NJ Chapter - National Council on Severe Autism

10/13/2026

🚨 FACT CHECK TIME: CAMERAS IN GROUP HOMES ARE NOT ILLEGAL. 👇

👂 We've heard through the grapevine that group home lobbyists have a new excuse for stalling Billy Cray's Law (A2705/S1172). They're claiming cameras in group homes are illegal under Medicaid rules.

❌ That's false. Here are the facts.

🏛️ No federal law or regulation bans cameras in group homes. Federal Medicaid rules require privacy, dignity, and consent, and the bill is built on all three.

📄 The federal agency that runs Medicaid put it in writing back in 2011: cameras are allowed in the common areas of Medicaid-funded disability facilities, with consent from residents and families.

✅ New Jersey already allows cameras in group homes. Providers just need a monitoring policy approved by the state.

🎥 Almost one-third of New Jersey agencies with licensed group homes have met, or are working to meet, the state's criteria for cameras in shared areas. One New Jersey provider has used cameras for about 10 years and now runs more than 1,400 of them.

🗺️ Arizona, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Texas all allow cameras in disability residential settings.

💡 If cameras were illegal, those providers' Medicaid funding would be on the line. We know of no provider that has lost funding over cameras.

🔒 The bill is built with privacy in mind. Cameras go only in shared spaces like living rooms and kitchens, never in bedrooms or bathrooms. They record video only, with no audio, and only with the consent of every resident and their family.

💔 Many of our loved ones can't speak. They can't tell us they were hurt, scared, or left alone. Billy Cray was 33 when he was found dead in the closet of his Somers Point group home in 2017. There was no camera, and his family still has no answers.

⏰ This excuse doesn't hold up. It's time for a vote.

📞 CALL ASSEMBLYMAN STERLEY STANLEY, Chair of the Assembly Health Infrastructure Committee:
Trenton Office: (609) 847-3115
District Office: (732) 875-3833
Just say: "Cameras in group homes are legal and already in use. Please give A2705 a vote."

✉️ Or write to him at [email protected]. Tell him in your own words why this bill matters to your family.

💵 Cameras show us what happens inside a group home. Financial transparency shows us where the money goes. We need both. Tell Senator Joseph Vitale to give the financial transparency bill, S4387, a hearing. The letter link is in the first comment, or call his office at (732) 855-7441.

🔁 Please share this post widely, beyond the autism community. Lawmakers need to hear that all of New Jersey wants our most vulnerable residents kept safe.

📢 Cameras save lives. Pass Billy Cray's Law.



Stanley

10/12/2026

📣 New Jersey needs to hear from families by 5 PM TODAY, Tuesday, October 13.

New Jersey has a new law, P.L. 2025, c.280, that lets the state penalize providers who put adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities at risk. Right now, the Department of Human Services is deciding how it will enforce that law, and it's taking public comments.

These rules will decide whether a provider that hurts someone we love faces real consequences or just gets a warning letter.

NCSA-NJ is asking the state to:
✅ Raise penalties to match nursing home standards, not rely on warning letters
✅ End the "three-year reset" that treats repeat violators like first-time offenders
✅ Require investigation reports within 7 to 10 business days, done by trained investigators
✅ Give residents and guardians the choice of a home with cameras, with everyone's consent
✅ Reward good providers instead of spending money on chronic violators
✅ Keep families informed of findings, and report publicly on how fines are spent

It takes 2 minutes:
✉️ Email [email protected]
📝 Subject: Public Comment on Proposed Provider Guidance, P.L. 2025, c.280
💬 Say who you are and where you live, that you support NCSA-NJ's recommendations, and add a sentence about your family if you can. Personal stories carry the most weight.

🔁 Please share this post. Every comment counts, and the state is counting.

Our loved ones can't always speak up when something goes wrong. Tomorrow, we can speak up for them. 💙

📄 Read our full recommendations:https://mcusercontent.com/2b9c3f5634a24522708ff8c79/files/d38f29cd-a785-0c5f-9f4d-1a6b1f4cf792/NCSA_NJDHS_REC_10_11_26f.pdf

10/12/2026

🕵️ WHERE IS THE MONEY GOING? Right now, families can't find out.

💰 One NJ group home CEO earned $2.37 million in 2023, nearly triple his 2018 pay. Across the eight largest nonprofit providers, 29 executives earned more than $250,000.

🧑‍⚕️ Meanwhile, the direct support workers who feed, bathe, and protect our loved ones earn about $21 an hour.

