March 4, 2025
Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released an informational bulletin rescinding guidance on Health-Related Social Needs (HRSNs). According to CMS, rescinding this guidance does not negate existing approvals. See the letter at the link embedded in this green box.
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With the March 14 government funding deadline approaching, Politico is reporting that senior House Democrats are surveying their members about “whether they’d be willing to shut the government down over DOGE cuts,” and that “[s]o far, they’re encountering little resistance.” Shutting down the government in order to protest the shuttering of government services is a risky move with no clear endgame. However, much of what DOGE is doing is likely illegal, and it is impossible to make a deal with someone who refuses to honor any deal they make with you. Either way, if Democrats decide to take this step, they are going to need a lot of support from the grassroots.
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The Office of Mental Health in collaboration with the Office of Children and Family Services is Providing Guidance for the Community Mental Health Loan Repayment Program Round 5.
OMH, in collaboration with OCFS, has launched Round 5 of the Community Mental Health Loan Repayment Program to support providers of community programs that provide direct care mental health services in the recruitment and retention of eligible licensed professionals serving children and/or adolescents.
For eligible programs, the Community Mental Health Loan Repayment Program is awarding State Aid grants for loan repayment for both eligible existing or newly hired:
• Licensed master social workers
• Licensed clinical social workers
• Licensed mental health counselors
• Licensed marriage and family therapists
• Licensed creative arts therapists
• Licensed psychoanalysts
• Licensed psychologists
Please join the OMH and OCFS in a Presentation to explore the following topics of discussion:
• Program Background & Overview
• Application Walkthrough
• Question & Answer
 Community Mental Health Loan Repayment Program (CMHLRP) Round 5 Host: Mark GenoveseWednesday, March 12, 20259:00 AM | (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada) | 1 hr 15 mins Register After your request has been approved, you’ll receive instructions for joining the webinar. If you already registered for this webinar, you do not need to register again. Need help? Go to https://help.webex.com |
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We are (finally) starting to hear more from state leaders re: the impact of federal actions on state budget outcomes:
Governor Hochul held a roundtable today with representatives of the agriculture industry to speak about the impact the tariffs are expected to have on farmers.
Dan Clark from Capitol Confidential was there and he asked Governor Hochul what impact the tariffs would have on the state budget. Hochul said the tariffs could cost up to $1,200 for each resident of New York but he wanted to know how much they could cost the state itself.
“It has a complicated impact because we are a big consumer of products as well,” Hochul said. “I feed people in nursing homes and in hospitals and all the publicly funded institutions we have throughout the state.”
But it’s not just food. The state purchases a lot of products, contracts services to outside companies and provides aid to municipalities and organizations. The tariffs could raise costs for those entities if they rely on imported goods.
Hochul has made clear that the state can’t backfill significant cuts from the federal government. But the ripple effect of the tariffs in New York will have to be part of budget talks, Hochul said.
“It’ll have a big effect on our costs as well and we’ll have to take that to the table when we’re talking about the budget,” Hochul said.
Clark wanted to know if that was true or if Gov. Hochul was (as he put it) fear mongering so he caught up with Senate Finance Chair Liz Krueger, a key player in budget talks. Clark writes, “Krueger, as you may know, is also not someone who will dodge a question or give a vague response. That’s why I wanted to ask her what she thought about the situation. She confirmed what Hochul said. Trump’s tariffs will raise the cost of all kinds of products, which will ultimately mean anything the state’s trying to buy or pay for or build will cost us more,” Krueger said.
Our economy is hugely integrated with the economy of Canada. So any and all things the Trump administration does that negatively impacts our relationship and ability to do business in both directions is absolutely bad for us in New York,” she added.”