NYS 2025 Legislative Session – The Latest News & Developments - June 2025
The Situation Report | June 16, 2025
NYS Senate Wraps Up; NYS Assembly Pressing On
Although the last scheduled day of the 2025 legislative session was June 12, 2025, the NYS Senate stretched the session into the morning of June 13 considering hundreds of different bills in the last few days of session. Over on the NYS Assembly side of the State Capitol, work progressed a bit slower, but the Assembly committed to return to Albany on June 16 and continue the legislative session for a few more days.
HCANYS continues to monitor, advocate, and lobby on the critical issues affecting the home care sector as the Assembly looks to close out the session by June 18. An overview of the latest activity from the State Capitol can be found below.
Home Care Related Bills Passing Both Houses ( NYS Senate & NYS Assembly):
Aid-in-Dying – S.138 (Hoylman-Sigal) / A.136 (Paulin)
This bill provides for the ability of mentally competent, terminally ill patients to request medication for the purpose of hastening the patient's death. The bill passed the Assembly (81-67) and passed the Senate (35-27) last week. The bill has not yet been delivered to the Governor for consideration.
Prohibition on For-Profit Hospice – S.3437 (Krueger) / A.565 (Paulin)
This bill prohibits the establishment of new for-profit hospices or increasing the capacity of existing for-profit hospices. The bill passed both houses of the Legislature, but has not yet been delivered to the Governor for consideration. The same exact bill was vetoed by the Governor back in 2022.
Reimbursement for DME – S.1616 (Rivera) / A.2520 (McDonald)
This bill requires Medicaid MCO’s to reimburse durable medical equipment providers at no less than 100% of the medical assistance DME and complex rehabilitation technology fee schedule for the same service or item. This bill passed both houses of the Legislature last week. The bill has not yet been delivered to the Governor for consideration.
EISEP Cost-sharing and Physician’s Order – S.7077 (Cleare) / A.7907 (Seawright)
This bill makes two changes to the Expanded In-Home Services for the Elderly Program (EISEP). The first eliminates the cost share requirement for services, and the second eliminates the requirement to obtain a physician’s order to provide non-medical support. This bill passed both houses of the Legislature last week. The bill has not yet been delivered to the Governor for consideration.
Unmet Needs in Aging Programs – S.6035 (Parker) / A.384 (Eichenstein)
This bill requires collection of data and reporting on unmet needs for aging services due to insufficient resources and/or capacity. This bill passed both houses of the Legislature last week. The bill has not yet been delivered to the Governor for consideration.
Home Care Related Bills Passing One House (NYS Senate OR NYS Assembly):
Home Care Educational Materials for Veterans – S.7786-A (Addabbo) / A.7627-A (Kay)
Written by HCANYS, this bill authorizes the State Department of Veterans' Services to consult and collaborate with the federal department of veterans affairs, the department of health, the state office for the aging, and other HCBS experts (providers and associations) to develop educational materials for veterans and their families about accessibility to home and community-based services. This bill passed the Assembly (143-0); it remains in the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
Wage Parity Independently-Audited Financial Statement - S.674 (Martinez) / A.5115 (Stern)
This legislation requires the annual statement of wage parity hours and expenses to be accompanied by an independent accountant's report on applying agreed upon procedures (instead of the current more burdensome and costly independently-audited financial statement) on the annual compliance statement of wage parity, hours and expenses prior to payments for home care services by government agencies. This bill passed the Assembly but remains in the Senate Health Committee.
Hospice Medical Director Ability to Sign Death Certificate – S.3363 (Rivera) / A.1958 (Paulin)
This legislation authorizes a hospice medical director or a physician designated by such director to sign a death certificate. This bill passed the Senate; it remains in the Assembly Health Committee.
Hospital-HomeCare-Physician Collaboration Program Waiver Restrictions – S.6282 (Scarcella-Spanton) / No Assembly “Same As”
This legislation provides that health regulations may not be waived under the hospital-home care-physician collaboration program without publication and opportunity for public comment. The bill also prohibits waiver of an applicant's obligation to meet public need, character and competence, or financial feasibility requirements. This bill passed the Senate last week, but there is no companion legislation in the Assembly. The same exact legislation passed the Legislature in 2024 but was vetoed by the Governor. HCANYS opposed the bill last year because it contradicts the purpose of the hospital-home care-physician collaboration program and inaccurately asserts that Certificate of Need can be waived under program (it cannot). It limits flexibility for hospitals, physicians and home care providers to work together when the evolving system makes it more essential than ever. HCANYS continues to oppose this legislation.
Updates on HCANYS-written State Legislation:
State Aid for Home Health Community Need - S.6981-A (Webb) / A.1493-A (Paulin)
Written by HCANYS and our member workgroup, this bill amends the public health law to provide for an annual state aid program for home health agencies to meet community need. The bill remains in the Senate and Assembly Health Committees.
