ForGemmaAlways

Mom on a mission. Advocating for disability justice, dignity, and accountability.

[ForGemmaAlways @ForGemmaAlways]

@HealthNYGov @GovKathyHochul @HealthNYGov Watching live. Please don’t just announce programs, oversee them. The NY Medical Indemnity Fund needs urgent oversight, a real escalation pathway, and the MIF ombudsman bill prioritized. Families shouldn’t have to chase what’s already approved. @PCG_US

[ForGemmaAlways @ForGemmaAlways]

@BeccaXwrestling Hi Becca! In NY, the Medical Indemnity Fund for kids w/ CP & neurological birth injuries is bogged down by delays, no timelines, & lack of oversight. We need S3364/A4972 for an ombudsman. Could you help amplify this fight for disability rights? 💪 #NYMIF #DisabilityRights

[ForGemmaAlways @ForGemmaAlways]

@realchelseabear Hi Chelsea! As a mom to a girl with CP, I'm fighting NY's Medical Indemnity Fund (MIF) admin nightmares, endless delays, coding errors, no real escalation for medically necessary care. Pushing for ombudsman bills S3364/A4972. Could you help amplify for CP families? #NYMIF #FixTheMIF #DisabilityRights

[ForGemmaAlways @ForGemmaAlways]

While NY is rolling out exciting new programs like "2-Care", free child care for 2-year-olds, they must be designed with strong oversight and accountability from the start to truly succeed for families. Without it, even the best-intentioned initiatives risk failing those who need them most. Look at the Medical Indemnity Fund (MIF).

I’m a NY parent navigating the MIF. After repeated attempts to get accountability and a concrete timeline, I am still being routed back to the same person who identifies herself only as “Customer Service.” No supervisor. No manager contact. No named decision-maker. No direct communication from anyone with authority to correct a problem that is clearly administrative.

This is exactly why families are stuck in endless loops. When a claim is delayed, coded incorrectly, or written in a way that is not workable in real life for a child with medical needs, families need an escalation path to someone with authority and responsibility. Instead we get “we received your request” and “we will follow up once confirmed,” with no date, no ownership, and no transparent status.

The MIF needs basic accountability infrastructure:
- Clear timelines and deadlines for responses
- An in-system appeal and escalation pathway that leads to actual decision-makers
- Transparent status updates so families know what's happening

If a claim is being “reprocessed,” families deserve to know the expected completion date and who is responsible. Families should not have to do a full-time job chasing a state program that exists to support medically vulnerable children.

I am asking NY to fix the structure, not just one claim: real transparency, enforceable timelines, and escalation outside “customer service” that works.

Reporters covering disability, health equity, and family supports in NY, would love your insights on building oversight into programs like these.

@NYSDOH @GovKathyHochul @NYHealthCommish @PCG_US
@wendyluwrites @shruti_rajkumar @bysoniarao @JournAlvarez

#NYMIF #MedicalIndemnityFund #BirthInjury #DisabilityRights #ChronicIllness #InvisibleDisability #ChronicPain #NYHealth #Accountability #Transparency #DisabilityTwitter #2Care #UniversalChildCare

[ForGemmaAlways @ForGemmaAlways]

Creating programs is important. But oversight is what determines whether families actually feel the impact. The MIF is a perfect example: without strong state oversight of the external company administering it, families are stuck in delays, denials-by-process, and “we’ll follow up” with no timelines. @PCG_US

[ForGemmaAlways @ForGemmaAlways]

I’m a NY parent navigating the Medical Indemnity Fund (MIF). After repeated attempts to get accountability and a concrete timeline, I am still being routed back to the same person who identifies herself only as “Customer Service.” No supervisor. No manager contact. No named decision-maker. No direct communication from anyone with authority to correct a problem that is clearly administrative.

This is exactly why families are stuck in endless loops. When a claim is delayed, coded incorrectly, or written in a way that is not workable in real life for a child with medical needs, families need an escalation path to someone with authority and responsibility. Instead we get “we received your request” and “we will follow up once confirmed,” with no date, no ownership, and no transparent status.

The MIF needs basic accountability infrastructure:
- A real claim tracking portal that shows where a claim is
- Who touched it
- What changed
- Why it is stalled
- Plus an in-system appeal and escalation pathway with deadlines

If a claim is coded incorrectly, the system should flag it. If it is being “reprocessed,” the family should see the timestamp, the queue, and the expected completion date. Families should not have to do a full-time job chasing a state program that exists to support medically vulnerable children.

