Governor Hochul Unveils Proposals to Strengthen Support Systems and Make New York More Inclusive

Governor Kathy Hochul today unveiled proposals to build more resilient communities across New York by strengthening behavioral health care, expanding supports for veterans and families, and making New York more inclusive for people with disabilities as part of her 2026 State of the State. These initiatives build on the Governor’s ongoing investments in independence, dignity, and opportunity, ensuring that every New Yorker has the support they need to thrive.

“Every New Yorker deserves the chance to build a life they’re proud of,” Governor Hochul said. “That means making sure people can get the care they need, find opportunity in the communities of their choice, and live with dignity and independence. Your future is my fight, and these proposals will help ensure New York continues to be a place of opportunity where everyone is welcomed, supported and able to succeed.”

Since taking office, Governor Hochul has made historic investments to strengthen New York’s safety net and expand access to care, including nearly $2 billion to expand behavioral health services including psychiatric care and addiction services, protecting and expanding benefits for veterans, and breaking down barriers to employment for people with disabilities. In her 2026 State of the State, Governor Hochul will build on this progress by streamlining access to services, strengthening behavioral health supports, and empowering innovation to meet people where they are.

Strengthening Supports for New Yorkers

Establishing On-Campus Veterans Services Clinics at SUNY and CUNY
Approximately 33,000 veterans are enrolled in higher education across New York, including nearly 10,000 at SUNY and CUNY.

Governor Hochul will establish Veterans Services Clinics across SUNY and CUNY campuses. Operating at key points throughout each semester, the clinics will bring together state and campus resources to provide one-on-one assistance with tutoring, benefits navigation, tuition assistance, and connections to veteran support services, helping student veterans stay on track for academic and economic success.

Strengthening Suicide Prevention and Wellbeing
Suicide rates are rising nationally, with elevated risks among veterans, rural and tribal communities, older men, and Black, Latino, and LGBTQ+ youth.

Governor Hochul will direct the Office of Mental Health to lead a three-year, cross-agency suicide prevention action plan that raises awareness of risk factors such as housing instability, financial insecurity, and lack of culturally responsive care, ensuring vulnerable New Yorkers are supported before they reach a crisis point.

Building Community With GRACE
Despite progress in combating the overdose crisis, communities of color continue to experience disproportionate loss of life.

Governor Hochul will launch GRACE, Guided Recovery Action through Congregational Engagement, to empower faith based organizations to connect people to life saving treatment. Through a partnership between OASAS and the Department of State’s Interfaith Advisory Council, GRACE will provide knowledge and tools to help faith leaders recognize substance use issues, reduce stigma, and link families to care.

Integrating Care for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders
Nearly 60 percent of people receiving substance use treatment also have co-occurring mental health conditions, yet services are often split across separate systems.

Governor Hochul will establish a framework to allow clinics to provide mental health and substance use services under a single, jointly-issued license and create a new “Co-Occurring iCapable” designation for providers who meet the highest standards for treating complex cases, making care more seamless, effective, and accessible.

Supporting Not-for-Profits That Serve New Yorkers
Not-for-profit providers deliver critical services across the state and rely on timely, predictable state payments. Governor Hochul will direct all state agencies to provide consistent guidance on reimbursement timing and eligible expenses, helping not-for-profit organizations better serve New Yorkers.

Increasing Resources for Behavioral Health Supportive Housing
Supportive housing helps people with mental health and substance use challenges stay safely housed while receiving the care and services they need to remain stable and avoid homelessness. Governor Hochul is investing $71 million dollars to increase rates for OMH and OASAS supportive housing programs, preserving housing and behavioral health services for more than 23,000 New Yorkers in recovery and reducing reliance on costly emergency and inpatient care.

Building a Center of Excellence for Medical Cannabis and Health Equity
Governor Hochul will launch a first in the nation Center of Excellence for Medical Cannabis and Health Equity to train clinicians on cannabis pharmacology, evidence-based care, and patient counseling. Developed in partnership with medical schools and residency programs, the Center will expand access to therapeutic care and help close longstanding disparities in medical cannabis treatment.

