NY A08452

Establishes the "People First Act of 2014" to ensure individuals with developmental disabilities have meaningful access to community-based and institutional long-term care services under the medical assistance program.

Requires the Commissioner of Developmental Disabilities to conduct a geographic analysis of supports and services available in community settings, identifying gaps by region and creating a web-based database that categorizes needs into three urgency levels: emergency need, critical need (within one year), and planning need (one to five years).

Mandates the Commissioner to collect and analyze data on individuals seeking services including those awaiting residential placement, day services, home and community-based waiver support, employment support, behavioral health services, broken down by age of individual and caregiver.

Requires the Commissioner to submit annual written evaluation reports to the Governor, Legislature, and Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs by March 1st each year, with the first report due by March 1, 2015, and made available publicly on the office website.

Amends Mental Hygiene Law Section 16.01 to authorize the Commissioner to request information from hospitals necessary to investigate deaths and complaints of abuse, mistreatment, or neglect involving persons with developmental disabilities receiving services.