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Disability Benefits and Work New York Makes Work Pay
New York Makes Work Pay
Overview
The New York Makes Work Pay Initiative (NYMWP) is funded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Comprehensive Employment Systems Medicaid Infrastructure Grant. The grant is administered on behalf of New York State by the New York State Office of Mental Health and Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene. NYMWP builds upon New York's rich history of engaging in employment systems change efforts to affect positive work outcomes for New Yorkers with disabilities. The New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) and their management partners Cornell University’s Employment and Disability Institute (EDI) and Syracuse University’s Burton Blatt Institute (BBI), and the New York State Department of Health (DOH) work together with the state agencies and organizations comprising the membership of the Governor's Most Integrated Setting Coordinating Council's Employment Committee (MISCC) in designing and implementing this comprehensive statewide strategy to close the employment gap for individuals with disabilities.
Project Goals
The goals of this strategic initiative include:
- Identify and address policy, regulation and practice barriers to improve coordination of employment services delivery across multiple public and private agencies and constituencies.
- Improve knowledge, capacity and collaborations that enable employment services providers (“supply side”) to increase competitive employment outcomes for people with disabilities.
- Improve knowledge, capacity and collaborations that enable employers and employer associations to increase competitive employment outcomes for people with disabilities.
- Develop and implement a statewide transformation process to transition programs and individuals from sheltered/segregated to competitive/integrated employment.
- Improve knowledge, capacity and collaboration to increase entrepreneurship outcomes for people with disabilities.
- Create linkages for New Yorkers with disabilities to employment at livable wages through increased access to work incentives planning, health care and asset accumulation tools and strategies.
- Improve knowledge, capacity and collaborations among high schools, post-secondary training and education, and career services to increase competitive employment outcomes for youth with disabilities.
Project Activities
New York Makes Work Pay will expand New York's capacity to support individuals with disabilities with a desire to work; build a comprehensive, cross-agency, sustainable, coordinated systems of support and services to advance employment for people across the full spectrum of disabilities; and, support the goal of removing barriers to employment and create lasting improvements for New Yorkers with disabilities. The following services and supports are available throughout New York State:
Training: Through Cornell and Syracuse Universities a variety of competency-based training, continuing education and learning communities will be established to promote effective evidence-based employment and entrepreneurship strategies; work incentives utilization and asset development strategies; service provider and employer partnership building; increased access to health care; and, other employment-related topics.
Technical Assistance: NYMWP supports the ongoing staff and organizational development of individuals, agencies and businesses through training, technical assistance and training materials development and dissemination on an ongoing basis using several modalities. These include establishing several regional demonstration projects focused on asset accumulation, entrepreneurship and customized employment, communities of practice focused on enhancing work incentive utilization and community rehabilitation program transformation; toll free technical assistance support regarding use of work incentives and asset development (1-888-224-3272); ongoing individual access to experts and consultants; toll free technical support for business through the collaborative efforts of the Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center (1-800-949-4232); and, online tools and resources available through NYMakesWorkPay.
Research and Materials Dissemination: Creating a more robust picture of the employment outlook and labor market participation of New Yorkers with disabilities is a critical objective of this initiative. Together, labor economists, practitioners, policy makers, individuals with disabilities and their advocates will begin to assess the feasibility and viability of streamlining and creating opportunities for shared data exchange to better understand the experiences of New Yorkers with disabilities as they attempt to return to work. In addition, a comprehensive research agenda for the project also includes geographic mapping of minority and underrepresented populations in NYS; production of a statewide and individual county-level disability and employment status reports; identification of emerging/high growth industries in New York State and strategies for enhancing preparation and increasing participation of New Yorkers with disabilities in these sectors; identification, cataloging and dissemination of effective employer practices in managing the diversity posed by disability in the workplace; and, strategy development for a “no wrong door” approach to accessing disability and employment services and supports in New York State. These activities are enhanced by the development and production of project newsletters, informational briefs, policy to practice briefs and other print materials, as well as a statewide listserv which can all be accessed online at NYMakesWorkPay.
About the Project
Funding Agency
United States Department of Health, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Collaborating Partners
- New York State Office of Mental Health
- Employment and Disability Institute
- Burton Blatt Institute
Project Staff: Employment and Disability Institute
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Project Staff: Burton Blatt Institute
EDI Project Consultants/Subcontractors
- Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc.
- New York State Rehabilitation Association
- The Advocacy Center
- United States & Metro New York Business Leadership Network
- The Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies, Inc.
- The Kay Center, Claremont Graduate University
- Vangent, Inc.
Contact Us
Katie Steigerwalt
Administrative Support
203 Dolgen Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York 14853
Phone: 607.255.8660
Fax: 607.255.2763
Email: kms342@cornell.edu
