Dear Friends and Colleagues, 

Governor Hochul’s ‘EXPRESS NY’ initiative is tackling regulatory reform and cutting the red tape for New Yorkers, including people with developmental disabilities and their families.

Last Fall, the governor directed state agencies, including OPWDD, to recommend regulations or rules that could be eliminated or modified to improve the delivery of government services. As part of this initiative, OPWDD is streamlining regulations in the following vital areas:

• Social Security Administration Benefits: Current restrictive regulations make it challenging for service providers to administer Social Security benefits on behalf of people they support. OPWDD is updating our regulations to streamline the benefits process and reduce the burden on our service providers.
• Paperwork for Small Daily Purchases: Creating more flexibility around the handling of personal allowances, including increasing the threshold amount from $15 to $25 to reduce the paperwork related to minor, daily purchases and save time.

These regulatory updates will be published in the State Register this month, kicking off a 60 day comment period. Stay tuned for more efficiency measures that will make a difference for you, your family member or organization as we continue our work together to provide the highest quality supports to New Yorkers with developmental disabilities.

Sincerely,

Commissioner Willow Baer