New York Residents Can Keep Caseworkers

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The state has scraped a plan to force about 2,100 Central New Yorkers with developmental disabilities to replace their Medicaid caseworkers.
The state Office for People with Developmental Disabilities instructed them last month to choose a nonprofit agency to provide their Medicaid service coordination, a function that has been provided by Medicaid service coordinators employed by the state. The change was triggered by the rejection of a state contract by the Public Employee Federation union which represents the service coordinators. The service coordinators were subsequently targeted by the state for layoffs.