Training Grants for Disability Support Workers

Summary#

A-11734 would amend New York’s Mental Hygiene Law and add a section to the Education Law. Its stated goal is to train direct support professionals and create a career ladder for people working with people with developmental disabilities.

  • The Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) commissioner must work with SUNY and CUNY trustees on grant programs for community colleges to develop or improve training.
  • SUNY and CUNY trustees may establish grants for community colleges under agreements with the commissioner.
  • OPWDD must establish a tuition-assistance grant program, within funds appropriated for it and under an agreement with a community college.
  • Eligible workers could receive up to 50% of tuition at a state-operated community college. Tuition excludes mandatory fees, books, room and board.
  • After a worker successfully completes either program, the OPWDD-certified provider employing them must reimburse the community college for half the cost of the training or tuition.

The bill was introduced and referred to the Assembly Higher Education Committee; it is not law. The current versions of the amended laws were not supplied, so existing programs and how this would change them could not be verified.

What it means for you#

  • Direct support professionals and other workers in the field: If eligible and enrolled at least part-time (six hours per semester or four per quarter), you could receive tuition help of up to half the tuition cost. The bill does not specify how to apply or how grants would be awarded.
  • OPWDD-funded agencies and certified providers: The provider employing a worker must reimburse the community college for half the training or tuition cost after successful completion.
  • Community colleges: They may receive grants to develop or improve training programs. The bill describes a certificate program linking theory with practice and a supervisor/manager career ladder leading to an associate’s degree or credit-bearing certificates.
  • SUNY and CUNY: Their trustees may establish grants for community colleges. The bill does not create a new independent agency.
  • General public: Despite the word “credit” in the program name, the bill does not create a tax credit.

Money#

No publicly available information gives an estimated public cost.

  • The programs are limited to funds appropriated for them; the bill itself does not appropriate a specific amount.
  • Tuition assistance may cover up to 50% of tuition, not fees, books, room or board.
  • Providers must reimburse colleges for half the training or tuition cost after successful completion. The bill does not explain how this payment works with the tuition grant or who pays costs before completion.

What is unclear#

  • The bill does not explain how workers apply, how grants are awarded, or what counts as successful completion.
  • It does not say how many colleges or workers would be covered, or how much funding would be available.
  • The tuition-assistance provision refers both to direct support professionals at OPWDD-funded agencies and to “individuals working with” people with developmental disabilities. The bill does not clarify the full scope of that second group.
  • It is unclear how the worker’s tuition grant and the provider’s required reimbursement would be coordinated.
  • The bill requires agreements with colleges but does not provide their terms, timelines, or oversight rules.

Case for#

  • The bill appears intended to improve training and offer a path from direct support work to supervisor or manager roles.
  • Community-college programs could link classroom learning with practice, as the bill describes.
  • Tuition assistance could reduce part of workers’ tuition costs, while grants could help colleges build or improve relevant programs.
  • Requiring providers to contribute after successful completion could share the training cost between public assistance and employers.

Case against#

  • A provider’s required payment after completion could be a significant cost, but the bill gives no estimate or details about how providers would manage it.
  • The bill does not specify grant amounts, selection rules, or how limited appropriations would be distributed.
  • The lack of application, completion, and oversight rules leaves important parts of the program to later decisions.
  • The relationship between tuition assistance and provider reimbursement is unclear, so the bill does not show how much of the cost workers, providers, or public funds would ultimately cover.