Bill > A08648

This bill extends the provisions of the Family Health Care Decisions Act to provide more comprehensive and protective guidelines for making healthcare decisions for patients with intellectual or developmental disabilities. The bill introduces several key changes, including more detailed notification requirements when making medical decisions for such patients, explicit protections against discriminatory presumptions about their rights, and specific procedures for determining healthcare surrogates. It establishes that people with intellectual or developmental disabilities are entitled to the same rights, respect, and medical care as anyone else, and creates a framework for decision-making that involves multiple safeguards. The bill requires healthcare practitioners to notify relevant agencies and the patient (when possible) before making significant medical decisions, such as withdrawing life-sustaining treatment, and provides mechanisms for objecting to proposed medical decisions. Additionally, the bill clarifies the roles of various entities in the decision-making process, including the Willowbrook consumer advisory board and surrogate decision-making committees, and ensures that these decisions can be subject to judicial review. The overall aim is to protect the rights and dignity of intellectually or developmentally disabled individuals while providing a clear, compassionate process for making critical healthcare choices when they cannot make decisions for themselves.

Health and Social Services

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A8648