Curbing Gambling Addiction Through Additional Prevention and Treatment
As access to gambling increases, it is crucially important that New York has a comprehensive approach to safeguard New Yorkers from harms associated with problem gambling. Governor Hochul will take comprehensive action to strengthen prevention, treatment, and harm reduction around problem gambling through evidence-based practices and supports, as well as implementing a data-driven approach to identify and address long-term trends. Specifically, the Governor will:

• Advance legislation to ensure treatment for addiction disorders are covered by insurance.
• Integrate gambling recovery services into 16 recovery community and outreach centers, including peer advocates.
• Establish a Gambling Health Institute that equips organizations statewide with the tools and training they need to address problem gambling.
• Create a specialized certification for peer advocates who have lived experience with gambling harms.
• Limit betting platforms’ ability to use AI-powered services to exploit consumers’ gambling habits through personalized promotions and wagers that keep individuals gambling beyond their intended limit.
• Direct the Gaming Commission to issue guidance on ways to positively utilize AI to assist with identifying and proactively helping those who may need assistance.
• Conduct a 10-year statewide study to assess gambling health trends, evaluate prevention outcomes, and guide future programming decisions.
• By investing in evidence-based practices to prevent and treat gambling addiction, the Governor will make sure gambling’s growth doesn’t come at New Yorkers’ expense.

Making New York More Inclusive

Improving Reading and Language Outcomes for Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing (DDBHH) Children
Each year, thousands of babies flagged as DDBHH miss critical follow-up screenings. Governor Hochul will direct the Department of Health (DOH) to analyze barriers to follow up care, share language development milestones with families, and strengthen advisory council oversight. This vital work with families will ensure children enter school ready to succeed.

Launching “These Lands Are for Everyone”
Governor Hochul will invest in inclusive, sensory friendly and accessible experiences across state parks and lands, including tactile exhibits, sensory trails, and inclusive nature centers, ensuring all children can enjoy New York’s natural treasures.

Expanding Access to Higher Education for Students With Disabilities
Governor Hochul will direct SUNY and CUNY to create inclusive post-secondary education programs and formal transitions from high school to college for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), helping close longstanding gaps in college access and completion.

Establishing an Assistive Technology Innovation Center
Governor Hochul will direct Empire State Development to create a new Assistive Technology Innovation Center to support research, commercialization, and startups developing technologies that help people with disabilities and older adults live independently.

Advancing Adaptive Fashion
Through a new Adaptive Clothing Grant Program at New York’s Fashion Innovation Center, Governor Hochul will support designers and entrepreneurs creating clothing that is functional, accessible, and empowering for people with disabilities.

Streamlining Access to American Sign Language Services
Governor Hochul will issue guidance to ensure faster, easier access to ASL interpretation and ASL-based government materials, eliminating unnecessary barriers for Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing New Yorkers.

Ensuring Health Equity for New Yorkers With Disabilities
Governor Hochul will direct the DOH and the Office of the Chief Disability Officer to collect and analyze data on healthcare access and outcomes for people with disabilities, using that information to drive an action plan that closes gaps in care and improves health equity statewide.

Communities grow resilient when barriers to access fall away. Governor Hochul is leveling the playing field by investing in New Yorkers’ independence, dignity, and opportunity. Since 2021, her administration has:

• Made more than $450 million available in opioid settlement funding, the most of any state in the country, supporting treatment as well as outreach and engagement efforts to help link people to care, transportation services, recovery centers, workforce initiatives, prevention, and public awareness efforts.
• Signed legislation that designated New York as a Purple Heart state, expanded employment opportunities for disabled Veterans, and safeguarded the benefits received by Veterans.
• Expanded first responders’ ability to care for and protect New Yorkers with disabilities during emergencies and natural disasters.
• Issued executive orders directing the State to identify and remove barriers to employment and increase opportunities for people with disabilities.
• Tripled the number of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics to 39, ensuring more New Yorkers have access to walk-in, integrated mental health and substance disorder services.
• Opened 1,000 psychiatric beds for people who need access to intensive behavioral health services
• Launched the Office of Chief Disability Officer; the Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing Office; and the Employment First Office, which, among other things, coordinates across disability programs to connect benefits to underserved communities.