Mental Health

This bill expands New York's official definition of "eating disorder" in mental health law to explicitly include avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), alongside existing conditions like anorexia and bulimia. It directly affects individuals diagnosed with ARFID by ensuring they qualify for mental health services, insurance coverage, and prevention programs previously limited to other recognized eating disorders. The key mechanism amends two laws: updating the definition in the Mental Hygiene Law (Section 30.02) and requiring the state's eating disorders awareness program to cover this newly included condition. This change ensures ARFID is formally recognized in medical and mental health practice under state law.

Enacts "Karilyn's law"; provides that the court set the date for proceedings relating to family visitation under a guardianship petition for not more than ten days from the signing of the order to show cause; provides that visitation shall be a rebuttable presumption.

Designates records and information relating to a patient who has been deceased for a period of fifty years or longer as historic records no longer subject to privacy protections; provides that such provisions shall not be construed as requiring a facility to retain records for any particular length of time.

This bill creates a temporary task force within the Office of Mental Health to study how to help residents of community-based mental health housing programs age in place. The nine-member group will investigate barriers to care, propose policy changes to improve access to medical services, ensure housing compliance with disability laws, and develop training for staff. The task force must submit its findings and recommendations to the governor and legislature within twelve months, after which the bill and the group will automatically expire.

Establishes a master of social work paid field practicum pilot program to provide a stipend to students who are enrolled in a master of social work program for the first 450 hours of field practicum completed towards such masters' degree; requires the office of mental health to complete a report making recommendations on how to expand the pilot program to increase the number of social workers in the state, improve representation in the field of social work, mitigate student debt and improve labor conditions for social workers upon graduation.