Albany, NY – Assemblymember Robert Carroll and State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal announced that their bill the “Dyslexia Diagnosis Access Act” (A.2898/S.5481) was signed by Governor Hochul today. 

This legislation will require that private health insurance policies pay for neuropsychological exams for the purpose of diagnosing dyslexia. New York would be the first state in the nation to mandate this type of coverage. Most medical insurance companies do not reimburse for this, and schools typically only offer limited assessments. Neuropsychological exams are often administered over the course of two days and currently may cost more than six thousand dollars making them unaffordable to many families.

“I was fortunate as a child that my family had the resources to pay for a neuropsychological exam. Being definitively diagnosed with dyslexia in 1993 was essential to getting the interventions I needed that literally changed my life.It is unjust that thirty years later there are still children whose dyslexia remains undiagnosed because their family can’t afford to pay for a neuropsychological exam. I authored this bill in response to what was clearly a pressing need. Since taking office in 2017, I have been working on how public policy can better meet the challenges facing children with dyslexia and their families and have heard repeatedly from parents about the strain that was put on them because of the cost of neuropsychological exams. At the public hearings of the State Task Force on Dyslexia this Fall, which was also established through my legislation, many people testified about this very issue. Ultimately, we need to ensure children with dyslexia get the interventions and supports they need and access to affordable diagnosis is a critical first step. Not only will this legislation help thousands of families, but the cost of these assessments will be lower than the costs that result from dyslexia going undiagnosed and untreated. I want to thank Senator Hoylman-Sigal for sponsoring this legislation in the Senate and Governor Hochul for signing it into law,” said Assemblymember Robert Carroll.

“The “Dyslexia Diagnosis Access Act” will be a game changer at leveling the playing field and allow many more children access to get the educational tools they need to learn and put them on the path to success,” said Ted Kamoutsis, Executive Director of the Promise Project, which provides neuropsychological evaluations and teacher training regarding reading disorders for kindergartners in marginalized and underserved communities in New York City.