Governor Hochul Champions Investments to Bolster New York’s Support Systems and Foster Greater Inclusivity Statewide as Part of the FY27 Budget

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced new investments and policies to make New York more inclusive, expand supportive services and build more resilient communities across New York as part of the FY27 Enacted Budget. Governor Hochul's initiatives bolster her commitment to tear down barriers for people with disabilities, improve healthcare equity, expand support for veterans and their families, and ensure the state is welcoming to all residents.

"This Budget builds on our commitment to ensure that New York is a place where everyone is accepted, supported and protected," Governor Hochul said. "These critical initiatives will expand care opportunities and help New Yorkers live with dignity and independence."

Since taking office, Governor Hochul has made historic investments to strengthen New York's safety net and expand access to care, including nearly $2 billion to expand behavioral health services including psychiatric care and addiction services, protecting and expanding benefits for veterans, and breaking down barriers to employment for people with disabilities. In this Budget, Governor Hochul will build on this progress by streamlining access to services, strengthening behavioral health supports, and empowering innovation to better serve New Yorkers.

Strengthening Supports for New Yorkers

Establishing Veterans Services Clinics at Higher Education Institutions Across New York State

Approximately 33,000 veterans are enrolled in higher education across New York, including nearly 10,000 at SUNY and CUNY.

Governor Hochul will provide Veterans Services Clinics across higher education institutions, including SUNY and CUNY campuses. Operating at key points throughout each semester, the clinics will bring together state and campus resources to provide one-on-one assistance with tutoring, benefits navigation, tuition assistance, and connections to veteran support services, helping student veterans stay on track for academic and economic success.

Strengthening Suicide Prevention and Wellbeing

Suicide rates are rising nationally, with elevated risks among veterans, rural and tribal communities, older men, and Black, Latino, and LGBTQ+ youth.

Governor Hochul will direct the Office of Mental Health to lead a three-year, cross-agency suicide prevention action plan that raises awareness of risk factors such as housing instability, financial insecurity, and lack of culturally responsive care, ensuring vulnerable New Yorkers are supported before they reach a crisis point.

Building Community With GRACE

Despite progress in combating the overdose crisis, communities of color continue to experience disproportionate loss of life.

Governor Hochul will launch GRACE, Guided Recovery Action through Congregational Engagement, to empower faith based organizations to connect people to life saving treatment. Through a partnership between OASAS and the Department of State's Interfaith Advisory Council, GRACE will provide knowledge and tools to help faith leaders recognize substance use issues, reduce stigma, and link families to care.

Supporting Not-for-Profits That Serve New Yorkers

Not-for-profit providers deliver critical services across the state and rely on timely, predictable state payments. Governor Hochul will direct all state agencies to provide consistent guidance on reimbursement timing and eligible expenses, helping not-for-profit organizations that deliver critical support better serve New Yorkers.

Increasing Resources for Behavioral Health Supportive Housing

Supportive housing helps people with mental health and substance use challenges stay safely housed while receiving the care and services they need to remain stable and avoid homelessness. Governor Hochul is investing $71 million dollars to increase rates for OMH and OASAS supportive housing programs, preserving housing, and behavioral health services for more than 23,000 New Yorkers in recovery and reducing reliance on costly emergency and inpatient care.

Building a Center of Excellence for Medical Cannabis and Health Equity

Governor Hochul will launch a first-in-the-nation Center of Excellence for Medical Cannabis and Health Equity to train clinicians on cannabis pharmacology, evidence-based care, and patient counseling. Developed in partnership with medical schools and residency programs, the Center will expand access to therapeutic care and help close longstanding disparities in medical cannabis treatment.

