Bronx Rep. Richie Torres (D-N.Y.) has opened a new front in his public battle against Gov. Kathy Hochul, challenging New York state's $9 billion home health Medicaid program amid allegations of fraud. It called for an investigation into allegations that the governor's office rigged the bidding it oversees.
Torres sent a letter to state and federal officials asking them to “investigate the Hochul administration's alleged attempt to inject $9 billion in CDPAP.” [Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program] It went into the hands of a single out-of-state vendor with a questionable track record and did so under false pretenses. ”
“Governor Hochul's multibillion-dollar abuses merit an independent investigation,” Torres wrote to both State Department of Health Inspector General Lucy Lang and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General Christi Grimm.
The lawmaker argued that the DOH's award of the huge contract to Public Partnership LLC is exempt from review by State Auditor Tom DiNapoli, which suggests that the Hochul administration “might have something to hide. He argued that this was a sign that he was unable to do so.
He cited an affidavit from home care provider Carlos Martinez (quoted in The Sunday Post) that said Public Partnership was awarded the contract by state disability officials long before the bidding process began. He claimed to have been told that he had earned it.
“There may be something rotten in New York State under Governor Kathy Hochul,” the lawmaker said in the letter.
“Just ask Carlos Martinez, the CEO of Bridges. His affidavit indicts Hochul.”
Administrative management that prioritizes a single contractor: the public
Partnership LLC (PPL). ”
Torres said he is considering running for governor in the party's primary against fellow Democrat Hochul in 2026, writing on legislative letterhead in his official capacity as a congressman.
The Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) allows Medicaid recipients to hire a relative or loved one as a paid personal home care aide.
The Post reported earlier this year that the nearly 700 companies and nonprofits that act as intermediaries, or payroll agents, between caregivers and Medicaid had little oversight, causing costs for the popular program to spiral out of control. I reported that it had gone up.
To reduce the cost of the program, the DOH selected one company, Public Partnership LLC, to replace hundreds of intermediaries, a move that sparked industry backlash.
However, according to Martinez's affidavit filed as part of a lawsuit challenging the contract, the state's chief disability officer told him and other home care providers during a Zoom meeting in April that the DOH He claims he told them a long time ago that he had chosen Public Partnership as the state-wide financial intermediary. Competitive bidding process.
“PPL's preselection was Albany's worst-kept secret, and the bidding process that ensued was exposed as a dog-and-pony show with a predetermined outcome,” Torres charged.
He said an IG investigation may be “the only hope” to bring “transparency and accountability to a high-stakes process that requires neither.”
Mr. Hochul's office defended the bidding process for the CDPAP contract and accused Mr. Torres of fighting changes to improve the program.
A Hochul spokesperson said, “Richie Torres has derailed much-needed reform, harmed New York state taxpayers, and made CDPAP unsustainable for home care users who need it.'' “They seem to be trying to protect the status quo of waste and fraud that is currently occurring.”
“I don't think that's a very good use of time, and his letter is full of false claims anyway. That's why we're calling for stronger, more effective We will continue to focus on providing the best CDPAP.
Hochul's campaign argued that in April, no state official knew which company would win the contract, and that the DOH received 100 responses during the bidding process.
His office said Public Partnership won the highest-scoring contract fairly and squarely.
“It's a completely independent procurement process and I have no involvement in the selection process,” Hochul told reporters at an unrelated news conference on Monday.
“The standards were created out of a desire for someone to take over a dysfunctional system.”
The chief disability officer cited in the affidavit did not draft the request for proposals or evaluate the responses, and the state comptroller could review the contract after it was completed, she said. the office said.
“My top priority for home health programs is to ensure that people in need have access to health care, whether they have a disability, short or long-term, or elderly. I believe in the program that allows us to keep them at home,'' Hochul told reporters.
A spokesperson for the state IG acknowledged receipt of Torres' letter and said the department will investigate “all complaints that fall under our jurisdiction.”
There was no immediate comment from the Federal Health Agency's office.
