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NY's Early Intervention Program frustrates families
New York’s Early Intervention Program, designed to provide free therapy and support for children with disabilities or developmental delays, is leaving some families frustrated with delays in care. FOX 5’s Teresa Priolo investigates why children are waiting months—or even years—for essential services, leaving parents infuriated and therapists unpaid.
NEW YORK - New York’s Early Intervention (EI) program, designed to provide critical therapy and support services to infants and toddlers with disabilities or developmental delays, is under scrutiny as families report long delays in accessing care.
The program, which is free until a child turns 3, has been plagued by inefficiencies, leaving children like 3-year-old Shakir Renard without crucial services.
According to Shakir's mother, Samantha Reyes, Shakir was approved for early intervention services in January 2024, but she has yet to receive any therapy for him. Shakir turned 3 last weekend, which means he no longer qualifies for services under the state's program.
"He's aged out of the system," Reyes said. "And it's really emotional because their minds can't wait. This whole process is a waiting period. It's sad because you're stopping their education and growth."
Delays Impact Families Across the State
Early intervention services include speech, occupational, and physical therapies, which research shows are vital for long-term success. However, a state audit found that between 2018 and 2022:
- 14% of eligible children never received an evaluation.
- 10,000 children still have pending evaluations
- 51% of children who received services did not get all the help they needed.
- 28% of children waited more than a month for services.
- 3% never received any help
"The early intervention program was once the model for all states, but it hasn't continued to receive the investment it needed," said Whitney Loy, CEO of the McCarton Foundation, which provides early intervention services to New York City children.
These delays can severely impact a child's educational progress and ability to thrive in school. For some children, receiving early intervention can make the difference between living independently or requiring lifelong state support.
"Early intervention can make the difference between a child going to college, being an independent tax-payer, or needing a residential program for the rest of their life," Loy said. "The earlier you start, the better the outcome."
New EI Hub System Adds Challenges
The state’s new EI Hub system, an online portal for managing early intervention services, has exacerbated delays. Many therapists, like speech-language pathologists Sophie Renois and Stefanie Burgio, report significant issues with the system, including delayed payments that have forced agencies to delay payroll.
"I've had cases where kids were waiting seven weeks for therapy to start," Renois said. "The system is overwhelmed."
The reimbursement rates for early intervention services are also low. Renois noted that the rates haven't been adjusted for inflation since 2010, meaning providers are paid less than they were decades ago.
"Many of us are master’s or doctoral level trained clinicians, and we should be paid accordingly," Burgio added. "But many leave the field for jobs in schools or hospitals because they pay better."
The shortage of therapists, coupled with the low reimbursement rates, has created a dire situation. Service providers are unable to meet the growing demand for services, and many children, like Shakir, are left waiting.
State Response and Ongoing Concerns
The New York State Department of Health defended the program, stating they are addressing issues with the EI Hub and increasing claim reimbursements weekly. They also noted that stopgap payments are available to providers facing financial hardship.
"New York State's first priority is to ensure that the 70,000 children served by the early intervention program continue to receive the health care and resources they need," the DoH said in a statement. "Based on provider feedback, the State Health Department has made significant enhancements to the early intervention provider management system, EI-HUB, including improving system performance speed. We understand the critical work of our health care providers and therapists which is why we've issued payments to mitigate financial hardships for any provider who opted in."
The New York State Department of Health also shared that:
- The Department is prioritizing the timely payment of claims and is seeing increases in the number of claims being reimbursed statewide each week. The Department is also issuing stopgap payments to providers who have requested it. While there have been some instances of disruptions to services, the EI Hub transition does not prevent services from being delivered. Providers should continue to deliver services outlined in the child’s IFSP.
- The Department released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a competitive procurement of a contractor to provide services to the Early Intervention Program as the integrated case management, provider management, and fiscal management entity. Public Consulting Group was the sole vendor to submit a proposal in response to the RFP. PCG’s submission was reviewed against the evaluation criteria outlined in the RFP, and after evaluation of their proposed ability to meet the State’s objectives and requirements, PCG was awarded the contract as a result of this competitive procurement process.