CHHA Episodic Rate - S.7052-A (Webb) / A.7013-B (Paulin)
Written by HCANYS, VNSHealth, and our CHHA-member workgroup, this bill amends the CHHA EPS Medicaid rate methodology to authorize adjustments in the rates for costs (such as workforce, technology, other) not reflected in the reimbursable base year. It also makes the EPS rate method available for payor-provider use in rate setting for managed care and for non-Medicaid home care payors. The Senate advanced the bill to the Senate Finance Committee, while the Assembly bill remains in the Assembly Health Committee.
Mental Health/HomeCare Collaboration - S.997 (Brouk)
Written by HCANYS, this bill allows regulatory, procedural and reimbursement flexibility to facilitate collaborative care by mental health and home health agencies partnering to deliver seamless, coordinated care to individuals with co-occurring conditions. HCANYS has issued a memorandum in support of this legislation which is currently in the Senate Mental Health Committee.
Community Medicine & Paramedicine (CMPM) Program Support
Written by HCANYS, this proposal ensures that CMPM pilot programs currently being conducted in seven regions of the state under a Mother Cabrini Health Foundation grant to HCANYS be allowed to operate with regulatory flexibility similar to the scope provided for community paramedicine programs under separate state law extended in this year’s State Budget. HCANYS will continue discussing this proposal with key decision-makers in NYS government.
HC/Hospice Workforce Labor Market Analysis A.3354 (Bronson)
Written by HCANYS, this bill requires an analysis of the competitive labor market for home care and hospice. The bill also requires recommendations to be made as to the level of reimbursement needed in the system to enable home care and hospice to recruit and retain sufficient staff to meet the community’s needs. The bill remains in the Assembly Labor Committee.
LHCSA Statistical Report - S.7531 (C. Ryan) / A.7909 (Lunsford)
Written by HCANYS, this bill improves the process for filing the LHCSA Statistical Report with the NYS Department of Health (DOH) by providing LHCSAs with 90 days to submit the report. The bill advanced to the Senate Calendar, but was not taken up for a vote. In the Assembly, the bill remains in the Health Committee. Relatedly, DOH indicated that it expects to release the necessary statistical report information by October 1 this year with a final deadline of December 31 (approximately 90 days later) in order to avoid a short form process this year.
Updates on Other Key State Legislation:
Hospital-HomeCare-Physician-EMS Collaboration Model - S.5333 (Rivera) / A.1309 (Paulin)
This bill authorizes the addition EMS services to Hospital-HomeCare-Physician Collaboration Program for a jointly partnered, collaborative community medicine and paramedicine service opportunity. This bill advanced to the Senate Calendar, but was not taken up for a vote. In the Assembly, the bill remains in the Assembly Health Committee.
LHCSA RFO Repeal - S.7874 (Rivera) / A.8137 (Paulin)
This bill repeals the section of law that would require authorization for a LHCSA to enroll as a provider under the Medicaid program. HCANYS has strongly opposed this underlying “RFO” law from the outset, and supports this newly introduced bill to repeal it. In the Senate, the bill advanced to the Senate Finance Committee; in the Assembly, the bill remained in the Health Committee.
Restriction on Consecutive Nurse Hours - S.7994 (Ramos) / A.8615 (Bronson)
This bill adds home care visits to existing provisions of law prohibiting health care employers from requiring a nurse to work more than such nurse's regularly scheduled work hours, including regularly scheduled home care visits. This bill remains in the Senate and Assembly Labor Committees.
CDPAP SFI - S.1189 (Rivera) / A.2735 (Stirpe)
This bill would replace the Single Statewide FI program with a State Licensure program allowing multiple FIs. This bill advanced to the Senate Finance Committee and remains in the Assembly Health Committee. HCANYS anticipates possible further work with the Legislature and the Executive in the aftermath of SFI litigation and implementation roll-out.
CDPAP SFI - S.7954 (Rivera) / A.8355 (Paulin)
This bill authorizes additional entities to serve as FIs in NYS. The bill remains in the Senate and Assembly Health Committees. HCANYS anticipates possible further work with the Legislature and the Executive in the aftermath of SFI litigation and implementation roll-out.
Statewide Preceptor Stipend Program – S.4451 (Ashby) / A.2331 (McDonald)
This bill establishes a $5M preceptor stipend program for preceptor clinicians that are accepted into the program and requires that preceptors provide instruction in a clinical preceptorship. The amount of the preceptor stipend in the legislation is $5000. The bill remains in the Senate and Assembly Higher Education Committees. HCANYS supports this innovative legislation.
Capital District Preceptor Stipend Pilot Project – S.5660 (Fahy) / A.6616 (McDonald)
Similar to the bill above, this legislation establishes a preceptor stipend pilot program for New York’s Capital Region. The bill remains in the Senate and Assembly Higher Education Committees. HCANYS supports this innovative legislation.
As the legislative session continues to wind down, HCANYS will remain active in its advocacy efforts and provide more information and updates as they become available. HCANYS will also be on alert for potential special sessions of the state legislature in the wake of possible federal actions in the coming months. Please stay tuned to HCANYS for the latest news.