Dear Colleagues and Friends,

I am pleased to share that OPWDD recently convened its inaugural meeting of the Developmental Disabilities Taskforce on Aging—a collaborative initiative between my office and the Developmental Disabilities Advisory Council (DDAC).

This taskforce brings together leaders, self-advocates, families, and subject matter experts to develop actionable recommendations that address the evolving needs of New Yorkers with developmental disabilities as they age. We recognize that this population often face unique challenges related to aging in place, healthcare access, and overall quality of life.

At OPWDD, we are committed to supporting people to live as independently and meaningfully as possible through every stage of life. As people with developmental disabilities live longer, healthier lives, we’re now faced with the opportunity—and responsibility—to adapt a service system that was not originally designed to support the complexities of aging. It’s a good problem to have, and one we are eager to solve.

We are grateful to have the partnership and insight of experts in aging, our colleagues at DDAC and, most importantly, the voices of families and people with lived experience. With this collective wisdom, I am confident we will shape innovative and effective strategies to enhance how we support people with developmental disabilities as they age—strengthening our system and improving lives across New York State.

With Gratitude,

Willow Baer
Commissioner

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

As I travel around the state, meeting with self-advocates, family members of people with disabilities, and our not-for-profit providers, I am overwhelmed by the fear and uncertainty you are experiencing about the federal cuts to Medicaid and other vital services and the impact it will have on your lives and on your businesses. I share your deep concern over the recently signed “Big Beautiful Bill,” which will decimate New York State’s safety-net healthcare system and is project to result in 1.5 million New Yorkers losing their health insurance coverage and 300,000 losing their SNAP benefits.

While the federal bill makes little change directly to the developmental disabilities services system, OPWDD relies on $7 billion from the Medicaid program annually to fully support more than 130,000 New Yorkers with developmental disabilities. We know that federal cuts of this magnitude will impact the people who receive our services, their families, direct support workers and providers of services, making it even harder to access medical care and in the form of lost benefits, such as SNAP and HEAP.

These edicts from Washington remain front-and-center for New York, with Governor Hochul committed to protecting New Yorkers. At the same time, OPWDD continues to move forward with our goals to increase independence and inclusion for people with developmental disabilities. This last state budget saw the single largest increase for OPWDD services to date, an increase of 9%, for a total budget of $13.1 billion. This included a 2.6% targeted inflationary increase for non-profit providers, and an historic $850 million investment in funding for our not-for-profit providers to continue to increase salaries for our vital frontline workers.  

New federal cuts undermine our ability to provide the greatest quality support for people with developmental disabilities, removing the very safety net health services and benefits people with developmental disabilities rely on for physical wellness and safety in the community. Our resolve and our advocacy for the disability community, however, will only continue to grow. I will keep you informed about any changes or impacts to our system as we chart a path forward together. You are not alone in this: our community stands together.  

Sincerely,

Willow Baer, Commissioner