On April 30, Buffalo Toronto Public Media’s Disability Reporter Emyle Watkins will host a live interview with Maria Perrin, the president of PPL, the new single statewide fiscal intermediary (FI) for the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP).
The two will discuss what CDPAP is, the move from 600 FIs to PPL being the only FI in New York, and the progress of transitioning the hundreds of thousands of disabled people and their care workers to this company.
“This interview will allow disabled people, their care workers, families, and other stakeholders in this situation to hopefully get answers to their most pressing questions,” Disability Reporter Emyle Watkins shared.
CDPAP allows people with disabilities to hire, train and self-direct personal assistants who are paid using Medicaid dollars through a fiscal intermediary, or FI. Public Partnerships LLC, or PPL, was chosen by the state as the new single FI last year and began transitioning consumers in January.
The transition was supposed to be complete by April 1st, but consumers report facing many challenges and roadblocks. As of April, of the roughly 250,000 disabled people originally enrolled in the program, the Department of Health reports that 40,000 still haven't transitioned. Additionally, about 60,000 consumers have left CDPAP for other personal care services. Those numbers do not include the multiple personal assistants that may be employed by each consumer.
“I’ve heard from people across New York about the challenges they’ve faced in this transition, their confusion about these changes and their concerns for how this may impact their care. Keeping true to the purpose of the Disabilities Beat, we’re bringing disabled people’s voices straight to those in power to provide an opportunity for honesty and accountability,” Watkins said.
Perrin will answer questions submitted by the disability community regarding the transition and their concerns. Watkins, who hosts the Disabilities Beat on BTPM NPR, brings expertise to the conversation, as she has been investigating CDPAP, home care, and Medicaid issues in New York State for four years and lives with a disability.
The interview will air live on April 30 from 12-1pm on BTPM.org, the BTPM NPR YouTube channel, and on the BTPM NPR Facebook page. ASL interpretation will be provided.
# # #
About Buffalo Toronto Public Media
Buffalo Toronto Public Media engages with our communities through exploration and entertainment –everywhere. Our member-supported services include BTPM PBS, BTPM NPR (88.7 in Buffalo, 91.3 in Olean, 88.1 in Jamestown), BTPM Classical (94.5 in Buffalo, 89.7 WNJA in Jamestown), BTPM The Bridge (88.7 HD2 and 94.5 HD2 in Buffalo), BTPM Create, and BTPM PBS KIDS. BTPM PBS is also a national producer of award-winning documentaries. Additional information about Buffalo Toronto Public Media can be found at btpm.org.