N.Y. MHY Law § 41.43 — New York Code / Act MHY / Title E / Article 41 / Section 41.43
Family support services
Status: in_force

§ 41.43 Family support services.\n  (a) The commissioner of the office for people with developmental\ndisabilities, directly or through contract, and within amounts made\navailable therefor, shall establish a family-directed, statewide system\nof comprehensive family support services. The purpose of family support\nservices will be to enhance a family's ability to provide in-home care\nto their family members with a developmental disability.\n  (b) In administering family support services, the commissioner may, to\nthe extent practicable, establish standards for outcome assessment and\nperformance reviews of the goods and services obtained whether such\ngoods and services are purchased pursuant to contract with the state,\nthrough reimbursement of families, through the issuance of vouchers to\nfamilies for the purchase of goods and services, or through other means.\n  (c) For purposes of this section, family supports are goods, services,\nand subsidies, determined by the family and the commissioner of the\noffice for people with developmental disabilities, which are provided to\nmeet the goals of: (i) providing a quality of life comparable, to the\nextent practicable, to that of similarly situated families without a\nfamily member having a developmental disability; (ii) maintaining family\nunity; (iii) preventing premature or inappropriate out-of-home\nplacement; (iv) reuniting families; (v) enhancing parenting skills; and\n(vi) maximizing the potential of the family member with a developmental\ndisability.\n  (d) The developmental disabilities advisory council created by section\n13.05 of this chapter shall establish a committee pursuant to the\nprovisions of paragraph one of subdivision (c) of section 13.05 of this\nchapter, comprised of members selected by the commissioner, to be called\nthe committee on family support services. The committee shall (i)\nprovide information to the commissioner on the needs of families caring\nat home for a family member with a developmental disability; (ii) advise\nthe commissioner on policies related to family supports and services;\nand (iii) offer advice to the commissioner on the design, implementation\nand monitoring of family support services. Members of the committee\nshall include persons with a developmental disability, family members of\npersons with a developmental disability, and professionals and others\nwith an interest in the care of persons with developmental disabilities.\nA majority of the committee shall be family members of persons with\ndevelopmental disabilities. Members shall only receive reimbursement for\nexpenses incurred in connection with their duties on the committee.\n  (e) The commissioner, in consultation with the committee on family\nsupport services, shall submit by January first, nineteen hundred\nninety-three, and annually thereafter for four years, reports to the\ngovernor and the legislature concerning family support services. Such\nreports shall include, but not be limited to, the following: an analysis\nof family support services provided by contract agencies and those\nprovided by the state, the amounts and sources of funds expended\nannually for family support services by region and by type of service,\nthe number of families receiving services, the number of families\nestimated to be in need of family support services, the results of\nconsumer and family member assessments of family support services, and a\ndescription of any new initiatives and recommendations for future\naction.\n