Disabilities Beat LIVE: Exclusive one-on-one interview with the new statewide CDPAP provider

On April 30th at 12 p.m., BTPM's Disability Reporter Emyle Watkins will host a live interview with Maria Perrin, the president of PPL, the new single statewide fiscal intermediary (FI) for the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP).

They will discuss what CDPAP is, the move from 600 FIs to PPL being the only FI in New York, and the process of transitioning the hundreds of thousands of disabled people and their care workers to this company. Most importantly, Perrin will answer questions submitted by the disability community regarding the transition and their concerns.

The interview will air live on BTPM.org, BTPM’s YouTube and BTPM NPR’s Facebook page from 12 to 1 p.m. EST. It will also be available on our website. ASL interpretation will be provided.

It’s no secret that the CDPAP transition has ignited heated discussion online, faced legal challenges, and questions from the disability community about the future of care in New York State. The goal of the Disabilities Beat has always been to bring accountability and transparency to the issues disabled people care about, and this interview will be a chance to have your questions answered by the leader of the new single FI.

To submit questions, please use the form below or email to DisabilitiesBeat@btpm.org. You can submit your question to be read, or played as a video or audio file. Please follow these guidelines when submitting questions to keep the conversation as productive as possible:

• Please keep your question short, to 250 words or less, or if a recording, under 2 minutes. We appreciate any context and personal stories you can provide, but we ask you to keep it brief so we can answer as many questions as possible!
• As a radio station, we need to be considerate of the language used on air. Please refrain from using inappropriate language in your questions or stories. If inappropriate or offensive language is used, the question may not be used.
• If multiple people submit similar questions, we may condense them into one question to save time.
• BTPM NPR reserves the right to trim or edit questions or audio/video files for time and clarity.
• A note: All questions will be screened by BTPM NPR. PPL will not receive any questions or stories submitted to us in advance of the interview. They will hear the questions for the first time during the interview.

Emyle Watkins, who hosts the Disabilities Beat on BTPM NPR, brings expertise to the conversation as she has been investigating CDPAP, home care, and Medicaid issues in New York State for four years. Watkins is an award-winning, internationally-known investigative journalist specializing in disability and health policy, and authored the Global Investigative Journalism Network’s Guide to Investigating Disability Issues. Watkins lives with a disability and grew up with a disabled stay-at-home parent.

Maria Perrin is the president of Public Partnerships, LLC. According to her professional biography, Perrin has worked for 20 years on care solutions for Medicare/Medicaid populations and personally identifies as a disability rights advocate. Previously, she has worked in c-suite positions for medical companies including HMS and Therapy Brands. She currently serves on the advisory boards of Babson Diagnostics and Perx Health and is a professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design.