Mental Health Association in New York State

The attached article is a follow up to yesterday’s hearing on employment for people with disabilities. Between MHANYS and NYAPRS, we have put together over fifteen recommendations to help employment opportunities for individuals with psychiatric disabilities. Many of those initiatives have limited cost attached to them and can be implemented over a short period of time.

The two consistent themes that were heard throughout yesterday’s testimony was the need to create greater public awareness of existing benefits and of the desperate need for additional funding for supported employment, recognized as an evidenced based best practice.

In our testimony, we also discussed the successful work of several of the MHA affiliates in creating models of Business Advisory Councils throughout the state. These councils bring together local businesses, mental health providers, recipients of mental health services and other stakeholders. These councils have proven to be successful in linking individuals to employment in their area. If you would like any more information on this program, please contact Lana Sullivan at lsullivan@mhanys.org or log on to our web page at www.mhanys.org.

We would again like to thank Assemblyman Peter Rivera for taking the lead in holding this hearing. We look forward to continuing our discussions with OMH and the Legislature on employment issues.

Glenn

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Insurance Break Sought For Mentally Ill
By Dan Osburn Gannett News Service June 3, 2008

ALBANY — The Assembly mental-health committee chairman said Monday the state should allow mentally ill people to continue to get taxpayer-paid health insurance while employed to encourage them to get jobs.

Peter Rivera, D-Bronx said he wants to establish a buy-in system where the disabled can be employed and still receive Medicaid benefits since many who suffer from mental disabilities fear they will lose the benefits if they work.

Currently, “we pay people to stay home instead of seeking employment,” he said.

“The state loses an opportunity where we can tax people who are gainfully employed.”

However, there is no legislation planned to implement the idea.

“There's a cost to it and it has to be negotiated,” he said. “It's something that we have to start talking about.”

Senate Mental Health Committee chairman Thomas Morahan, R-New City, Rockland County, supports the idea, a spokesman said.

Michael Hogan, commissioner of the state Office of Mental Health, said that people with mental disabilities are especially prone to problems with jobs.

“A combination of the disability, healthcare problems, the stigma results in them (falling) below what their capabilities could be,” he said at a hearing on the problems of the mentally ill before Rivera's committee.

About 15 percent of the 400,000 adults receiving mental health treatment in New York State have jobs, he said.

Nationally about $193 billion in taxable wages are lost annually because of mental illness, he said. About $12 billion a year in wages are lost by New Yorkers with mental illness who don't have jobs or have to take time off because of their illnesses, he said.

The federal Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 has affected over 50 million Americans living with disabilities — about 19 percent of the population — but does not do enough to ensure the mentally disabled have fair opportunities in the workplace, Rivera said.

Rivera also said the state needs to educate employers on tax incentives they can receive for employing the disabled -- a base grant from the state of $3,000 for every disabled person and federal tax credit of $7,000, he said.

“How many employers know they are entitled to a $10,000 federal tax credit?” Rivera asked.

Diana Jones-Ritter, commissioner of the state Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, said the state should establish a “business advisory council” that would organize business leaders and educate them on these benefits.

Rivera said he supports OMRDD's 18-month paid internship program for the disabled, where intern earns a full-time position for the employer after the internship is complete.

Harvey Rosenthal of the state Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services said that while employment opportunities and earning for the disabled are lower than others, there are ways to improve the conditions.

Rosenthal said he supports the Medicaid buy-in to encourage the mentally disabled to get into the work-force.

The median income for a full-time employee with disabilities was $32,000 per year compared to $40,000 per year for those without, Rosenthal said.

The gap in median household income is even more alarming, he said, with household income for people with disabilities earning $35,200 compared to $71,100 for those without.