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State mental health agencies facing workforce shortage

Feb 17, 2023 12:59 am

Raga Justin reports in the Times Union that three of the state’s largest human services agencies, the Office of Mental Health, the Office of Addiction Services and Supports, and the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, are facing a workforce shortage. This comes at a time when their services are in demand. Gov. Kathy Hochul's budget proposal includes a 2.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment for those workers, to lure new employees and retain veterans. Kerri Neifeld, who heads the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, said that a 5.4 percent cost-of-living adjustment for state workers included in last year’s budget have helped recent retention rates to stabilize. But Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther, an Orange County Democrat, said the proposed 2.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment this year is "absolutely an insult." She wants an 8.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment. State Sen. Samra Brouk, a Monroe County Democrat who has worked in the nonprofit sector, has a bill this legislative session that would tie cost-of-living adjustments to inflation automatically. Read the full story in the Times Union.

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