Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 39, September 25, 2024
WHEREAS, the quality of life of children and adults with
disabilities is linked to the existence of quality jobs for direct service
workers and other paraprofessional staff in the disability fields;
WHEREAS, there have been recent developments in the
disability field, including new legal mandates, demographic trends, therapeutic
advances, new philosophical approaches and changes in funding
mechanisms;
WHEREAS, these recent developments have increased the need
for a well-trained and highly educated direct service work force, with
increased responsibilities and decision-making, working in partnership with a
diverse consumer population, in more decentralized and individualized
settings;
WHEREAS, the ability of provider agencies to implement new
mandates and programs requires the support of direct service workers, who
represent over one-half of the work force in the disability field, and who
share the same environments and spend the most time with individuals with
disabilities;
WHEREAS, there are emerging new career opportunities for
the direct service work force in areas such as the prevention of disabilities,
early intervention, case management, home habilitation, personal care
assistance, transition services, supported employment, advocacy, aging and
disability, psychiatric rehabilitation, community support services, family
support services, inclusive education and assistive technology;
WHEREAS, high rates of staff turnover can interrupt the
close relationship between staff and consumers and may adversely affect the
quality of care offered in the system;
WHEREAS, the ongoing changes in the service delivery system
have clarified the need for a stable, highly trained direct service work force,
with opportunities for career advancement through continuing and higher
education and demonstrated skill competency;
WHEREAS, the ability of provider agencies to attract and
retain a highly skilled direct service work force is in part dependent upon
providing innovative training and a continuum of educational
opportunities;
WHEREAS, voluntary providers are private businesses and
should be allowed a maximum level of management flexibility while ensuring
economic and efficient delivery of services;
WHEREAS, the State and private provider agencies have
worked collaboratively and effectively with educational institutions, private
foundations, unions, non-profit organizations and consumer groups to establish
innovative training and educational programs for direct care practitioners;
and
WHEREAS, there continues to exist a need to expand and
build on these collaborative efforts, to better coordinate initiatives among
the State agencies, private provider agencies and other interested groups, and
to design work force policies that lead to career advancement opportunities for
workers and improved services for individuals with disabilities;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, MARIO M. CUOMO, Governor of the State of
New York, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and Laws
of the State of New York, do hereby order as follows:
A. Creation of Task Force
1. There is hereby created a Task Force to
study and report on the skills, training and career advancement of direct care
workers who provide health, education and other human services to New York
State residents with disabilities.
2. The Deputy Secretary to the Governor for
Human Services shall be the Chair of the Task Force. The Task Force shall
consist of up to twenty-five members and shall include representatives of
institutions of higher education such as the New York State Consortium for the
Study of Disabilities, non-profit organizations such as Reaching Up, Inc.,
public and private provider agencies, unions, consumer groups, direct service
workers, professional associations, other interested individuals and
organizations;
3. The Deputy
Secretary to the Governor for Human Services, the Commissioner of the Office of
Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, the Commissioner of Mental
Health, the Commissioner of the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse
Services, the Commissioner of Education, the Deputy Commissioner for Vocational
and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities, the Commissioner of
Health, the Commissioner of Social Services, the Director of the Governor's
Office of Employee Relations, the Commissioner of Civil Service, the Director
of the Budget, the Executive Director of the Developmental Disabilities
Planning Council and the Executive Director of the Council on Children and
Families, or their designees, shall serve as ex officio members of the Task
Force.
B. Powers and
Duties of Task Force
1. The Task Force shall
study the skills, training and career advancement of direct care workers who
provide health, education and other human services to New York State residents
with disabilities. The issues to be considered by Task Force shall include but
not be limited to:
a. the possibility of
developing a tracking system to allow State agencies to monitor the amount of
funds currently being spent on the training of direct service workers, how it
is being spent, who is receiving training, and the outcomes of such
training;
b. creative ways to
facilitate interagency cooperation in the training of direct service workers,
such as coordinating the development of federally mandated comprehensive
systems of personnel development at the Department of Health and the State
Education Department, and expanding those systems into a broader, interagency
personnel planning process encompassing additional agencies such as the Office
of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities and the Office of Mental
Health;
c. creative ways of
financing career ladder training for direct service workers;
d. the impact of career ladders on job
titles, job designs, staffing patterns, and the organizational structure and
culture of provider agencies;
e.
possible standards for the accreditation of "master-workers" and the
possibility of standardizing existing certification requirements for direct
service workers across related delivery systems;
f. the possibility of developing a
comprehensive system of occupational skill standards and certification for
human service workers in partnership with the newly created National Skill
Standards Board;
g. opportunities
for career mobility across related delivery systems;
h. proposals for regulatory reform that will
improve the delivery of individualized services by modifying the minimum
qualifications and required training of direct care practitioners;
i. the impact of career ladders on the
diversity of the work force;
j. the
impact of career ladders on the quality of care and on the professional
relationship between consumers and direct service workers;
k. the possibility of modifying current
reimbursement methodologies to strengthen career ladder training;
l. the possibility of a training voucher
system tied to consumers and/or direct service workers;
m. ways to minimize disincentives and
increase incentives for agencies to train their workers, including removing
methodological and other barriers to provider management flexibility, and ways
for workers to take advantage of training opportunities; and
n. ways in which public and private colleges and other
organizations such as the New York State Consortium for the Study of
Disabilities can play a better role in the delivery of career ladder training
to direct care practitioners in disability related fields.
C. Report to the Governor
1. The Task Force shall issue a final report
to the Governor on or before June 1, 1995. This report shall include specific
recommendations to strengthen the direct service work force as a way to improve
services to individuals with disabilities and their families. The Task Force
may issue such interim reports as it shall deem appropriate.
Signed: Mario M. CuomoDated: September 6, 1994
[FN*] [Revoked by Executive Order No. 31 (George E.
Pataki), infra.]
[FN[DAGGER]] [Revoked by Executive Order No. 5 (Eliot
Spitzer), infra.]
[Revoked by Executive Order No. 9 (David A. Paterson),
infra.]
[Revoked by Executive Order No. 2 (Andrew M. Cuomo),
infra.]
