by Jeremy Moule

Monroe County leaders and children’s advocates are calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to increase reimbursement rates for therapists and teachers working with children with development delays in the state’s Early Intervention system.

The Early Intervention program has been bleeding help because, advocates say, the state hasn’t over the past two decades meaningfully increased what it pays them, an amount known as the reimbursement rate.

“Early Intervention therapists have received minimal raises over the past 20 years,” Brigit Hurley, chief program officer for The Children’s Agenda, said during a news conference Wednesday. “Their payment rates now are lower than they were in the 1990s. Imagine trying to make ends meet in 2022 on a 1995 salary.”

The Children’s Agenda has launched the “Kids Can’t Wait” campaign, which aims to pressure Hochul into raising the Early Intervention reimbursement rate by 11 percent in the state’s budget next year. Strong Pediatrics, Golisano Children’s Hospital, and the Rochester Area Community Foundation are among the 95 organizations backing the increase.

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