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Larissa Martin: Why CDPAP Matters & How to Speak Up Before Aug 18th

Larissa Martin: Why CDPAP Matters & How to Speak Up Before Aug 18th

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 In this urgent and deeply personal episode of Finding Common Ground, Heather and Steve welcome Larissa Martin — a self-advocate who has relied on New York’s Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) for 17 years. Larissa’s voice is raw and real as she shares why this program has been her lifeline, how the rushed transition to Public Partnerships LLC (PPL) has shaken the system, and why now is the moment to speak up. Over 70,000 people have already been forced into more expensive agency-based care. Thousands more have lost their caregivers altogether — often because aides quit after wrong, delayed, or missing paychecks. This isn’t just inconvenient; it’s led to declining health, hospitalizations, forced institutionalization, and, tragically, preventable deaths. One of CDPAP’s greatest strengths is the ability to hire people we trust — not strangers an agency assigns. Larissa puts it simply: “Even if we don’t know a caregiver well at first, many become like family over time. That’s why it was so painful for consumers to see New York hire a company with a record of payroll violations. Like Senator Rivera has said, the harm is no longer hypothetical. PPL is repeating their pattern. They are driving down enrollment by forcing our caregivers to quit.” One of Larissa's own caregivers, already stretched thin with five kids, now worries every payday if she’ll be paid correctly. This constant stress is unnecessary, inhumane, and dangerous. In just 20 weeks, PPL has caused more chaos, potential fraud, and harm than our previous Fiscal Intermediaries did in the decades since CDPAP began — which is why CMS, the DOJ, and the FBI are now involved. But where is our own Department of Labor? Felony-level wage theft on this scale demands their attention, yet there has been no public acknowledgment that one of the largest workforces in our state is being exploited in plain sight. Every day they stay silent, more families lose the care they depend on, and more workers pay the price for a crisis they didn’t create. The DOH Commissioner promised the transition would make it easier for caregivers to get paid and save the state money. In reality, people are losing care, being pushed into costlier options, and facing devastating consequences. Anger is justified — but Larissa challenges all of us to go further: share our stories, put the harm on record, and be part of the solution. If you’ve been affected by the CDPAP transition, you have until Monday, August 18th to submit written testimony. It doesn’t have to be long or perfect — just honest. Your voice matters. Without it, change may never come. How to Submit Testimony:
  1. Write about your personal experience with CDPAP and the impact of PPL’s takeover.
  2. Share specifics: payment delays, insurance issues, caregiver shortages, or disruptions.
  3. Keep it respectful but real — your lived experience is powerful.
  4. Email your testimony to steen@nysenate.gov. If you choose to be anonymous, sign as “Jane Doe.”
Whether you’re a CDPAP consumer, caregiver, family member, or concerned New Yorker, your testimony matters to the 700,000 people who were connected to CDPAP before PPL’s monopoly. When someone told Larissa she should move to another state that would treat her better, she replied: “I want to stay and fight not just for me, but for other people in the program that don’t have that option to leave.” Listen now to hear Larissa’s powerful story — and learn how you can make yours heard before the deadline.

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