Enable the behavioral health system to meet the urgent demand by investing $195 million to enhance the existing rate structure for children’s behavioral health clinics (Article 31 and Article 32-822) services, Children’s Home and Community Based Services (HCBS), and Child and Family Treatment and Support Services (CFTSS).

• Enacted Budget fails to make systemic investments in the children’s behavioral health outpatient system.

Require commercial insurers to pay Medicaid APG rates for in-network and out-of-network behavioral health services.

• Enacted Budget mandates that commercial insurance plans reimburse Article 31 and 32 licensed in-network outpatient behavioral health services at the same level as Medicaid APG rates.

Across all state agencies that license or regulate behavioral health services for children, youth, and families, include a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) tied to the Consumer Price Index-U (CPI) at 3.2% (July 2023) in the SFY 2024-25 Executive budget proposal and add it back to the statute.

• Enacted Budget includes a 2.84% human services COLA in which eligible workers must receive at least a 1.7% salary increase. The COLA excludes certain professions, such as preventive service workers.

Invest in new and expand eligibility and funding for existing recruitment and retention strategies – particularly those supporting BIPOC and multi-lingual professionals – including through loan repayment, tuition remission, scholarship programs, increasing residency and fellowship positions, and employee assistance grants.

• Enacted Budget includes $4 million for the recruitment and retention of psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, and other licensed clinicians in mental health programs for children licensed by OMH or OCFS.

Increase reimbursement rates for all in-person Early Intervention services to 11% to help address provider service shortage and increase access to in-person services.

• Enacted Budget increases Early Intervention reimbursement rate to 5% for in-person services, and an additional 4% rate modifier for rural and underserved areas.

Reform methodology for Early Intervention reimbursement rates by conducting a comprehensive assessment of methodology used to determine payment for all evaluations, services and service coordination and publish a report within 12 months.

• Enacted Budget does not include reforming methodology for assessing EI reimbursement rates.

Ensure all eligible children remain continuously enrolled from birth to age 6 in Medicaid and Child Health Plus (CHP) health coverage.

• Enacted Budget authorizes children under the age of six to remain covered by Medicaid or Child Health Plus regardless of change to the family’s income. The State is currently seeking approval for this initiative through a federal Medicaid waiver.

Enact and fund the Housing Access Voucher Program (HAVP) to create New York’s first ever statewide rental subsidy program.

• Despite consensus in the One-House budgets, the Enacted Budget does not include HAVP.

Return to a shared state-local funding partnership on ALL shelter costs.

• Although the Enacted Budget did not return to a state-local partnership on all shelter costs, the Budget includes an additional $500 million to support New York City with shelter-related costs for recently arrived migrant families.

Create and invest in a permanent compensation fund to increase child care worker pay. This fund should be robustly resourced and sufficient to raise child care worker pay to parity with similar positions in the public school system.

• Although both One-House budgets added workforce funds, the Enacted budget does not include a permanent workforce compensation fund.

Build from state-wide pilot created in the 2023-24 NYS Budget and Promise NYC program to provide state-funded child care assistance to all immigrant children barred from accessing federally funded subsidies.

• Enacted Budget includes $10 million for the Facilitated Enrollment pilot program to provide assistance to children barred from the state Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) due to immigration status; the pilot will also be available to parents working episodic hours.

• Enacted Budget includes $5 million directed to Promise NYC ($3.6 million increase from last year) and $3.6 million for the rest of state ($1 million increase from last year).

Increase capacity for non-traditional hour care and care for children with special needs by paying an enhanced reimbursement rate of 15% statewide for non-traditional hour care and implement a pilot program to provide a monthly per-child supplement for non-traditional hour care and for children with special needs.

• Enacted Budget includes an increase of no less than 10% and no greater than 15% for non-traditional care hours and for children experiencing homelessness, but does not include care for children with special needs.

• Enacted Budget does not include pilot program providing monthly per-child supplement for non-traditional hour care and for children with special needs.

Develop a collaborative plan between OCFS and SED to create and fund a path toward year-round, full-day universal care – that expands access to 3K and infant toddler care as well as actualizes UPK – drawing on lessons learned from UPK and expanding and diversifying funding sources.

• Enacted Budget does not include a plan to create and fund path towards year-round, full-day universal care.

Ensure that Foundation Aid is funded this year with an increase of $1.3 billion, as expected by current law, and invest $1 million toward a study conducted by SED to update the Foundation Aid formula based on current need.

• Enacted Budget includes $465 million more in Foundation Aid than the previous year. However, it also includes a lower growth rate than what is necessary to meet the need.

Dedicate funding to expand Community Schools statewide and maintain the current Community Schools Set-Aside to ensure sustainability for current community schools.

