Today, Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio (R,C-Riverhead) held a press conference in Albany to address the urgent need for improvements to the state’s Early Intervention (EI) Hub, an online system critical for managing services for children with disabilities. Giglio was joined by her Assembly colleagues, local advocates from her district and service providers in the early intervention field to discuss the significant issues plaguing the system and the impact on children, families and service providers.

The EI Hub, intended to streamline the delivery of early intervention services, has been riddled with technological failures, causing service interruptions and payment delays for providers. These issues directly harm children with disabilities who rely on timely support to meet developmental milestones. 

“New York’s Early Intervention Program is essential to helping young children with disabilities reach their full potential, but the current system is failing them,” said Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio. “Families and providers are struggling because of an online system that is supposed to work for them, not against them. This is unacceptable, and I am calling on the Department of Health to fix the EI Hub immediately.” 

The press conference featured a panel of speakers highlighting the real-world impact of these issues, including:

• Assemblyman Ed Ra (R,C-Franklin Square)
• Assemblyman Ari Brown (R,C-Cedarhurst)
• Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh (R,C-Ballston)
• Nick Dibello: Vice President at Suffolk County AME
• Jenn DeLia: Assistant Coordinator of Special Education for Suffolk County
• Jeff Tomlinson: Legislative and Government Relations Chair for NYSOTA & FAOTA
• Lacie Schweigert: Independent Special Education Provider

Assemblywoman Giglio concluded the event by urging immediate action from the Department of Health saying, “The future of countless children depends on the proper functioning of this system. We cannot allow technological failures to deny them the opportunities they deserve,” she stated.

For further details on this issue or press inquiries, please contact Gabby O’Keefe at okeefeg@nyassembly.gov.