Legislative Bulletin: Second Budget Extender Pushes Deadline to April 14
April 10, 2026
Second Budget Extension Pushes SFY 2026-27 Deadline to April 14
On Tuesday, Governor Hochul and the NYS Legislature approved its second budget extender, delaying the State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2026-27 budget deadline until April 14th. The budget extender ensures that state operations remain funded at SFY 2025-26 levels as negotiations continue. Policy differences between the Governor and Legislature are once again the reason for the delayed budget.
In addition, this week marked the beginning of a two-week legislative recess, scheduled through April 19th. With the state budget now delayed to mid-April, legislative leadership and staff are expected to continue their budget work through the recess and will return to Albany on or before April 14th – either to finalize the state budget for SFY 2026-27 or pass another extension of last year’s funding.
As budget negotiations continue, LeadingAge NY continues to actively engage with lawmakers and state officials. We will continue to keep members updated on state budget developments and advocacy opportunities. With budget work ongoing, we ask you to please continue to use your voice to keep the pressure on policymakers! Below, members will find several opportunities to engage in budget advocacy. Thank you in advance for continuing to use your voice and advocate with us.
One Week Until National Lobby Day in Washington, D.C.
LeadingAge NY members are strongly encouraged to join us in Washington D.C. from April 20 – 22 for LeadingAge National’s 2026 Leadership Summit and Lobby Day!
The Summit convenes thought leaders from across the aging services sector for mission-critical conversations. The event provides valuable networking and educational opportunities, but most importantly, the final day of the summit (April 22) will offer attendees the chance to join a coordinated lobbying effort on Capitol Hill.
During the National Lobby Day, LeadingAge members will meet face-to-face with members of Congress to advocate for federal funding and policies that support long-term care and aging services for older adults. Members of LeadingAge New York’s policy staff will be attending the summit and lobby day, joining NY member advocates in their congressional meetings and helping to navigate your way around Capitol Hill.
LeadingAge NY is working with LeadingAge National to ensure we have a great day of meetings set for our members to take part in. This is an important opportunity to bring member advocacy directly to the halls of power in the Nation’s capital – and your participation is critical to the substance of these meetings. Click here to register for the Leadership Summit and/or Lobby Day, as soon as possible!
On Monday, April 6, LeadingAge National hosted a special Policy Pulse Call, dedicated to updating members on the key policy priorities for the National Lobby Day. Members can listen to a recording from Monday’s Policy Pulse Call here. In addition, materials for LeadingAge’s April 22 Lobby Day are now available here, under “Lobby Day April 2026.” Materials include our Quick Look Talking Points, a List of Key Bills, and overviews of our asks for Affordable Senior Housing, Aging Services Workforce, Home & Community-Based Care, Hospice, Medicare Home Health, Medicare & Medicare Advantage, and Nursing Homes. These materials are designed to be handouts for congressional offices, as well as talking points to help advocates prepare for a busy day on Capitol Hill. We hope to see you there!
ACTION ALERT: Bring Your Advocacy to Social Media for Final Days of Budget Fight!
At this stage of the state budget process, much of the decision-making is with Governor Hochul and the leadership of the Senate and Assembly. A key strategy to capture the attention of policymakers during this final stretch of state budget advocacy is to leverage the power of social media. Please join us in a social media campaign, urging the State to “Stop the Crisis and Fully Fund Long-Term Care!”
To participate in this social media campaign, please follow the simple steps outlined on our website here. LeadingAge New York members are strongly encouraged to include residents and families in advocacy, and post your photos along with our suggested captions on social media over the coming days and weeks. We encourage members to post on Facebook, LinkedIn, and any other social media platforms.
In addition to participating in the “Fully Fund LTC” social media campaign, LeadingAge NY members are strongly encouraged to like & share the recent news articles posted by LeadingAge New York! Links to LeadingAge NY social media posts are available below.
LeadingAge New York in the News
LeadingAge New York continues to advocate for our members in the press as state budget work drags on. Members are strongly encouraged to share any of our recent news articles directly with state legislative offices, and in your social media work next week, to assist us in maintaining the attention of state decision makers. Sharing news articles directly with your legislative contacts, and amplifying news stories on personal and professional social media platforms – while tagging state legislators – can be a meaningful way to bring our message to the right audience.
On Wednesday, the Times Union published an Op-Ed written by LeadingAge NY CEO Sebrina Barrett. Barrett highlights the role that nursing homes play in overall community wellness, calling nursing homes “a cornerstone of our health care system…Without them, hospitals become overcrowded, families are left scrambling, and vulnerable individuals have nowhere to turn.” Barrett reiterates the need for increased state funding to support struggling nursing homes, including $750 million for nursing homes in the SFY 2026-27 state budget and full restoration of recent capital reimbursement cuts.
Please help amplify this story – like & share this article on social media!
