Testimonies target the need for state-run facilities


By DEBORAH A. MILES In a well-attended conference room at


the Suffern Library, PEF President Susan M. Kent testified in mid-August at a legislative hearing about the effects of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision in New York. State Sen. David Carlucci and Assembly


Member Aileen Gunther held the hearing to discuss if people with developmental disabilities are better off receiving services in an integrated setting, as recommended by the Olmstead decision, or in an intermediate care facility. Kent told the legislators PEF is gathering


evidence using incident reports to document situations union members have witnessed. She said PEF is concerned about the decline in patient care as a result of moving people with disabilities to less appropriate facilities, or to private providers who have a history of paying low wages and high employee turnovers. “I want to tell you what we heard at a


town hall meeting at the Brooklyn Developmental Disabilities Services Office less than a month ago,” Kent said. “An individual stood up and said, ‘I am telling you right now not to move me out of here and into the community. I am a dangerous individual. I will cause harm.’” Kent presented several examples from


other states that have closed intermediate care facilities and the havoc that resulted. “No individual is insignificant. All of them


deserve care plans which are tailored to their needs. We learned a lesson in the 1960s and 1970s when facilities for those with mental illness were closed. It resulted in homelessness and these patients became prisoners. Our jails filled up, and the U.S. had the highest rate of imprisonment of any


management, records analysis or administrative research.


How does a transfer affect your status? Atransfermay affect your status in


several respects, including: • Probation and leave of


absence – Employees who transfer are usually required to serve a probationary period in the new title. For titles at or below grade 13, the probationary termis eight to 26 weeks. For titles at or above grade 14, the probationary termis 12 to 52 weeks. At the discretion of the new


agency, the probationary periodmay be waived at the time of transfer. However, employees who transfer to a title that requires a traineeshipmust serve the probationary period designated for that traineeship.


www.pef.org


country in the world. Let’s remember, Olmstead does not mandate de- institutionalization,” Kent said. The union leader also brought to light


how private Medicaid contractors have failed to provide evidence they are delivering higher quality care. Kent cited how Connecticut’s Medicaid director indicated there was “diminishing confidence in the value of what private Medicaid contractors provided.” Kent suggested now is the time to have


input in the executive budget for the state’s fiscal year 2016, and to use the recently discovered $4.2 billion “windfall” wisely. “That money should be used to bolster


and support services for our most vulnerable citizens. Maintaining quality public services for this population is a concern to you, this audience and my union,” Kent said. At the end of her testimony, Kent urged


the lawmakers to avoid privatization of services for those with developmental disabilities and to support pilot programs involving state-employed professionals who can enhance community settings with their knowledge, experience, supervision abilities and devotion to their communities. During the same week, state Sen. Phil


Boyle held a forum at the Suffolk Community College in Brentwood on the future of Sagamore Children’s Psychiatric


Employees who transfer and are


serving a probationary periodmust be granted a leave of absence fromtheir former title for the length of their probationary period. • Standing on existing eligible


lists – Employees who transfer and who are on leave fromtheir former title remain eligible for appointment from promotion eligible lists in their former agency until completion of probation. Once the leave expires, their names are removed. Standing on general portions of


interdepartmental promotion lists or on open-competitive lists is not affected by transfer. Employees who have completed their probation and have served at least 26 weeks in their new agencymay request that their names be added to their new agencyʼs departmental portion of an


FIGHTING PRIVATIZATION– PEF President SusanM. Kent, flanked by Region 5 Coordinator JimMoffitt, Executive Boardmember Ed Snow and Secretary-Treasurer Carlos J. Garcia, discusses the importance to retain quality public services for those with developmental disabilities. —Photo by Vivian Street


Center in Dix Hills. The facility was slated for closure last year, with a plan to place patients in facilities located in Queens or the Bronx, a long distance for families to travel to see their children. Jean Maroney, a nurse at Sagamore and


PEF Division 178 secretary, testified about what has occurred at Long Island’s only state-run children’s mental health facility. “There was an agreement between the Legislature and the state Office of Mental Health (OMH) that our 54 beds would stay open until the community-based programs were up and running and proven effective. “Yet, our management has reduced the


number of beds to 44 and we were told it would go down to 36,” Maroney said. “We are also lacking psychiatrists, which is a statewide issue for state Office of Mental Health (OMH) facilities. Even if they hired a psychiatrist, we would not be able to take more patients, as we have lost more than 30 employees during this last year, and have only replaced a minimal number of those employees. Those that were replaced were hired as temporary.” Maroney said the Long Island Senate


delegation, OMH and representatives from Sagamore came together to discuss these issues and develop a comprehensive solution to keep Sagamore open. “We are still fighting our fight, it’s not


over yet,” she said. interdepartmental eligible list.


Circumstances that block voluntary transfers Generally, the existence of a


redeployment list, anAgency Reduction Transfer List (ARTL) or a preferred list will block your voluntary transfer, although sometimes exceptions aremade.


If YouWant a Transfer One way to find help transferring to


another state job is by working with the CMO. The CMO websiteʼs home page


(http://careermobilityoffice.cs.ny.go v/cmo/) provides a brief overview of some of the information and services available. These include: • Career counseling; • Career resources and


workshops; and •Assistance to help state


employees stay employed during organizational changes. Additional information is available


on other parts of the CMO website, such as: • Understanding the civil service


merit system; • Developing a career plan; •Accessing job vacancy


information; • Preparing your resume; and • Getting ready for a job interview. If you are interested in pursuing a


different position with the state and you are not already familiar with the CMO, itʼs worthwhile to take a look at the CMO website to get a better understanding of the services offered, before you contact the CMO.


The Communicator September 2014—Page 13


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