Photo Courtesy of Sen. Peralta’s Office
The proposed cap, Peralta said, “will yield grave fiscal consequences” for the City and the children under its care.
By Forum Staff
An elected Queens official recently fired off identical letters to Albany leadership indicating he’s “extremely concerned” about the proposed spending cap on reimbursements to the City for child welfare services.
State Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) sent missives to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan and Independent Democratic Conference Leader Jeff Klein regarding the proposal that was featured in the preliminary Executive Budget rollout last month that called for a $320 million reimbursement cap “intended to produce savings to the State.”
However, Peralta said, “advocates have made it clear that the cap…will yield grave fiscal consequences for the City of New York and those under the care of the Administration for Children’s Services.”
The senator went on to write that the current reimbursement system “has contributed to lower child protective caseloads and a decrease in juvenile justice detentions and placements. The proposed $320 million cap runs counter to our shared goal of keeping children out of the foster care and the juvenile justice system. When the State has implemented caps in the past, New York City foster care placements spiked…This is not the time to cut off the very funding that can prevent more children from being institutionalized.”