• The Enacted budget does not expand funding for Community Schools

Restore and enhance Child Welfare Funding to a 65/35 state/county statutory share for preventive, protective, and independent living services

• Despite consensus in the One-House Budget bills to restore funding to 65/35 levels, the Enacted Budget retains Child Welfare Funding at 62/38 state/county share.

Add ongoing automatic increases to the child welfare subsidy tied to inflation and rising housing costs and increase the age limit to age 24 to better support more young people and families.

• Enacted Budget does not include an increase to the child welfare subsidy tied to inflation nor does it increase the age limit to 24.

Deepen support for the child welfare prevention workforce, including timely COLAs, living wages, and professional development opportunities

• Enacted Budget does not include additional support for the child welfare prevention workforce.

Expand opportunities to fund UBI pilots, including a pilot for pregnant and parenting households with children under three years of age, focusing on counties with high rates of child poverty.

• Enacted Budget does not expand funding for UBI pilots.

Expedite the distribution of Raise the Age funds to counties, prioritize directing a share of resources to local CBOs that work directly with justice-involved youth, and ensure NYC can access RTA funds.

• Enacted Budget maintains RTA funds statewide at $250 million appropriation.

• Enacted Budget does not include language expediting funding to communities, prioritizing resources for CBOs through the Youth Innovation Fund, or ensuring NYC can access RTA funds.

Invest in primary prevention youth services such as academic and college and career readiness supports, and year-round youth activities, that support their growth and development.

• Enacted Budget maintains funding for existing youth services but does not increase overall investments.

Continue the SYEP expansion and increase state funding for programs so there are enough seats to meet the demand of all interested youth and children

• Enacted Budget did not continue SYEP expansion nor increase state funding for programs.

Strengthen the State child tax credit so it reaches the poorest New Yorkers, currently excluded from the full credit, and provide an increased credit amount that would have a meaningful impact on a family’s budget;

• Enacted Budget does not enhance the State child tax credit for the poorest New Yorkers or increase the credit amount. However, the Enacted Budget includes $350 million for a one-year supplemental tax credit to those eligible for the Empire State Child Credit.

Strengthen the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) so that all working New Yorkers who are eligible may file, including those filing with an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN).

• Enacted Budget fails to include those households filing with an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) as part of the EITC.

Establish a Task Force for a state-funded version of SNAP for All, regardless of immigration status.

• Enacted Budget does not establish a task force for a state-funded version of SNAP for All program.

Expand on progress made in the past year by establishing and funding a statewide Healthy School Meals for All program for all New York State students, regardless of income.

• Although the Enacted Budget sustains funding to continue last year’s expansion of free school meals through the Community Eligibility Provision, the Enacted Budget does not include establishing and funding a statewide universal school meals program.

Establish a state SNAP minimum benefit program that brings the minimum SNAP benefit above the minimum federal SNAP benefit.

• Enacted Budget does not establish a program to increase minimum SNAP benefit to $100.

Increase funding for anti-hunger programs including the Nutrition Outreach and Education Program (NOEP), Hunger Prevention Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP), and Nourish New York

• Enacted Budget includes $23.3 million for HPNAP, bringing total funding for FY25 to $57.8 million, though funding falls short of the $64 million advocates were seeking.

• Enacted Budget includes $4.3 million for Nourish NY, bringing total funding for FY25 to $54.3 million, though funding falls short of the $75 million advocates were seeking.

• Enacted Budget includes $5.55 million for NOEP, maintaining last year’s funding levels.

Build on recent minimum wage increases by ending the subminimum wage.

• Enacted Budget does not end the subminimum wage.

Youth Services

• Enacted budget includes $7.9 million for the higher education needs of youth in foster care, though funding falls short of the $10 million advocates were seeking.

Food Insecurity and Anti-Poverty Investments

• Enacted budget includes an additional $750,000 ($1.5 million total) for programs to develop farm to school initiatives helping schools purchase more food from local farmers and expand access to healthy local foods for school children.

Behavioral Health

• Enacted Budget includes $10 million for Hi-Fidelity wrap-around services for children, a $5 million increase over previous year.

• Enacted Budget includes $7.6 million to increase reimbursement for children’s mental health services provided in integrated settings.

• Enacted Budget includes $4 million in state funding ($9.6 million total) to create 12 additional Youth ACT teams.

• Enacted Budget includes $1 million to support two programs in Children’s Community Residences in each OMH region to support reunification with families and build networks to mental health services.

• Enacted Budget includes $55 million to open 125 state operated in-patient psychiatric beds, 15 of which are for children and adolescents.

• $2.8 million to expand and provide a 25% rate enhancement for the Partial Hospital Program for youth and young adults.