New York budget plans 5% Family Care rate increase

New York’s OPWDD-funded Family Care model is drawing renewed attention as state budget negotiations continue ahead of the April 1 deadline. Reporting in the Disabilities Beat series profiles the program and outlines how a proposed rate increase could affect growth. Family Care supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in living with a certified family in a home setting, instead of in group homes or other certified residential settings. The model is positioned as one option for more individualized living arrangements, but practical capacity limits continue to shape how widely it can scale.

Budget Rate Increase Could Expand Capacity

The Disabilities Beat report notes that a proposed rate increase in the New York state budget could help expand Family Care by enabling more “houses” and helping with costs tied to the certification process. One cited example is the expense of getting homes up to code, described as a practical barrier that can affect whether a home can be certified. The story connects these kinds of certification-related costs to the program’s ability to add capacity. OPWDD stated that all current state budget proposals include a 5% rate increase for Family Care. The report also points to April 1 as New York’s budget deadline.

Program Scale Remains Limited

OPWDD reported more than 1,000 people enrolled in Family Care in 2024. At the same time, the story emphasizes that the program represents a small share of the overall system: it accounted for less than 1% of housing spending for nearly 35,000 disabled people statewide. That gap between enrollment and overall housing spend is a central context point in the reporting, underscoring both the program’s existing footprint and the scale of the broader residential system it operates within.

Operational Requirements for Providers

For IDD providers, the report frames possible Family Care expansion as both an opportunity and a strategic signal. It suggests the state may view family-based or host-home-like models as a lever to increase individualized living options, but that growth depends on operational infrastructure.

The story highlights several components providers may need in order to scale this model effectively, including recruitment, support navigating home certification, and training requirements such as CPR and other requirements. It also points to the importance of ongoing support systems for host families and participants. In that context, providers that can operationalize “host home ecosystems,” including matching, training, respite, and crisis support, may be positioned to stand out as the model grows.