On August 13, Assemblyman Josh Jensen, ranking member of the Assembly Health Committee, and the Republican members of the committee called on Gov. Kathy Hochul to reinstate state comptroller oversight to the bid process of the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program bid process. Comptroller oversight was removed in this year’s enacted state budget among additional reforms to the CDPAP programs, many of which were opposed by CDPAP stakeholders across New York and members of the Legislature.
In a letter to the governor, Assemblyman Jensen and his minority colleagues expressed their significant concern regarding the lack of transparency and oversight over the “request for proposal” process for the new CDPAP statewide fiscal intermediary, with particular concerns regarding the subjective nature of proposals being evaluated based on “best value,” which obscures the fiscal ramifications of such a contract.
“It was clear that the plans to ‘reform’ CDPAP were not fully thought out during this year’s budget process. By reinstating comptroller oversight of the bid process, New York state government can show it wants to act more responsibly while we hopefully work towards a legislative solution to protect the state residents who rely on this critically important program,” said Assemblyman Josh Jensen. “Making CDPAP operate more efficiently and effectively will benefit all those involved in the program, and while the governor has not ruled out changing or delaying the ‘reforms,’ we should take the time to pause and work in a bipartisan manner, with stakeholder involvement, to find a way to ensure CDPAP continues to meet the needs of New Yorkers,” said Jensen.
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