NYS Licensure Page

As a state chapter we are committed to pursuing licensure for our field. This page will be used for updates and announcements pertaining to Licensure.

Sadly, our licensure efforts are on hold due to membership lack of support.

Update April 7, 2008 - Licensure is on hold due to lack of financial support from New York State Practitioners
 (Orthotic, Prosthetic and Pedorthic). We will be accepting pledges and will rehire lobbyist when we reach our goal of $100,000 in pledges. Do not send money in at this time, only pledges to see if there is enough support to continue.

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Update June 4, 2007 -  Please click on these links to learn more.
Legislative Alert - Important Act Now Before It's To Late!!!
Memorandum of Support - An act to amend the educational law, in relation to creating the profession of orthotics, prosthetic and pedorthic practice.

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Update March 19, 2007
LICENSURE BILL INTRODUCED IN STATE SENATE

Great News!! The AAOP-NYS Licensure bill has been introduced in the New York State Senate by Senator John Flanagan (R-Long Island). The bill now goes to the Senate Higher Education Committee for consideration.

The introduction of the bill is the culmination of nearly a year's worth of work, including researching nearly all the state laws in the dozen or so state's that require licensure.

The text of the bill and the sponsor's memo can be accessed by following this link .

James S. McCulley, McCulley & Associates, 150 State Street, 4th Floor, Albany, NY 12207, (518) 432-3300, jmcculley@lobbynewyork.com

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Time line for NYSO&P Licensure. Updated January 11, 2007 by our Lobbyist Jim McCulley

The 2007-2008 legislative session began on January 3rd with Governor Spitzer's State of the State Address. The Legislature begins slowly, meeting only one or two days a week during the month. By the middle of the month both houses will likely have named Committee Chair's and members of all Legislative Committee's. The licensure legislation will be referred to the Higher Education Committee's in both Senate and Assembly. The Assembly Committee does not have a Chair at this time and we are waiting for the Assembly Speaker to name a new chair. Traditionally, committee's meet sporadically, if at all, during January.

The Governor will submit his budget to the legislature at the end of January. The Legislature will then begin hearings on the budget in February and negotiations between the Governor and Legislature will occupy a majority of their time until the beginning of the state fiscal year on April 1. During this period, legislative committee's will begin meeting but considering only a few bills at a time and most of them non-controversial.

Here is summarized time line of our strategy.
January
January 9. Submitted bill draft for changes (delete language allowing repairs etc...to be done without a prescription). Bill draft should be back by the end of the week or early next week.
Week of January 15. Meet with potential bill sponsors.
Week of Jan 22 or 29th.  Bill introduced.

February-March
Once the licensure bill is introduced and printed it will take several weeks for other interested groups to identify the bill and to submit comments to the Legislature. These groups will likely contact the bill sponsors with their comments. The sponsors will share these comments with us and we will have the opportunity to refute their arguments against the bill (if any). That would be an appropriate time for AAOP members/supporters to contact their local legislators and to have interested AAOP members (President etc..) meet in Albany with the sponsors of the bill. We may also want to meet with other organizations that have commented on the bill.

April-June
After the budget has been adopted, the legislature will begin picking up the pace and considering more bills. Our goal will be to try and get the licensure bill to be considered by committee as quickly as possible. After a bill is introduced, it is referred to committee (sometimes more than one). The Committee Chair decides if and when to put a bill on an agenda for consideration by the committee. If the committee votes in favor of a bill it either goes to another committee or to the floor of the house for a vote (a bill can sit on the "floor" for weeks/months).

July-December
If the bill is passed by both houses it then goes to the Governor for his approval or veto. This process can also take months. During the last weeks of session hundreds of bills are passed by the legislature, often in the dead of the night. When the Legislature is in session, the Governor has only 10 days to veto or sign a bill and couldn't possibly make informed decisions on hundreds of bills at at time. Bills that are passed are slowly sent to the Governor, over a period of months. If passed, we will use this time to meet with the Governor's staff, generate letters of support etc...

If signed into law we will then start working with the State Education Department to make sure that AAOP is represented on the board and on the regulations that will be necessary to implement and enforce the licensing law.
 

Plans:

-Modifications to bill (awaiting feedback)
-Fundraising and research  (in process)
-Obtaining Bill Number (done)
-Submitting paperwork (done)
-Engaging Lobbyist and Attorney (done)

Licensing committee members are:

Glen Case CPO * Ted Drygas CPO * Marty Mandelbaum CPO

The New York State Chapter of AAOP has undertaken the task of pursuing Licensing for all Orthotics and Prosthetic providers in New York State. As you know ,this is not a small endeavor and it will require many hours of persistent voluntarism, time and money.  We can not do this without your support. Our profession urgently needs to be recognized as the acknowledged provider of orthotic and prosthetic care within this state. If we do not step up now to define and claim hold of our field, another profession will.

Letter From Treasurer
Licensure Goals Letter
Licensure Timeline
NYSAAOP January 2007 Licensure Update
Support of Licensure from Numerous Quotes and Articles
Legislative Report from our Legislature - James McCulley 10/06

We Need Volunteers and Financial Support.   

Glen Case, CPO. gcase1@nycap.rr.com  and Martin Mandelbaum, CPO. marty@mhmoandp.com will be spearheading this effort and can address questions or concerns that you may have. We need to communicate with you to succeed. NYSAAOP has retained the lobbying firm of McCulley & Associates Inc. James McCulley; our lobbyist can be contacted at 518-432-3300 or jmcculley@LobbyNewYork.com (website: www.lobbynewyork.com). Fortunately NYSAAOP has graciously provided limited funding for this project but we cannot finance this effort without your additional support.  The projected associated fees this year will be in excess of $ 40,000.00 therefore donations of all sizes are needed and necessary for NYS Licensure to become a reality. It is imperative that each of us stand together and participate. If every provider/practitioner will donate $100.00 this year we will be able to cover our expenses. All excess funding will be placed towards expenses accrued in the following year.

Our outcome for licensing is
dependent on YOU!