🔒 Two of the 10 largest operators are owned by private equity and don't have to report how they spend taxpayer money at all. When NJ.com asked the nonprofit providers how client funds were spent, none of them answered.

📂 S4387 opens the folder. Every provider would report spending in the same format, including executive pay, related-party deals, and lobbying. The State Comptroller would audit providers every year.

👍 This bill is achievable. Unlike the Fair Funding bill, which we still support but which has met stiff opposition, S4387 doesn't cap salaries or set spending percentages. It requires honesty, not limits.

🎥 We're fighting for cameras in group homes because families deserve to see what happens inside. We deserve to see where the money goes, too. We need both.

✉️ Tell Senator Vitale to give S4387 a hearing. It takes one minute: https://ncsautism.quorum.us/campaign/170923/

📞 Or call his office at (732) 855-7441.

10/12/2026

🕵️ WHERE IS THE MONEY GOING? Right now, families can't find out.

💰 One NJ group home CEO earned $2.37 million in 2023, nearly triple his 2018 pay. Across the eight largest nonprofit providers, 29 executives earned more than $250,000.

🧑‍⚕️ Meanwhile, the direct support workers who feed, bathe, and protect our loved ones earn about $21 an hour.

🔒 Two of the 10 largest operators are owned by private equity and don't have to report how they spend taxpayer money at all. When NJ.com asked the nonprofit providers how client funds were spent, none of them answered.

📂 S4387 opens the folder. Every provider would report spending in the same format, including executive pay, related-party deals, and lobbying. The State Comptroller would audit providers every year.

👍 This bill is achievable. Unlike the Fair Funding bill, which we still support but which has met stiff opposition, S4387 doesn't cap salaries or set spending percentages. It requires honesty, not limits.

🎥 We're fighting for cameras in group homes because families deserve to see what happens inside. We deserve to see where the money goes, too. We need both.

✉️ Tell Senator Vitale to give S4387 a hearing. It takes one minute: https://ncsautism.quorum.us/campaign/170923/

📞 Or call his office at (732) 855-7441.

📄 Read the bill: https://pub.njleg.gov/Bills/2026/S4500/4387_I1.HTM

📢 Public money. Public answers.

10/10/2026

📣 TO PROTECT PEOPLE LIVING IN NJ GROUP HOMES, WE NEED BOTH. 👇

🎥 Cameras show us what happens inside a group home. That's why so many of you have fought for Billy Cray's Law (S1172/A2705). Thank you. That fight continues.

💵 But cameras can't show us where the money goes. That's what S4387 does.

New Jersey spends $3.7 billion a year serving adults with developmental disabilities, about $224,000 per person. Yet families have no standard way to see how a provider spends their loved one's budget.

✅ S4387 would require every provider to report what it spends on caregivers, executive pay, real estate, and lobbying. The State Comptroller would audit providers each year, and the numbers would be posted online.

📄 Read the bill: https://pub.njleg.gov/Bills/2026/S4500/4387_I1.HTM

👍 And it can actually pass. We still support the Fair Funding bill, but it has met stiff opposition. S4387 sets no category-specific spending limits, which even many very high-quality providers have said isn't viable. It simply makes the numbers public.

🙏 Thank you to Senator John McKeon and Senator Patrick Diegnan, who are behind both the camera bill and S4387.

✉️ Send your letter to Senator Vitale demanding a hearing on S4387. It takes one minute: https://ncsautism.quorum.us/campaign/170923/

📞 Or call his office at (732) 855-7441.

📢 Physical visibility. Fiscal visibility. We need both.

10/09/2026

This bill deserves your support….

Choosing a group home is one of the hardest decisions a family will ever make. Right now, we make it without seeing the numbers.

🔍 S4387 changes that. It creates a public online portal where families can compare what each provider spends on direct care and caregiver wages versus administrative costs.

💡 That means families and caregivers can choose group homes that spend their loved one's budget wisely, and the providers that don't face a spotlight.

🎥 Cameras let us see what happens inside a group home. S4387 lets us see where the money goes. Our loved ones need both.

👍 It's also achievable. The Fair Funding bill has met stiff opposition, though we still support it. S4387 takes a different path: no category-specific spending limits, no salary caps, and no rate changes, just clear reporting and annual audits by the State Comptroller.

📬 On October 7, Senator Joseph Vitale was asked to post S4387 for a hearing. Let's make sure he hears from families.

