Felder Falls Short: NYC Needs a Public Advocate

For less than $3 million a year, New Yorkers get a tremendous bang for their buck, and then some, from the Office of the Public Advocate. Here's a sampling of the many things that have happened as a result of the work of the Public Advocate's office:

• The Department of Education (DOE) improved the special education evaluation system and offered make-up sessions to students denied services, following an investigation from my office which found that the DOE had withheld special ed services for up to 20,000 students.
• New procedures were implemented to prevent the illegal practice of pushing students out of high school after my office found that the DOE had pushed out hundreds of students.
• The city's 44 hospitals that offer childbirth services began providing legally-mandated maternity information. This followed an investigation by my staff that showed they had not been complying with this mandate.
• All city immunization clinics now make HPV vaccine available. The city made sure of this shortly after my office reported that not all clinics did so.
• The City Council passed legislation that I introduced which mandated distributing information on reporting child abuse, providing materials on protecting children, and creating a training program for shelter staff.
• The city hired 25 additional lawyers for the Administration of Children's Services and increased its legal budget by3.4 million. This occurred after my office identified a 23 percent annual child welfare attorney turnover rate, largely attributable to high caseloads.
• The Food Stamp application form has been reduced from 16 pages to 4 and Food Stamp offices now have evening and weekend hours. A community-based outreach program enrolled 77,000 New Yorkers in the Food Stamp program, bringing federal money into the local economy. These much-needed changes occurred as a result of my investigations and advocacy.

In his post, Mr. Felder mistakenly reports that we direct constituent calls to 311. Not only is this inaccurate, but the opposite is true. In fact, 311 refers calls to my office. Last year alone, 311 directed more than 2,200 calls to my ombudsman unit. And, unlike 311, my staff opens a case file for New Yorkers who call for help. My staff then works with them from start to finish, until their problem is resolved.

Each year my ombudsmen and women provide invaluable help to more than 12,000 New Yorkers -- many among the most vulnerable -- who encounter the city's impenetrable red tape as they try to access public benefits and city services. Constituent calls for help with public housing, income support and Food Stamps have more than doubled during my tenure as Public Advocate, as have calls relating to public schools.

Over the past 7 years, the Office of the Public Advocate has been the catalyst for major program and policy changes. And, during this challenging era of economic downturn, it has been especially relevant and essential. Just ask the thousands of New Yorkers we've helped. Yet Mr. Felder, his true motives unclear, continues to make comments that are pejorative, misleading or downright fictitious. Where appropriate, I'll continue to respond. Continuing, too, will be the work of the Office of the Public Advocate -- often unheralded, but vital and genuinely necessary.

Follow Betsy Gotbaum on Twitter: www.twitter.com/PAGotbaum

Comments

[flatbushqueen]

01:19 PM on 08/01/2009

It is absurd that the Office of the Public Advocate's Office is even in jeopardy of being shuttered. What is insane is that people need to realize that this office will assist YOU... In absolutely any issue you have with a City Agency. Take advantage of it!!! I myself have turned to the OPA with success. Not to mention we as constituents should be insulted that the Government of this City should want to take this office away from us. We need it! Big cities with large governing agencies often times forget the little people who they serve... Hello!!??? Can we say Albany ??? Perfect example of what happens when there is not an Office of the Public Advocate.