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A 11220

Relates to physical therapist assistants

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Judy Griffin and 3 co-sponsors

The bill lets licensed physical therapists supervise multiple physical therapist assistants remotely in home care and schools, but with strict cadence, visit, and ratio rules to en

REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION
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Bill Summary · A 11220

Bill Summary: A.11220 (2025-2026) – Relates to physical therapist assistants

Jurisdiction: New York
Introduced: May 1, 2026
Primary sponsor: Assemblymember Hyndman
Committee: Higher Education

Purpose

To modify and clarify the rules governing the supervision of licensed physical therapist assistants (LPTAs) in two specific settings:
- Home health care services (home care) as defined in article 36 of the Public Health Law
- Public and private primary/secondary schools and services for preschool children (school-based services)

The bill aims to expand the concept of “continuous supervision” by a licensed physical therapist (LPT) without the need for the therapist to be physically present at all times, while establishing specific supervision requirements, visit intervals, and patient care oversight limits.

Key Provisions

Section 1: Home care services setting

  • Amends Education Law § 6738(c) to specify continuous supervision requirements for LPTAs providing services in home care (excluding early intervention services).
  • Continuous supervision elements (as deemed to include):
    • The LPTA’s work plan: therapist sets goals, establishes a plan of care, and determines patient eligibility for LPTA services (subject to the LPT’s evaluation).
    • Periodic treatment and evaluation by the supervising LPT (as per the plan of care, determined by patient need).
    • A final evaluation by the supervising LPT to determine if the plan of care should be terminated.
  • Supervision is defined to allow non-physical-presence supervision by the LPT, but with specific cadence requirements:
    • The interval between treatments/evaluations cannot exceed every six patient visits or 30 days, whichever occurs first.
  • Supervision cap: The number of LPTAs supervised by a single LPT in home care cannot exceed a ratio of 2 LPTAs to 1 LPT.

Section 2: School-based setting (schools and preschool services)

  • Amends Education Law § 6738(d)(1) to adjust continuous supervision requirements for LPTAs in:
    • Public primary or private primary/secondary schools
    • Preschool services (as defined for early childhood services)
  • Continuous supervision elements (as deemed to include):
    • The LPTA’s goals, plan of care, and initial determination of patient appropriateness (subject to LPT evaluation).
    • Frequency of joint visits between the supervising LPT and the LPTA, with a cap:
    • Joint visits shall occur no less often than every 90 calendar days.
    • Periodic treatment and evaluation by the supervising LPT according to the plan of care, with a cadence:
    • The interval between such treatments cannot exceed every 12 visits or 30 days, whichever comes first.
    • The LPTA must notify the supervising LPT of any change in patient status, condition, or performance.

Note: The bill preserves certain existing elements by reformatting language and adjusting cadence and supervision ratios for school and home care settings.

Effective Date

  • The act would take effect one year after becoming law.
  • The amendments to subdivisions c and d of § 6738 enacted by this bill would not affect the repeal of those subdivisions and would be repealed with it, per the language.

Who Would Be Affected

  • Licensed physical therapists (LPTs): Responsible for supervising LPTAs under the revised cadence and supervision requirements.
  • Licensed physical therapist assistants (LPTAs): Provision of services under specified continuous supervision in home care and school settings, within defined ratios and intervals.
  • Home care service providers and organizations: Must ensure supervision structures meet the new two-helpers-to-one-LPT ratio and cadence limits.
  • Schools and school-based health providers: Must implement supervision cadence (no more than 90-day joint visits; periodic evaluations every 12 visits or 30 days) and reporting of status changes.

Procedural/Timeline Considerations

  • Revisions would become law one year after enactment.
  • The bill presumes ongoing supervision without requiring physical presence at all times, but with explicit timing rules to ensure regular reassessment and safe patient care.
  • The ratio and cadence provisions introduce clear supervisory workload limits and care intervals to balance access to services with quality supervision.

Summary in Plain Language

This bill changes how physical therapist assistants can be supervised in home health and school settings. It allows therapists to supervise multiple assistants without always being on-site, but with strict rules about how often the supervising therapist must evaluate or treat the patient and how many assistants one therapist can oversee. It sets specific time-based and visit-based cadences to ensure ongoing oversight and patient safety, and it establishes clear responsibilities for both supervising therapists and assistants. The changes would take effect one year after enactment.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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