To the editor:
With New York facing fiscal headwinds, new political demands and difficult decisions, it’s easy to believe that the only way forward is to cut funding. But what if the answer isn’t necessarily spending more, but spending smarter?
Across our state’s human services system, inefficiencies cost taxpayers millions while delaying care for children, families and vulnerable residents. Providers must wade through layers of redundant regulations, overlapping agency requirements, and outdated systems. These unnecessary barriers increase administrative costs, frustrate families and burden already overburdened staff.
The good news: There is a clear path to relieve pressure on the system and deliver better outcomes while saving the state money.
There are reasonable and feasible policy recommendations that state leaders can make that would streamline operations, improve access, and reduce long-term costs. These include the establishment of a portable check-in passport to replace duplicate background checks; recognizing a standardized assessment so families don’t have to repeat their stories to multiple agencies; alleviating labor shortages by expanding the scope of practice for baccalaureate-level professionals; and modernizing audit and telehealth regulations to increase efficiency and access.
These designs do not compromise security or surveillance. In fact, they improve accountability through data consistency and integration.
In addition to these savings strategies, we are pushing for a targeted 2.7% inflation increase for human service nonprofits. We are not asking for an extension of services. We are asking for funds to maintain the workforce we already have.
Together, these two elements—policy reform that reduces waste and sound accommodation that stabilizes the workforce—offer a blueprint for strengthening New York’s human services infrastructure.
William Gettman
CEO
Northern Rivers Family of Services
Albany
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