I am asking NY to fix the structure, not just one claim: transparency, timelines, and an escalation path outside “customer service” that actually leads to decision-makers.

@NYSDOH @GovKathyHochul @NYHealthCommish @PCG_US

#NYMIF #MedicalIndemnityFund #BirthInjury #DisabilityRights #NYHealth #Accountability #Transparency #GovernmentAccountability

[ForGemmaAlways @ForGemmaAlways]

You once fought to put the Indemnity Fund into statute, with public oversight.
Now it’s administered by a private contractor.

For families like mine, the gap between what’s promised on paper and what happens in real life is devastating. We’ve experienced denials of expenses that were already authorized, with little explanation and no clear path to meaningful review.

If protections exist “on paper,” where is the transparency in decision-making?
Where is the accountability when families are told no? @PCG_US @NYDisabilityAdv

[ForGemmaAlways @ForGemmaAlways]

A state program for medically vulnerable kids cannot rely on “hope” and inboxes. The MIF needs transparent claim tracking, time-stamped actions, and an escalation path with deadlines so coding errors don’t become months-long delays. Accountability is long overdue.
@NYSDOH @GovKathyHochul @PCG_US @NYHealthCommish #DisabilityRights #NYMIF @CarlHeastieNY @AndreaSCousins @NYSenatorRivera

[ForGemmaAlways @ForGemmaAlways]

If a healthcare provider or family repeatedly submitted errors, we'd face quick accountability and corrections.
Yet many NYMIF denials stem from coding issues ,despite prior approvals and clear medical necessity.
Who handles the coding on the admin side, and how can we ensure consistent accuracy so families aren't left in limbo?
It's time for better oversight and support. Please support S3364/A4972 for an independent Ombudsman to help resolve these challenges.
@NYDisabilityAdv @DisabilityRight @NYCDisabilities @COVIDAdvocacyNY #FixTheMIF #NYMIF #DisabilityRights

[ForGemmaAlways @ForGemmaAlways]

@NDRNadvocates @RepStenyHoyer Thank you for this. Disability rights also means access to the supports programs promise. In NY, families in the Medical Indemnity Fund are stuck in denials/delays with no independent escalation. We need an Ombudsman (S3364 / A4972) so kids don’t lose care to paperwork.

[ForGemmaAlways @ForGemmaAlways]

@gillibrandny Working families need relief inside NY’s Medical Indemnity Fund too. MIF delays and administrative barriers are exhausting parents of medically fragile kids. Please press NYSDOH for oversight and a real escalation path.

[ForGemmaAlways @ForGemmaAlways]

Appreciate you listening. I’m living the gap between “programs on paper” and reality. The NY Medical Indemnity Fund is administered day to day by a private contractor and families are stuck in administrative loops, terminology mismatches, and endless resubmissions for medically necessary care. What’s the best way to get this in front of your team for review and accountability?

[ForGemmaAlways @ForGemmaAlways]

NY's Medical Indemnity Fund (NYMIF) was supposed to be a lifeline: seamless, lifelong care for kids with birth-related neurological injuries so families don't fight for every therapy, equipment, or service. Instead, the external administrator Public Consulting Group (@PCG_US) has turned it into a nightmare of endless bureaucracy.

Parents are bogged down daily by:
- Internal coding mismatches and errors that reject valid claims
- "Reprocessing" loops with no deadlines or explanations
- Shifting documentation rules that change mid-process
- Delays and denials on pre-authorized, medically necessary care

What should be automatic support becomes a full-time unpaid job: chasing reimbursements, appealing errors, and begging for basics while our kids wait. The trauma compounds, exhaustion sets in, and precious time is stolen from family and healing.

This is not accountability, it's failure. NYSDOH oversees the Fund, but PCG's operations lack transparency, enforceable timelines, and any truly independent way to escalate beyond the same company causing the problems.

We need change NOW. Support and pass the MIF Ombudsman bills S3364 (Senate, sponsored by @NYSenatorRivera) and A4972 (Assembly) to create:
- An independent State Medical Indemnity Fund Ombudsperson
- A dedicated advisory panel
- To advocate for, assist, and represent qualified plaintiffs/families

These bills would give families a real voice, clear escalation paths, and standards to stop the recurring admin chaos. Our children can't wait another session.

Disability advocates: please amplify this crisis. Families of kids with birth injuries deserve justice and dignity.