✉️ Send your letter in one minute: https://ncsautism.quorum.us/campaign/170923/

📞 Or call his office at (732) 855-7441.

📢 No superpowers required. Just transparency.

📄 Read S4387, the IDD Provider Transparency and Financial Accountability Act: https://pub.njleg.gov/Bills/2026/S4500/4387_I1.HTM

10/09/2026

Choosing a group home is one of the hardest decisions a family will ever make. Right now, we make it without seeing the numbers.

🔍 S4387 changes that. It creates a public online portal where families can compare what each provider spends on direct care and caregiver wages versus administrative costs.

💡 That means families and caregivers can choose group homes that spend their loved one's budget wisely, and the providers that don't face a spotlight.

🎥 Cameras let us see what happens inside a group home. S4387 lets us see where the money goes. Our loved ones need both.

👍 It's also achievable. The Fair Funding bill has met stiff opposition, though we still support it. S4387 takes a different path: no category-specific spending limits, no salary caps, and no rate changes, just clear reporting and annual audits by the State Comptroller.

📬 On October 7, Senator Joseph Vitale was asked to post S4387 for a hearing. Let's make sure he hears from families.

✉️ Send your letter in one minute: https://ncsautism.quorum.us/campaign/170923/

📞 Or call his office at (732) 855-7441.

📢 No superpowers required. Just transparency.

📄 Read S4387, the IDD Provider Transparency and Financial Accountability Act: https://pub.njleg.gov/Bills/2026/S4500/4387_I1.HTM

10/09/2026

We need both…

🤝 EVEN SUPERHEROES NEED A PARTNER. TO PROTECT PEOPLE LIVING IN NJ GROUP HOMES, WE NEED BOTH. 👇

🎥 Cameras show us what happens inside a group home. That's why so many of you have fought for Billy Cray's Law (S1172/A2705). Thank you. That fight continues.

💵 Financial transparency shows us where the money goes. That's S4387, and right now it needs your help.

📈 New Jersey spends $3.7 billion a year serving adults with developmental disabilities, about $224,000 per person. Yet families have no standard way to see how a group home spends their loved one's budget.

✅ S4387 would require every provider to report what it spends on caregivers, executive pay, real estate, and lobbying. The State Comptroller would audit providers each year, and the numbers would be posted online so families can choose group homes that spend wisely.

👍 And it can pass. We still support the Fair Funding bill, but it has met stiff opposition. S4387 sets no category-specific spending limits, which even many very high-quality providers have said isn't viable. It simply makes the numbers public.

🙏 Thank you to Senator John McKeon and Senator Patrick Diegnan for sponsoring S4387.

✉️ Tell Senator Vitale to give the financial transparency bill, S4387, a hearing. It takes one minute: https://ncsautism.quorum.us/campaign/170923/

📞 Or call his office at (732) 855-7441.

📄 Read the bill: https://pub.njleg.gov/Bills/2026/S4500/4387_I1.HTM

📢 Cameras + financial transparency. We need both.

10/09/2026

We need both. Let’s get the financial transparency bill moving.

🤝 EVEN SUPERHEROES NEED A PARTNER. TO PROTECT PEOPLE LIVING IN NJ GROUP HOMES, WE NEED BOTH. 👇

🎥 Cameras show us what happens inside a group home. That's why so many of you have fought for Billy Cray's Law (S1172/A2705). Thank you. That fight continues.

💵 Financial transparency shows us where the money goes. That's S4387, and right now it needs your help.

📈 New Jersey spends $3.7 billion a year serving adults with developmental disabilities, about $224,000 per person. Yet families have no standard way to see how a group home spends their loved one's budget.

✅ S4387 would require every provider to report what it spends on caregivers, executive pay, real estate, and lobbying. The State Comptroller would audit providers each year, and the numbers would be posted online so families can choose group homes that spend wisely.

👍 And it can pass. We still support the Fair Funding bill, but it has met stiff opposition. S4387 sets no category-specific spending limits, which even many very high-quality providers have said isn't viable. It simply makes the numbers public.

🙏 Thank you to Senator John McKeon and Senator Patrick Diegnan for sponsoring S4387.

✉️ Tell Senator Vitale to give the financial transparency bill, S4387, a hearing. It takes one minute: https://ncsautism.quorum.us/campaign/170923/

📞 Or call his office at (732) 855-7441.

📄 Read the bill: https://pub.njleg.gov/Bills/2026/S4500/4387_I1.HTM

📢 Cameras + financial transparency. We need both.