In a recent development, Bronx Representative Ritchie Torres has escalated his public feud with Governor Kathy Hochul, demanding an inquiry into allegations that her office manipulated a bid to manage New York's purportedly fraudulent $9 billion home care Medicaid program, known as the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP).
According to The New York Post, Torres has written to both state and federal authorities, urging them to scrutinize the Hochul Administration's alleged attempts to hand over the CDPAP to a single out-of-state vendor with a dubious history, under deceptive circumstances.
"Governor Hochuls multi-billion dollar boondoggle merits an independent investigation," Torres wrote in his letter to state Department of Health Inspector General Lucy Lang and the US Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General Christi Grimm. He expressed concern that the massive contract was awarded to Public Partnerships LLC by the Department of Health (DOH) without the review of state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, hinting that the Hochul administration "might have something to hide."
Torres cited a sworn affidavit from Carlos Martinez, a home care provider, who claimed that a state disability official had informed him that Public Partnerships was set to receive the contract even before the bidding process had begun. "There may be something rotten in the state of New York under Governor Kathy Hochul," Torres stated in his letter, adding, "Just ask Carlos Martinez, the CEO of BRIDGES, whose sworn affidavit accuses the Hochul Administration of putting its thumb on the scale in favor of a single contractor known as Public Partnerships LLC (PPL)."
The CDPAP allows Medicaid recipients to employ relatives or loved ones as paid personal home care aides. Earlier this year, The Post reported on the escalating costs of this popular program, with little oversight of the approximately 700 businesses or non-profits that act as intermediaries between caregivers and Medicaid. To control these costs, the DOH chose Public Partnerships LLC to replace the hundreds of intermediary companies, sparking industry backlash.
Martinez's affidavit, part of a lawsuit opposing the contract, alleges that a state chief disability officer informed him and other home care operators during an April Zoom meeting that Public Partnerships had been selected as the statewide fiscal intermediary, well before a competitive bidding process was initiated. Torres described the pre-selection of Public Partnerships as "the worst kept secret in Albany," and criticized the subsequent bidding process as a sham with a predetermined outcome.
Torres believes that investigations by the Inspector Generals may be the only hope for bringing transparency and accountability to a process that currently lacks both. However, Hochul's office defended the bidding process for the CDPAP contract and accused Torres of resisting changes to improve the program.
A spokesperson for Hochul countered Torres' allegations, stating, "It looks like Ritchie Torres is trying to derail much-needed reforms and protect the status quo of runaway spending and fraud that has hurt New York taxpayers and made CDPAP unsustainable for home care users who need it." The spokesperson further dismissed Torres' letter as filled with false claims and insisted that the focus should remain on delivering a stronger and more effective CDPAP.
Hochul's office maintained that no state official knew in April which company would secure the contract, and that the DOH received 100 responses during the bidding process. They asserted that Public Partnerships was awarded the contract fairly, with the highest score. "It was a totally independent procurement process I was not involved in the selection at all," Hochul told reporters.
The chief disability officer mentioned in the affidavit did not draft the requests for proposal or evaluate the responses, and the state comptroller can review the contract after its finalized, according to Hochul's office. "My number one priority with the home healthcare program is to make sure those who need the help are getting it," Hochul stated, emphasizing her commitment to programs that keep families together and at home.
A spokesman for the state Inspector General confirmed receipt of Torres' letter and stated that they investigate "all complaints that fall under our jurisdiction." The federal HHS Inspector General's office did not immediately comment on the matter.
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