New Law Will Compensate Parent Caregivers of Adults With Special Needs

New York state will now compensate parents who are family caregivers to adults with special needs.

Last week, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a new law adding parents to New York’s Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP), a Medicaid-funded home care program. Previously, CDPAP supplied resources so distant family members, like brothers- or sisters-in-law, could be personal assistants to a loved one with special needs. Now, parents are included on that list. California is the only other state with such a program for parents, according to the Democrat and Chronicle.

“Often, the parent knows how to give the best care,” Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Morelle, who co-funded the bill, told the paper.

“This is wonderful news for families all across New York State,” Morelle told WHAM. “There is no one who understands the complex needs and challenges of a child with a disability better than a parent.”

The new law is scheduled to go into effect April 1, 2016. For more on this bill, head here.