Let's all do our part to help protect the funding and availability of services for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities including paying our valued staff the living wage they deserve!
How to Help
Protecting Medicaid: Advocating for People with Disabilities
On February 25, 2025, the U.S. House passed its FY 2025 budget resolution, directing at least $880 billion in spending cuts. These drastic reductions predominantly target Medicaid, jeopardizing essential services for individuals with disabilities and the provider networks that support them. If enacted, these cuts will force states to scale back programs, placing vital community-based services in jeopardy.
More than 511,000 people are already on waiting lists for services nationwide—a number that will only rise if Medicaid funding is slashed. Without adequate resources, individuals with disabilities may be forced into crisis situations, unable to access the support they need to live independently, maintain employment, and participate in their communities. In the past year alone, 90% of community providers faced severe staffing shortages, and 39% had to discontinue programs and services. Further reductions will only exacerbate this workforce crisis, leaving people with disabilities without necessary support or forcing them into costly institutional settings.
Now Is the Time to Advocate
At the state level, we are urging Governor Hochul to:
Include a 7.8% Targeted Inflationary Increase in the NYS 2026 Budget to stabilize provider funding. Establish a Human Services Wage Commission to address workforce challenges. Return the Rate Setting function to the NYS Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD).
At the federal level, we must stand against Medicaid cuts that threaten to dismantle essential services for our most vulnerable citizens. This is not a partisan issue—it is about protecting the rights, dignity, and well-being of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).
- Call or email your Governor, State Legislators, and Congressional representatives. Tell them to invest in Medicaid, not cut it.
- Share this message. Spread awareness about the impact of Medicaid cuts on people with disabilities.
- Stay engaged. This budget reconciliation process is ongoing, and our voices must be heard every step of the way.
Our communities thrive when everyone has the opportunity to develop skills, gain independence, and achieve their goals. Medicaid is the foundation that makes this possible. Let’s work together to ensure continued investment in the services that uphold the dignity and potential of people with disabilities. Advocate today to protect the promise of community living for all.
Learn More
Mike Lawler, Chief Program Officer of the NY Alliance, provided a briefing on what’s happening in Washington, D.C. and a status update on NY Alliance’s advocacy efforts to educate members of Congress about the importance of Medicaid to New York’s I/DD sector.
Medicaid Cuts Threaten Disability Services – Take Action!
On February 12th, Congressional leaders released a budget draft that calls for at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts, with Medicaid likely facing some of the deepest cuts. If Congress is successful in passing its budget resolution, it would direct further legislation to make these drastic cuts, which could:
Shift Medicaid costs to states, forcing them to cut provider rates or reduce essential services. Threaten home and community-based services (HCBS), leading to longer waitlists and higher rates of institutionalization. Put individuals with I/DD at risk of losing critical supports like Venture Together that allow them to live independently.Why Your Action Matters:
Members of Congress rely on feedback from their constituents when making decisions on public policy. Studies show that direct outreach from constituents is the most effective way to influence legislators—your voice truly makes a difference. That’s why it’s critical to act now and tell Congress to protect Medicaid and the services individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) rely on.
"Defend Medicaid!" National Call-in-to-Congress Day of Action: Thursday, February 6, 2025
Thursday Feb. 6, people who believe in Medicaid all across the US are joining forces to speak up for Medicaid, and it’s important that as many New Yorkers as possible are part of the mix!
Everywhere, people will be calling their own members of Congress that day to deliver two simple messages:
-  NO Medicaid cuts – protect essential health care!
- Voters didn’t ask for health care cuts; they want economic relief & financial security!
Here is the patch-through phone number: 866-426-2631
(If you don’t know who your member of Congress is, click here and enter your zip code in the small box on the upper right corner of the page to find out.)
Use your platform: Here’s a social media toolkit to use on Thursday.
Here is a general resource kit with lots of background information.
- This resource kit includes: scripts, email templates, and fact sheets!
This national call-in day is being organized and jointly sponsored and promoted by Action Network national partners with these major national organizations:
- Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
- Coalition on Human Needs
- Community Catalyst
- Cost and Coverage Collaborative
- Families USA
- National Health Law Program
- Protect Our Care
- Service Employees International Union
Stand Up for Medicaid and Nonprofit Funding!
