The Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Board, created to determine how to spend New York’s cut of at least $26 billion in opioid settlement money, met Friday in Albany.
It was an at times contentious meeting with discussions about how to best spread the money across work done by different organizations that have at times clashed. But there were also demands coming from the public as well.
This meeting was convened, in part, to outline how to appropriate $90 million in the state budget from the fund. Priorities include more than $26 million for municipalities, $10 million for harm reduction and $5 million for treatment services.
Twenty-eight percent, or $16 million, is earmarked to be invested “across the continuum.”
Those flexible funds are what brought several speakers to the Empire State Plaza on Friday, using the public comment period to push to use some of the money to address what they see as shortfalls in the state budget.
Specifically, they say funding for educational and vocational training offered to individuals in recovery through the Office of Addiction Services and Supports was slashed and programs are at risk. Several individuals who say they have benefited from the programs were on hand to speak, along with state Senator Nathalia Fernandez, who backed the effort.
“They have that history. They need specialized tailored services to help them reach out to employers to have the requisite job training that they need to be gainfully employed,” he said.
On behalf of the Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Board, chair Debra Pantin argued that the board doesn’t have the authority to reverse those decisions made in the budget.
“We do not have the jurisdiction and the authority to restore these funds. What the opioid settlement funds are intended to do is build on the existing system,” she said.
In response, Tim Ruffinen, spokesperson for the New York State Division of the Budget, outlined the progress being made through New York’s disbursement of funds.
“The FY25 Enacted Budget includes $90 million in opioid settlement funding to continue to lead the country in the disbursement of money received from settlement agreements with opioid manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies,” he said. “To date, approximately $335 million has been made available in Opioid Settlement Funding to support the priorities of the Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Board.”
