for direct care staff in mental health programs.
Senator
Thomas Morahan Introduces
Health Care Enhancement Bill (S 6768)
Yesterday,
Senator Thomas Morahan introduced a health care enhancement bill
which is consistent with MHANYS call for health care enhancements
for direct care workers in mental health.
Yesterday’s
executive budget from Governor Spitzer was indeed a significant
step forward for the workforce with the funding for the third
year of the COLA and a commitment of funding for three more years
for the COLA (over $90 million commitment specifically to mental
health). We have always maintained that a COLA combined with Health
Care Enhancements will help in the recruitment and retention of
quality staff.
Through
the legislative process, we are hoping to be able to get funding
for the health care enhancements. We are very appreciative of
the leadership of Senator Morahan on this proposed legislation.
We look forward to also working with the Assembly on this bill.
Much like Senator Morahan, Assemblyman Peter Rivera has also always
been a strong supporter of workforce issues.
The
Bill memo from the sponsor is listed below:
SPONSORS
MEMO:
NEW
YORK STATE SENATE
INTRODUCER'S MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT
submitted in accordance with Senate Rule VI. Sec 1
BILL
NUMBER: S6768
SPONSOR: MORAHAN
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to establishing
an
employee health care enhancement program
PURPOSE:
This bill would establish an employee health care enhancement
program
within the Office of Mental Health, similar to an existing program
in
the Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities,
that
would provide funds to either establish health benefits or reduce
employee out-of-pocket health related expenses for mental health
work-
ers.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 of the bill amends section 7.17 of the mental hygiene
law by
adding a new subdivision (g) establishing an employee health care
enhancement program within the Office of Mental Health.
Section 2 of the bill provides for an immediate effective date,
provided
that any enhancements to provider rates shall take effect January
1,
2009.
JUSTIFICATION:
In October, 2007 the New York State Senate held a Roundtable on
Creating
a Quality Work Force for Children and Individuals Living in Residential
Settings. Among the many suggestions and recommendations that
the
Senators heard was the request that a Health Care Enhancement
Program be
established for workers in the mental health field as is currently
available to many OMRDD providers and their employees.
There have been two health care enhancement initiatives within
OMRDD
which have provided more than $60 million for health care benefits
for
direct support workers over the two year period which began in
2005.
While the program does not serve every employee, it does provide
a mech-
anism for OMRDD providers to apply for these funds and get the
enhance-
ment for their workers. The enhancements have ranged from $325
per
employee for those who have insurance, to $2,500 per employee
for those
who work for an agency which offered no health insurance.
This program has proved a positive way to assist workers with
the rising
cost of health care, thus helping to recruit and retain staff
in this
field.
Direct care workers in mental health settings should receive no
less
than their counterparts working with the developmentally disabled.
All
of the direct care staff work to care for some of societies most
fragile
and needy citizens and it take a tremendous amount of compassion
and
dedication. This bill would ensure that there is parity among
these
workers and similar support for the rising health care benefit
costs of
workers who are already being under compensated. New York has
an oppor-
tunity to positively impact the lives of thousands of mental health
care
workers across New York State by adopting this legislation.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately, provided that any enhancements
to provider rates shall take effect January 1, 2009.