In this season of advocacy, Venture Together and other I/DD Providers face uphill battles in maintaining the support and funding needed to continue our services to the I/DD community. We advocate on a state and federal level, with a focus on continued Federal and increased State funding.
The proposed 2026 NYS Executive Budget includes a 2.1% COLA which fails to address the rising operational costs, workforce shortages, and inflationary pressures faced by providers. Venture Together joins all of the other I/DD Providers in advocating for a 7.8% Medicaid rate increase to sustain essential services, enhanced capital funding to modernize facilities, and the creation of a wage commission to ensure fair compensation for Direct Support Professionals. These investments are vital to ensuring high-quality care and the long-term sustainability of our services.
Join Venture Together in advocating for these crucial changes at the NYDA Capitol Rally on February 25th, 12:00 PM ET at the New York State Capitol Building and Rally in the Valley on March 7th, 10:00 AM at Clover Stadium.
Why This Matters
Nonprofit providers like Venture Together are facing immense challenges due to inadequate funding, rising operational costs, and the increasing needs of the communities we serve. A temporary pause in federal financial assistance could further strain our ability to deliver the high-quality services that individuals with I/DD rely on daily.
Federal Funding Pause: What You Need to Know
Though the legal authority of this freeze is questionable, and lawsuits were initiated, OMB withdrew its temporary freeze. However, their actions underscore the urgent need to advocate for uninterrupted Medicaid funding and broader federal financial support for nonprofits. Read the OMB memo here.
How You Can Help
Your voice is vital in this fight. Use this link to contact your U.S. Senators and Representatives and urge them to support Medicaid and federal funding for nonprofits. Together, we can advocate for sustainable resources and policies that empower our community.
Protect Medicaid Services - Protect Disability Services!
Medicaid funding is the cornerstone of disability services across the United States, providing critical funding that ensures individuals with disabilities receive the support they need to thrive. In states like New York, Medicaid has offered life-changing programs for people with disabilities and their families.
While Medicaid programs are managed at the state level, they rely heavily on federal funding. Congress matches state spending based on an established formula, and New York State, in particular, has one of the most effective Medicaid programs in the nation for people living with disabilities. However, proposed changes—such as capping federal contributions or shifting to block grants—could have devastating consequences, drastically reducing funding and access to vital services.
For disability service providers like Venture Together and others across the country, these potential cuts are alarming. Now, more than ever, our voices matter. Contact your federal representatives with the resources below to share how Medicaid has impacted your life or the lives of those you care about.Â
Together, we can ensure that individuals with disabilities continue to have access to the services they are entitled to—services that empower them to live full and meaningful lives.Â
Ask your Assemblymembers & Senators to Reach out to Governor Hochul!
It’s the time of year when Governor Kathy Hochul and the team at the Division of Budget are compiling the Executive Budget proposal for the State’s next fiscal year and time for our advocacy to ensure that our budget requests are included in the Executive Budget proposal for 2026.
Members of the Senate and Assembly can be very helpful with this advocacy. Your outreach to your Senators and Assemblymembers is essential. Please take the time to reach out and ask them to send this letter to Governor Kathy Hochul.
The letter contains the New York Disability Advocates budget requests:
- A 7.8% Increase in Provider Rates
- Empaneling a Blue-Ribbon Commission on wage disparities to recommend future actions to increase direct care staffs’ salaries
- Capital Funding to improve energy efficiency in our day and residential programs to help providers comply with the Governor’s climate goals
To find your members of the Senate and Assembly, go to Assembly Member Search | New York State Assembly and Find My Senator | NYSenate.gov
Please ask your Senator and Assemblymember to provide you with a copy of the letter that they send to Governor Hochul and ask them to also forward copies to wini@iacny.org This will be helpful to NYDA when tracking outreach to the State Legislature.
Learn More about our NYS Budget Asks
What does NY's I/DD Community need in 2025?
Read Mike Avaro’s piece in Lohud on what the I/DD community needs from Governor Kathy Hochul in her upcoming executive budget.
Mike Alvaro is the president of New York Disability Advocates, a statewide coalition of 330 non-profit disability service providers providing vital services and support to more than 130,000 New Yorkers with I/DD, and the president and CEO of Cerebral Palsy Associations of New York State.
Click here to read the full op-ed: