East Hudson Valley News

Assemblyman Matt Slater, representing Yorktown, participated in a press conference at the New York State Capitol to highlight the need for improvements to the state's Early Intervention (EI) Hub. This online system is crucial for managing services for children with disabilities. The event was attended by advocates and service providers from the early intervention sector who discussed significant challenges affecting children, families, and providers.

The EI Hub is part of New York's Early Intervention Program (EIP), which aids young children with developmental delays. It aims to streamline professional tasks by centralizing child information, provider data, services, claims, billing, and payments. However, technological issues have led to service disruptions and payment delays impacting children reliant on timely support.

"The Early Intervention Program serves around 70,000 children and families every year," stated Slater. "Failing to fix the tools these families rely on is a disservice to our entire state. These are real children with real needs, and they deserve real support. A glitch in the system is not an acceptable excuse—it must be fixed immediately."

Slater further emphasized his commitment: "I’m proud to stand with my colleagues in calling on the Department of Health to fix the EI Hub immediately. Whether or not you have children or need this service, we can all agree that taxpayer-funded government services must function properly."