Curbing Gambling Addiction Through Additional Prevention and Treatment

As access to gambling increases, it is crucially important that New York has a comprehensive approach to safeguard New Yorkers from harms associated with problem gambling. Governor Hochul took comprehensive action to strengthen prevention, treatment, and harm reduction around problem gambling through evidence-based practices and supports, as well as implementing a data-driven approach to identify and address long-term trends. These initiatives include:

• Advancing legislation to ensure treatment for gambling disorder is covered by insurance and protected the same way as other behavioral health conditions.
• Integrating gambling recovery services into 16 recovery community and outreach centers, including peer advocates.
• Establishing a Gambling Health Institute that equips organizations statewide with the tools and training they need to address problem gambling.
• Creating a specialized certification for peer advocates who have lived experience with gambling harms.
• Limiting betting platforms' ability to use AI-powered services to exploit consumers' gambling habits through personalized promotions and wagers that keep individuals gambling beyond their intended limit.
• Directing the Gaming Commission to issue guidance on ways to positively utilize AI to assist with identifying and proactively helping those who may need assistance.
• Conducting a 10-year statewide study to assess gambling health trends, evaluate prevention outcomes, and guide future programming decisions.

By investing in evidence-based practices to prevent and treat gambling addiction, the Governor will make sure gambling's growth doesn't come at New Yorkers' expense.

Making New York More Inclusive

Improving Reading and Language Outcomes for Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing (DDBHH) Children

Each year, thousands of babies flagged as DDBHH miss critical follow-up screenings. Governor Hochul will direct the Department of Health (DOH) to analyze barriers to follow up care, develop and share language development milestones with families, and gather advisory council recommendations on these issues. This vital work with families will ensure children enter school ready to succeed.

Launching "These Lands Are for Everyone"

Governor Hochul will invest in inclusive, sensory friendly, and accessible experiences across state parks and lands, including tactile exhibits, sensory trails, and inclusive nature centers, ensuring all people can enjoy New York's natural treasures.

Establishing an Assistive Technology Innovation Center

Governor Hochul secured $5 million for Empire State Development to create a new Assistive Technology Innovation Center to support research, commercialization, and startups developing technologies that help people with disabilities and older adults live independently.

Advancing Adaptive Fashion

Through a new Adaptive Clothing Grant Program at New York's Fashion Innovation Center, Governor Hochul will support designers and entrepreneurs creating clothing that is functional, accessible, and empowering for people with disabilities.

Streamlining Access to American Sign Language Services

Governor Hochul will issue guidance to ensure faster, easier access to ASL interpretation and ASL-based government materials through language access processes, which eliminates unnecessary barriers for Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing New Yorkers.

Ensuring Health Equity for New Yorkers With Disabilities

Governor Hochul will direct the DOH and the Office of the Chief Disability Officer to collect and analyze data on healthcare access and outcomes for people with disabilities, using that information to drive an action plan that closes gaps in care and improves health equity statewide.

Governor Hochul's Investments in New Yorkers' Independence, Dignity, and Opportunity

Communities grow resilient when barriers to access fall away. Governor Hochul is leveling the playing field by investing in New Yorkers' independence, dignity, and opportunity. Since 2021, her administration has:

• Made more than $450 million available in opioid settlement funding, the most of any state in the country, supporting treatment as well as outreach and engagement efforts to help link people to care, transportation services, recovery centers, workforce initiatives, prevention, and public awareness efforts.
• Signed legislation that designated New York as a Purple Heart state, expanded employment opportunities for disabled Veterans, and safeguarded the benefits received by Veterans.
• Expanded first responders' ability to care for and protect New Yorkers with disabilities during emergencies and natural disasters.
• Issued executive orders directing the State to identify and remove barriers to employment and increase opportunities for people with disabilities.
• Tripled the number of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics to 39, ensuring more New Yorkers have access to walk-in, integrated mental health and substance disorder services.
• Opened 1,000 psychiatric beds for people who need access to inpatient mental health services
• Launched the Office of Chief Disability Officer; the Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing Office; and the Employment First Office, which, among other things, coordinates across disability programs to connect benefits to underserved communities.