For Immediate Release:
January 26, 2010

Contact: Chris Hilderbrant
Cellular: (585) 267-0343

(Rochester, NY) – People with disabilities, angered by proposals from the Governor to drastically restrict vital services, will be protesting the Governor’s visit to Rochester this afternoon.

Governor Paterson has proposed a 12 hour per day cap on Personal Care Aide (PCA) services, including the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP). Individuals who need more than 12 hours of service per day will be forced out of PCA/CDPAP and into other service delivery models, including the Long Term home Health Care Program (LTHHCP), Nursing Home Transition and Diversion (NHTD) waiver and Managed Long Term Care (MLTC). At least 125 people in the Rochester area would be affected by this proposal.

“None of the options the Governor has proposed actually works for people who need larger numbers of hours of personal care,” said Bruce Darling, President/CEO of the Center for Disability Rights. “They limit control and restrict choice. The options proposed are also more costly on an hourly basis. The only conclusion that we can reach is that the Governor plans to cut hours of service in order to reach his savings targets.”

Protestors will be assembling outside WXXI’s studios at 280 State Street, Rochester, NY at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 26, 2010.

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