November 27, 2025
It’s an issue that Corning Republican Assemblyman Phil Palmesano often brings up – organ donations. Palmesano is the one who got a law passed so that when you get your driver’s license, you can check off a box to have your organs donated after you pass away. Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul has signed a new law so that if a person needs an organ donated to them, it can come from a friend, when no next of kin is available. The governor says until now, organ donations could not come from friends in New York State.
From the State Health Dept:
he New York State Department of Health today announced the launch of the Living Donor Support Program to help cover eligible expenses associated with the living donation process. The program was established through legislation and signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul. Living donation is when a living person donates an organ or part of an organ, often a kidney, or part of the liver, to someone in need.
“This is a new program that allows someone to become a living donor and give a part of yourself to save the life of another. Expenses should not be the barrier that stops a person from choosing to help another in this way,” State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said. “There is a great need for organ donation, with far too many patients waiting on the list to receive an organ for transplant. This reimbursement program will remove financial barriers so more New Yorkers can give the gift of life with the peace of mind that their financial needs will be covered.”
There’s a great need for organ donors in New York State. Approximately 8,000 New Yorkers are living with organ failure and are waiting for a lifesaving transplant. They have a variety of illnesses that have caused their organs to fail.
- Approximately 7,000 of these people are waiting for a kidney and living only because of the availability of dialysis.
- More than 520 New Yorkers are waiting for a liver transplant. There are very few therapies available to support patients living with liver failure while waiting for a liver transplant.
- A lesser number of New Yorkers living with end-state organ disease are waiting for a heart, lung, pancreas or intestine transplant.
In 2024, approximately 690 people were removed from the waiting lists of New York State transplant centers because they died or became too sick to transplant before an organ became available for them.
The Living Donor Support Program removes certain significant financial barriers that may prevent people from making the selfless decision to make a living donation and give the gift of life.
The fund, operated by the New York State Department of Health, can pay up to $14,000 for certain expenses related to the living donation process when both the living donor and the ultimate recipient of their living donation are residents of New York State. Living donor expenses eligible for reimbursement under the program include travel expenses, lost wages, dependent care expenses and certain unreimbursed medical costs.
To apply for participation in the program, a prospective living donor must submit their application to the transplant center before their donation surgery occurs. The transplant center will add center-specific information to the application and submit it to the Living Donor Support Program. Applications cannot be submitted by prospective donors directly to the program. Prospective living donors approved for participation in the program will be notified of their acceptance and receive instructions as to next steps.
After prospective donors have been accepted into the program and completed the steps required for the Department to be able to reimburse them, they may begin to submit claims for reimbursement on approved forms with receipts of expenses included.
Information about the New York State Department of Health’s Living Donor Support Program can be found here and questions can be sent to LivingDonor@health.ny.gov.
More information on how to become a living donor can be found here.
