BILL NUMBER: S1918
SPONSOR: RIVERA
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the social services law, in relation to a specialized
health home program to serve certain individuals with physical disabili-
ties
 
PURPOSE:
Establishes a specialized health home program to serve certain individ-
uals with physical disability.
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends section 365-I of the Social Services Law by adding a
new subdivision 2-e that would establish a specialized health home
program for individuals with physical disabilities. The bill would
establish eligibility criteria for program participation, reimbursement
rates, and require the Commissioner of Health to make regulations relat-
ing to the program.
Section 2 provides the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
The Health Home program has been primarily oriented towards populations
with complex medical needs and mental health, substance use, or
intellectual/developmental disabilities that necessitate personalized
care management. In 2019, the Department of Health established a
specialized health home for adults with physical disabilities, operated
by the Independence Care System, in recognition of this underserved
population that needed support. Unfortunately, the program is struggl-
ing under a framework that does not fit the unique needs of these indi-
viduals.
People with physical disabilities need a different range of care than
most others in the health home program. They need a health home that
understands the needs and risk factors of adults with physical disabili-
ties, such as the importance of repairing and maintaining customized
wheelchairs, loaning backup chairs when needed, authorizing an appropri-
ate amount of moisture barrier creams to prevent pressure injuries,
taking measures to prevent urinary tract infections in people with cath-
eters, and other specialized knowledge and equipment.
This amendment to the Health Home law would provide specific legislative
authority for a program for adults with physical disabilities within the
Health Home framework that has distinct eligibility criteria; a model of
care focused on maintaining members' health, maximizing their function
with wheeled mobility, and supporting independent living; performance
measures that focus on reducing the most common risk factors for poor
health and hospitalizations; and payment to support the resources needed
to successfully operate this specialized program. Establishing a more
appropriate framework for this population within the Health Home program
will better serve the needs of adults with physical disabilities.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2021-2022: S8861/A9293 Gottfried
2023-2024: S4789/No same-as
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the 90th day after it shall become law.

Statutes affected:
S1918: 365-l social services law