A 4637: Safeguards cash accounts for people with developmental disabilities in a facility under the control of the commissioner of mental health, the commissioner of the office for people with developmental disabilities and the commissioner of alcoholism and substance abuse services.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4637 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY February 4, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. ANDERSON, VANEL, WALSH -- read once and referred to the Committee on Mental Health AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to safeguarding cash accounts for people with developmental disabilities in a facility The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision (f) of section 16.11 of the mental hygiene law 2 is relettered subdivision (g) and a new subdivision (f) is added to read 3 as follows: 4 (f) The commissioner shall develop a uniform statewide policy for 5 conducting audits for residents of article sixteen facilities for 6 personal allowance and cash accounts. The developed policies shall 7 include but shall not be limited to: 8 (1) the frequency of the audits, who is responsible for conducting the 9 audits, and how the audits shall be conducted; 10 (2) training of appropriate staff on conducting an audit in accordance 11 with policies and procedures and appropriate management of a resident's 12 personal allowance or a cash account; 13 (3) the purchase and appropriate use of gift cards by or on behalf of 14 residents, including, but not limited to, documentation requirements by 15 staff, in relation to including gift cards in a resident's personal 16 expenditure plan and notification to supervisors of the purchase or 17 delivery of a gift card to a resident; and 18 (4) type of purchases which require receipts or documentation by the 19 appropriate staff as well as what types of documentation are appropri- 20 ate. 21 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after 22 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend- 23 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen- 24 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and 25 completed on or before such effective date. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD07655-01-5