If you would like to tag the Governor and Legislative leadership in the re-posting of an article, their Facebook handles are available here: @Governor Kathy Hochul, @Andrea Stewart-Cousins, @NYSAssemblyMajority Speaker @Carl E. Heastie, @Hon. Gustavo Rivera, @Assemblywoman Amy R. Paulin, @State Senator Liz Krueger
#ProtectOlderAdults #FundLongTermCare
Several other news articles were shared on LeadingAge NY social media platforms over the last few weeks – all of these are worth re-sharing:
- Secure $750 million for nursing homes:
- Support funding for Resident Assistance Program, featuring Selfhelp’s Katie Foley:
- Support Certified Medication Aides in nursing homes, featuring St. Ann’s Community:
ACTION ALERT: Call Assembly Members in Support of Resident Assistance!
LeadingAge NY has long advocated for New York State to fund and establish an Affordable Senior Housing Resident Assistance Program. This year, we have a chance to secure this funding in the final NYS Budget – but we need your help!
The Senate included the funding for Resident Assistance (RAs) in their one-house budget proposal. But now, we need to urge the Assembly and Governor to support this investment and include it in the final budget.
Please take a moment to call your Assembly Member on Monday, April 13, and urge them to support Resident Assistance in Affordable Senior Housing!
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- Find your State Assembly Member information here.
- Call the Albany Office and ask to speak with or leave a message for the Assembly Member.
- Talking Points:
- My name is ______, and I work at [ORGANIZATION]
- I’m calling to ask the Assemblymember to please support Resident Assistance for affordable senior housing in this year’s final state budget agreement.
- The $2 million investment necessary for this program is in the Senate One-House proposal, and I am asking that the Assembly endorse this investment and include it in the final budget.
- Through this modest investment, low-income older adults living in affordable senior housing would be provided on-site and on-request assistance with navigating aging services, such as help enrolling in essential benefits, connecting with preventive services, arranging for transportation assistance, and arranging for social and wellness programming in the building that help build community and prevent social isolation.
- Resident Assistance would make an immediate impact in affordable housing by improving quality of life and reducing reliance on Medicaid-funded healthcare and long-term care for the older adults who live there.
- Again, the Senate has included the $2 million investment, and language in the Education, Labor, and Family Assistance (ELFA) budget bill (Part R) to create the program, but we need the Assembly to vocalize their support to make it a reality.
- Please urge Assembly leadership – Speaker Carl Heastie, Housing Chair Linda Rosenthal, Aging Chair Rebecca Seawright and Health Chair Amy Paulin – to support the Senate’s investment in Affordable Senior Housing Resident Assistance in the final budget agreement, and consider signing on to bill number A.1948 (Rosenthal).
- Find your State Assembly Member information here.
After you place your phone calls, we strongly encourage you to send a letter to your legislators! It only takes a few clicks! In addition, senior housing members can share this Advocacy Flyer with residents, volunteers and other providers to help us advocate during this critical moment of the state budget process.
Lastly, if members would like to call additional Assembly offices in support of this program, members may consider calling Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Housing Chair Linda Rosenthal, Aging Chair Rebecca Seawright and Health Chair Amy Paulin’s offices.
Please reach out to the LeadingAge NY Policy & Advocacy Team with any questions. Thank you for your advocacy!
Continue to Send Budget Letters and Engage Others in Advocacy
With New York State budget work now extended through April 14th, we have extra time to advocate for the inclusion of LeadingAge NY’s top priorities in the final SFY 2026-27 budget. It is crucial that we maintain the urgency and frequency of our message to ensure that these priorities do not fall off the negotiating table.
Please continue to push for the investments and restorations that long-term care providers need, and the funding that the people you serve deserve!
Please use the links below to send emails to elected officials! It only takes a few minutes.
- Resident Assistant in Affordable Senior Housing Budget Letter
- Adult Care Facility/Assisted Living Budget Letter
- Home and Community-Based Services Budget Letter
- Adult Day Health Care Budget Letter
- Nursing Home Budget Letters:
- Provider Leadership (Executives, Administrators, Directors, etc.)
- Board Members
- Staff
- Family Members
- Volunteers/Constituents
- Resident letter available upon request
After you send your letters, please share these links with colleagues, board members and volunteers. This is a simple and easy way to strengthen our unified message at this critical time.
In addition, nursing home members can share this Advocacy Flyer with family members to help expand our advocacy reach and remind legislators of the families and residents who are impacted by inadequate Medicaid funding. Affordable senior housing members can share this Advocacy Flyer with residents, volunteers and other providers to help advocate for the Senate one-house budget proposal which would fund and establish the Resident Assistance in Affordable Senior Housing.
Thank you for your budget advocacy and for staying engaged with us throughout this process!
SFY 2026-27 State Budget Advocacy Resources from LeadingAge New York
- Comprehensive Executive Budget Summary
- Budget Issue Briefs
- Digital Advocacy Letters
- Social Media Advocacy Campaign
- Summary of One-House Budget Proposals
Contact: Sarah Daly; 518.867.8845; sdaly@leadingageny.org