NY Ment Hygiene L § 41.43 (2021)
2021 New York Laws MHY - Mental Hygiene Title E - General Provisions Article 41 - Local Services 41.43 - Family Support Services.

§ 41.43 Family support services.  (a)  The  commissioner  of  the  office  for people with developmental disabilities, directly or through  contract,  and  within  amounts  made available  therefor, shall establish a family-directed, statewide system of comprehensive family support services. The purpose of family  support services  will  be to enhance a family's ability to provide in-home care to their family members with a developmental disability.  (b) In administering family support services, the commissioner may, to the extent practicable, establish standards for outcome  assessment  and performance  reviews  of  the  goods  and services obtained whether such goods and services are purchased pursuant to contract  with  the  state, through  reimbursement  of families, through the issuance of vouchers to families for the purchase of goods and services, or through other means.  (c) For purposes of this section, family supports are goods, services, and subsidies, determined by the family  and  the  commissioner  of  the office for people with developmental disabilities, which are provided to meet  the  goals  of: (i) providing a quality of life comparable, to the extent practicable, to that of similarly  situated  families  without  a family member having a developmental disability; (ii) maintaining family unity;   (iii)   preventing   premature   or  inappropriate  out-of-home placement; (iv) reuniting families; (v) enhancing parenting skills;  and (vi)  maximizing the potential of the family member with a developmental disability.  (d) The developmental disabilities advisory council created by section 13.05 of this chapter  shall  establish  a  committee  pursuant  to  the provisions  of paragraph one of subdivision (c) of section 13.05 of this chapter, comprised of members selected by the commissioner, to be called the committee on  family  support  services.  The  committee  shall  (i) provide  information to the commissioner on the needs of families caring at home for a family member with a developmental disability; (ii) advise the commissioner on policies related to family  supports  and  services; and (iii) offer advice to the commissioner on the design, implementation and  monitoring  of  family  support  services. Members of the committee shall include persons with a developmental disability, family members of persons with a developmental disability, and  professionals  and  others with an interest in the care of persons with developmental disabilities. A  majority  of  the  committee  shall be family members of persons with developmental disabilities. Members shall only receive reimbursement for expenses incurred in connection with their duties on the committee.  (e) The commissioner, in consultation with  the  committee  on  family support  services,  shall  submit  by  January  first,  nineteen hundred ninety-three, and annually thereafter for four  years,  reports  to  the governor  and  the  legislature concerning family support services. Such reports shall include, but not be limited to, the following: an analysis of family support services  provided  by  contract  agencies  and  those provided  by  the  state,  the  amounts  and  sources  of funds expended annually for family support services by region and by type  of  service, the  number  of  families  receiving  services,  the  number of families estimated to be in need of  family  support  services,  the  results  of consumer and family member assessments of family support services, and a description  of  any  new  initiatives  and  recommendations  for future action.