Thanks to years of persistent advocacy by CSEA, state Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) employees who work with individuals now have a significantly higher meal allowance while out on community outings.
For more than 10 years, CSEA’s State Operations Department and Statewide Labor-Management Committee have pressed state officials on a simple but consistent problem. The meal allowance provided to staff accompanying individuals on community outings had fallen far behind the real cost of a meal.
That advocacy came to a head at the most recent OPWDD/OMH Advisory Conference and Commissioner Town Hall, where CSEA brought the issue directly to OPWDD Commissioner Willow Baer.
“When we brought this to the Commissioner, she acted quickly,” said CSEA OPWDD Committee Chair Jaime Chapman, who also serves as president of the Taconic DDSO Local. “[Baer] wasn’t aware the allowance had gotten that low. Once she understood, she made the change happen. The turnaround from the commissioner’s office was very quick.”
Community outings are a core part of the support OPWDD and OMH staff provide; trips to the movies, meals out, and other activities that help individuals stay connected to their communities.
The old rates often forced staff to choose between the individuals’ experience and their own out-of-pocket expenses.
“The allowance had to be increased,” said Chapman. “It’s not fair to ask members to be out with the individuals they support and not have the meals properly covered. Some staff don’t have extra money to spend, and no one wants to see an individual sitting off to the side because the employee can’t afford to join them.”
As of July 1, 2026, meal allowance rates for staff on outings with individuals have increased. For members working in New York City and Long Island, the breakfast allowance increased to $14, lunch to $20 and dinner to $27. For the rest of the state, the new rates are $8 for breakfast, $12 for lunch and $18 for dinner.
This increase is a meaningful win for our union members and another example of how persistent CSEA advocacy delivers real improvements on the job.
— Brooke Betke