@PCG_US @HealthNYGov @NYHealthCommish @GovKathyHochul @DisabilityRight @NYDisabilityAdv @SANYSorg @CIDNY @NYSenHealth @NYAssmblyHealth @NYSenatorRivera @KamillahMHanks @SenLanza @CharlesFall

#NYMIF #FixTheMIF #DisabilityRights #NYHealth #PatientAdvocacy #BirthInjury #OmbudsmanNow #NYLeg #HealthcareJustice #ForGemmaAlways

More on the Fund: https://t.co/bVko1Xly7B

[ForGemmaAlways @ForGemmaAlways]

@JimmyVielkind Families need real help, like in your child care story, but NY's Medical Indemnity Fund gets little attention on X because we're a small group of families. Still, we desperately need answers & help: pre-authorized reimbursements become a full-time job chasing tails in third-party oversight loops with no escalation path. We are stuck waiting and fighting while coming out of pocket endlessly. Worth a look? #NYMIF #FixTheMIF @GovKathyHochul @PCG_US

[ForGemmaAlways @ForGemmaAlways]

I want NY to succeed here, because families need it. But “help” isn’t help if parents have to front the cost and then spend months fighting for reimbursement due to delays, coding issues, and technical denials. That’s what NY’s Medical Indemnity Fund often feels like in real life.

[ForGemmaAlways @ForGemmaAlways]

The New York Medical Indemnity Fund (NYMIF) was created to provide seamless lifelong care for children with birth-related neurological injuries, without constant fights for funds. Instead, families are overwhelmed by administrative failures from the external administrator, Public Consulting Group (@PCG_US).

Pre-authorized, medically necessary care gets stalled by:
- Internal coding mismatches and errors
- Repeated "reprocessing" with no firm timelines
- Shifting documentation demands
- Delays and denials that force exhausted parents into a full-time job chasing reimbursements

Our kids wait for essential therapies, equipment, and supports while we battle bureaucracy. This is systemic failure, not support. NYSDOH oversees the Fund, but PCG's operations lack transparency, enforceable deadlines, and independent appeals beyond the same contractor causing the problems.

We need real accountability now:
- Mandatory written timelines for claims and reprocessing
- Clear, independent escalation paths
- Standards to eliminate recurring coding and admin errors
- Strong support for bills like S3364 and A4972 to create an independent MIF Ombudsman

Staten Island families deserve better. Our children deserve timely care without these roadblocks.

@PCG_US @HealthNYGov @NYHealthCommish @GovKathyHochul @KamillahMHanks @SenLanza @SenScarcella @CharlesFall @MichaelReillyNY @SamPirozzolo @MichaelTannousis @NYSenHealth @NYAssmblyHealth @NYDisabilityAdv

#NYMIF #DisabilityRights #NYHealth #PatientAdvocacy #BirthInjury #FixTheMIF #NYLeg #StatenIsland #HealthcareAccess

Details on the Fund: https://t.co/bVko1Xly7B

[ForGemmaAlways @ForGemmaAlways]

@PCG_US NY Medical Indemnity Fund families are stuck in delays and administrative loops for medically necessary supports. We need written timelines for reprocessing, clear escalation beyond front-line staff, and standards that prevent coding mismatches. @HealthNYGov @NYHealthCommish #NYMIF #DisabilityRights

[ForGemmaAlways @ForGemmaAlways]

@KamillahMHanks Staten Island families navigating the NY Medical Indemnity Fund (MIF) are trapped in administrative loops and delays for medically necessary supports. The Fund is administered by NYSDOH but the day to day claims and authorizations are handled by a private contractor, Public Consulting Group (PCG). Families are getting stuck in coding and terminology issues, “reprocessing” with no timelines, and no clear escalation path outside the same contractor process.

Can your office help elevate this to NYSDOH leadership and press for enforceable timelines and accountability, and also support S3364 and A4972 to create an independent MIF Ombudsman? @HealthNYGov @NYHealthCommish @PCG_US #NYMIF #DisabilityRights #NYHealth #StatenIsland

[ForGemmaAlways @ForGemmaAlways]

@GovKathyHochul Please include NY’s Medical Indemnity Fund in “fighting for our kids.” Families face administrative delays and no clear escalation path for medically necessary reimbursements. Please back passage of S3364 and A4972 to create an independent MIF Ombudsman. @HealthNYGov @PCG_US #NYLeg #NYMIF

[ForGemmaAlways @ForGemmaAlways]

@NYDisabilityAdv @GovKathyHochul Medical Indemnity Fund. Families need timelines and a real escalation path when claims get stuck. Please support S3364 and A4972 to create an MIF Ombudsman. @GovKathyHochul @HealthNYGov #NYLeg #NYMIF