Republican Assemblyman Chris Tague (A.D. 102) called for an investigation on Tuesday, June 16, by the New York attorney general following reports that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit alleging New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration rigged the bid process for an $11 billion Medicaid homecare program.

“This is a grave breach of public trust, and New Yorkers deserve answers immediately,” said Tague, whose district consists of all of Greene and Schoharie counties, along with parts of Delaware, Albany, Otsego and Ulster counties. “The DOJ’s allegations are explosive: a favored vendor, millions in taxpayer dollars allegedly siphoned away, vulnerable patients and caregivers left in chaos, and Hochul administration officials right in the middle of it. Gov. Hochul owns this scandal.

 

The assemblyman added, “It happened under her administration, with her people, on her watch. Albany Democrats have no shame, and this is exactly what one-party rule looks like when nobody is held accountable. For some reason, our State attorney general is nowhere to be found to defend taxpayers. As State senator, I will fight for a full investigation, public hearings, subpoenas if needed, and real accountability for every corrupt Albany insider who swindled New Yorkers and betrayed the public trust.”

 

Tague is a candidate for State Senate District 51, which covers Schoharie, Otsego, Delaware, Sullivan, and parts of Ulster, Broome, and Chenango Counties, on the Republican and Conservative lines.

 

Norwood News covered the controversial transition by NYS Department of Health (DOH) of its CDPAP (Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program) home care program to a new single, statewide financial intermediary (FI), Public Partnerships LLC (PPL), replacing around 600 individual FIs, at the time. It was not without incident. Many impacted people had complained it had not been handled smoothly from an administrative perspective.

 

Norwood News had received some calls from concerned residents saying, for example, they had been finding it difficult to get through to the PPL helpline, to get assistance with transitioning their relatives by the required transition deadline.

 

Meanwhile, Norwood News reached out to the governor’s office for comment on the lawsuit and Tague’s call for an investigation by the attorney general into the bidding process. A spokesperson for Hochul, who is up for reelection in November, said, “This is just another sad attempt by the Trump administration to weaponize the justice system to attack political opponents in an election year.”

 

The statement continued, “New York’s decision to move to a single fiscal intermediary has already saved taxpayers more than a billion dollars while deterring fraud, waste and abuse. As many courts have already held, the transition to a single fiscal intermediary was lawful and appropriate. We are confident the facts are on our side.”

 

Asked if the issues arising from the transition were now closed out, the spokesperson referred us to the State Department of Health (DOH). We followed up with the DOH for comment and will share any feedback we receive.

 

On the same day, Hochul announced that nearly three million New Yorkers across the State will receive over $2 billion in tax relief this summer and fall through New York’s School Tax Relief (STAR) program.

 

STAR provides property tax relief to eligible homeowners and seniors statewide. State officials said that while some STAR recipients will receive their benefit in the form of a tax exemption this year, many other recipients will receive a tax credit and will be sent a check in the mail this summer and fall.

 

“The start of summer is also the start of STAR tax relief season for millions of New Yorkers,” the governor said. “From tax credits and energy rebates to our expanded child tax credit and middle class tax cuts, we’re continuing to put more money back in New Yorkers’ pockets.”

 

State officials said most homeowners eligible for a STAR credit will receive a check between $350 and $600, and most seniors eligible for an Enhanced STAR credit will receive a check between $700 and $1,500. They said check deliveries have begun and will continue statewide throughout the summer and fall. They said STAR recipients can visit ny.gov/STAR to track their check delivery or enroll in direct deposit.

 

Regional breakdown of this year’s STAR property tax relief according to State officials:

REGION	STAR TAX RELIEF	RECIPIENTS
Capital District	$136.4 million	238,000
Central New York	$123.7 million	173,000
Finger Lakes	$193.7 million	274,000
Long Island	$659.2 million	572,000
Mid-Hudson	$461.1 million	397,000
Mohawk Valley	$62.5 million	99,000
New York City	$149.7 million	474,000
North Country	$44.5 million	86,000
Southern Tier	$103.4 million	153,000
Western New York	$168.5 million	314,000
TOTAL	$2.1 BILLION	2.78 MILLION

 

State officials said homeowners who are eligible and registered for the STAR credit program will receive their STAR check before the deadline for their school taxes. They said some parts of the state, including New York City, Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, have school tax due dates in late June and July and will receive their STAR benefits soon. They said benefits across other parts of the state will continue to roll out throughout the summer and fall.

 

They went on to say that STAR recipients can visit ny.gov/STAR for a delivery schedule, and homeowners can also enroll in the STAR Credit Direct Deposit program through the Homeowner Benefit Portal within the Tax Department’s secure Online Services system.

 

They said to ensure homeowners receive their STAR credit by direct deposit this year, they should enroll as soon as possible. They said to guarantee timely delivery by direct deposit, homeowners should sign up at least 15 business days before their local school tax due date.

 

This year, starting in July, State officials said the Tax Department is holding regional STAR Seminars. In these sessions, they said people can learn how to sign up for STAR and maximize their benefits. They said the first session is in Erie County on July 7. The sessions will run through the summer.

 

They went on to say that for the STAR seminar schedule and more information on the STAR program, visit the Tax Department’s STAR Resource Center.

 

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story included a headline that incorrectly reported that the federal government was suing New York Gov. Kathy Hochul but the governor is not named as a respondent in the lawsuit. We apologize for the error, which has since been corrected.