Exclusive | NY Rep. Ritchie Torres rips Gov. Hochul for running countrys worst early intervention program for disabled toddlers in scathing letter

Bronx Rep.Ritchie Torres has accused Gov.

Kathy Hochul of bungling oversight of New York’s early intervention program for toddlers with developmental disabilities such as autism and Down syndrome.“New York has the single worst early intervention program in the nation, ranking 50 out of 50,” Torres said in a letter sent Sunday to Hochul.“The time has come for you to end your dubious distinction of presiding over America’s worst early intervention program.”His criticism of the early childhood program is just his latest broadside against Hochul, who Torres is considering challenging in the 2026 Democratic primary for governor.There are 10,000 kids with disabilities on the waiting list for early intervention in the state, a 500% increase since 2020, Torres said.And early intervention providers — who include physical and speech therapists among other specialists — are missing payments for their work, hamstringing the program that’s already suffering from a backlog of patients, according to the Democratic congressman.

The early intervention program went off the rails last year, when a state Health Department contractor, Massachusetts-based Public Consulting Group, launched a new software system for therapists to manage cases and bill for their services.The transition to the software system has been a glitch-prone and delay-stricken disaster, according to a North Country Radio investigation last month.Half of New York’s therapists who provide early intervention services are not getting their full paychecks, according to an industry survey, Albany-based therapist Lacie Schweigart told The Post.Providers have to click 25 times to fill out a form for reimbursement, said Tracy Harris, a 30-year speech therapist who has run her own business, Building Blocks in upstate Watertown, for the last 20.“I can’t take on any new clients.They’d end up on a waiting list,” Harris said.“The program is the worst it’s ever been.”The two therapists said they...