Cuomo and Adams fight while Paterson calls for candidate collaboration

Plus: A CDPAP class-action settlement is now on the table and unopposed by the state.

Good afternoon — it’s Monday and the National Day of Rock ‘N’ Roll.

In today’s CapCon:

• Former Gov. David Paterson said Monday he wants either former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo or New York City Mayor Eric Adams to exit the race for mayor.

• A hearing to review New York’s transition of the CDPAP Medicaid program has been postponed.

• But a class-action settlement between CDPAP consumers and the state Department of Health has now been proposed.

• Another Democrat has entered the race against U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney.

• A bill under Hochul’s review would boost AANHPI history in New York’s schools.

• This Week in New York History: The Declaration of Independence, Eastman Kodak and the Thruway

Names in today’s CapCon: Gustavo Rivera, James Skoufis, Zohran Mamdani, David Paterson, Eric Adams, Andrew Cuomo, Steve Holden, Claudia Tenney, John Liu, Grace Lee

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(Will Waldron/Times Union)

👂 CDPAP hearing postponed indefinitely, class-action settlement proposed

A hearing that was scheduled for this Wednesday on the state’s transition of the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program has been postponed.

Senate Health Chair Gustavo Rivera and Senate Investigations Chair James Skoufis had announced the hearing last month to examine how the state handled the program’s transition and how the company that now manages it was chosen.

It’s now being pushed because representatives from the state Department of Health weren’t prepared to testify Wednesday, they said in a statement. But the agency is “unequivocally committed” to participating in the rescheduled hearing, they said.

“As the agency with oversight of this program, it is imperative that DOH is present to provide their unique insights and knowledge as it relates to the transition and ongoing operations of CDPAP,” the lawmakers said.

“While we are incredibly disappointed about this recent development, our commitment to hold this crucial hearing this summer has not wavered and we will notify stakeholders and the public as soon as we have a new date,” they added.

The transition has faced several challenges since the state decided to transfer management of the fiscal side of the program from 600 individual companies to one: Public Partnerships, LLC. The transition was supposed to be complete by April 1.

When it became apparent that many consumers and their personal assistants wouldn’t meet that deadline, the state extended it by a month. It was then extended again through litigation.

Several lawsuits have proceeded against the transition in the backdrop of all that, including one filed in federal court that could soon reach a settlement, as the Times Union’s Raga Justin recently reported.

State Health Commissioner James McDonald (Will Waldron/Times Union)

⚖️ CDPAP class action settlement proposed in federal court

A proposed class-action settlement between the state and the consumers in the program who brought the lawsuit was filed in federal court over the weekend.