Disability Issues

(07/05/11) A health care advocacy coalition reports cuts to federal Medicaid spending, now being considered in Washington, would cost New York more jobs than any other state.

Families USA also says the loss of government entitlement programs will hurt the state's most vulnerable populations.

The Innovation Trail's Emma Jacobs reports. more

(06/23/09) There was a buzz across the community of people with disabilities when Gov. David Paterson was sworn in last year. And there were expectations that having a governor with a disability (Paterson is blind) would add weight to their concerns. But Gov. Paterson's approval numbers have tumbled to record and persistent lows.

Within the community of people with disabilities, there is still pride in the new governor, according to one North Country leader. Andrew Pulrang is director of the North Country Center for Independence in Plattsburgh. He says it's too early to tell whether Paterson will make a difference when it comes to disability policies.

(05/21/09) Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is drafting legislation that she says will make it easier for veterans to get health benefits. Of the nearly 47,000 veterans in the North Country, the Senator says more than 35,000 aren't receiving the health care they've earned from the V.A. Jonathan Brown reports.

(04/22/09) Sponsors of a bill to legalize the use of medical marijuana in New York say they are closer to passage than anytime before. Karen DeWitt reports.

(01/23/09) Advocates for home health care are fanning out across the state to head off a proposal from Gov. Paterson to re-structure the way home health aides are paid. Rebecca Leahy, ex. dir. of a private not-for-profit that serves clients from northern Warren County to the Canadian border, in Franklin County, says the governor's plans would dismantle a system that's provided care to thousands of elderly and disabled people across the North Country for 25 years. Licensed, private not-for-profits provide in-home care under contract to counties. Leahy's organization, North Country Home Services, serves over 900 clients a day.

County public health nurses evaluate clients to determine what care each needs. The private agencies provide the aides that do the day-to-day in-home work. They're paid by Medicare money, passed through the counties. The governor wants to eliminate the private contracts. In order for Medicare to pay, his budget would require home health aides to be county employees. Leahy has talked with all the counties she has contracts with. She told Martha Foley it won't work.

(11/26/08) The operators of the state's food pantries and soup kitchens say they're still holding out hope that Governor David Paterson will increase welfare benefits. As Albany correspondent Karen DeWitt reports, demand for food is soaring.

(10/27/08) New Yorkers head to the polls a week from tomorrow. New voting machines will allow most people with disabilities to cast their ballot without assistance. On Friday, volunteers in St. Lawrence County were testing these machines. Jonathan Brown was there and filed this report.

(05/30/08) A group of nurses and other unionized workers rallied yesterday for more staff at Sunmount Developmental Center in Tupper Lake. The state-run facility is home to more than 200 residents with mental and physical disabilities. Nurses say a staff shortage is hurting patients and straining staff. Jacob Resneck reports.

(05/12/08) It's Assembly Disability Awareness Day in Albany. Hundreds of people with disabilities will converge on the capitol to meet with their state representatives, and for seminars and lectures on a variety of disability issues. It's an annual pilgrimage, but the context changed when Gov. David Paterson took office in early March. Paterson is blind and a leader in disability issues during his career in state government. The North Country Center for Independence in Plattsburgh has chartered a bus for a local contingent. Executive Director Andrew Pulrang says many of the issues will be the same this year: state support for long-term care that allows people to live on their own, funding for the independent living centers that dot the state. But he told Martha Foley with Paterson in the governor's office, the climate seems warmer.

(04/17/08) Mental health advocates are asking New York's legislature to expand unlimited mental health coverage for people with post traumatic stress disorder, including returning war veterans and victims of domestic violence. Karen DeWitt reports from Albany.