A long-awaited New York State Senate hearing into the state’s deeply flawed transition of the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) has been rescheduled for early August, offering a renewed opportunity to demand accountability for a bureaucratic process that has endangered the health, safety, and independence of thousands of disabled New Yorkers.

Originally scheduled for early July, the hearing was abruptly postponed after the New York State Department of Health (DOH) said it was not prepared to testify. The hearing, convened by Senate Health Chair Gustavo Rivera and Senate Investigations Chair James Skoufis, is intended to examine how the state transferred administrative and financial responsibilities for CDPAP from more than 600 Fiscal Intermediaries (FIs) to a single company: Public Partnerships, LLC (PPL). According to the state, this shift was intended to simplify and streamline the program. In reality, the transition has caused widespread disruption.

Consumers, caregivers, and advocates have reported an alarming cascade of problems: personal assistants going unpaid for weeks or months, consumers being left without assistance, delays in enrollment and recertification, and communication breakdowns between consumers, statements, and FI, and the state. In some cases, people have been left alone, without help, for extended periods…putting lives at risk.

The August 21st hearing is expected to finally bring these experiences to light. Lawmakers, advocates, and impacted individuals will have the opportunity to publicly question state officials about how decisions were made, why communication with consumers and FIs broke down, and how the state intends to fix these ongoing issues. This will also be the first real opportunity for CDPAP consumers to be understood, something advocates say is long overdue.

Bruce Darling, President and CEO of the Center for Disability Rights (CDR) is among those scheduled to testify. Darling and CDR have been among the most vocal critics of the state’s plan, repeatedly calling out the lack of transparency, poor planning, and disregard for the autonomy and safety of Disabled people. His testimony will focus on the real-world impacts of these administrative failures — including lost access to vital services, emotional trauma, financial instability, and an erosion of trust in the systems that are supposed to protect the rights of Disabled individuals.

“This is not just about paperwork delays or systems glitches,” Darling said in a recent statement. “It’s about people losing their ability to live independently, about workers not getting paid, and about the state failing in its most basic responsibilities. The stakes could not be higher.”

Many advocates argue that the transition has revealed a deeper systemic problem — one that prioritizes cost-cutting and administrative efficiency over the lived experiences and self-determination of people with disabilities. CDPAP is rooted in the principle that Disabled individuals should have the right to direct their own care, choose their own personal assistants, and remain in their homes and communities. But the rollout of this new system has stripped many consumers of that control.

The public hearing will be a critical moment to push for real answers and real accountability. Lawmakers have expressed concern not only about how the transition was implemented, but also about the lack of oversight and the state’s slow response to the growing crisis. For many consumers, this hearing represents the first formal opportunity to highlight the failures of a system that was supposed to support them — and to demand change.

While the hearing’s delay was deeply frustrating to the disability community, advocates say they remain undeterred. The problems caused by the state’s transition plan are not going away, and neither is the advocacy.

“We won’t be silent,” said one advocate. “We won’t let this get swept under the rug. The hearing might have been delayed, but our voices will be heard.”

As the August 21st hearing approaches, stakeholders across the state are organizing, preparing testimony, and mobilizing community support. The disability community is determined to ensure that this hearing isn’t just a symbolic gesture, but a meaningful step toward restoring trust, fixing what’s broken, and ensuring that people with disabilities are treated with the dignity, respect, and autonomy they deserve.

This moment is about more than just one program. It’s about the fundamental rights of disabled New Yorkers to live freely, safely, and independently — and about holding those in power accountable when those rights are threatened.