Ms. Wheelchair America and a group of advocates are renewing their push to get a parity bill signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Latavia Sturdivant, who has won the Ms. Wheelchair America competition two years in a row, along with a group of advocates with disabilities, wants lawmakers to listen.

"Instead of always cutting us, we need you to invest in us this time," Sturdivant says.

To get their attention, the group held a rally in Mount Vernon on Monday to get Hochul to pass a parity bill that would help durable medical equipment companies survive.

"That bill will allow Medicaid-managed care to reimburse providers at a 100% of a 1987 rate, instead of 30% to 40% lower," Sturdivants says.

Sturdivant says the bill passed both houses last year, but was vetoed by the governor.

If it doesn't pass this year, independent medical equipment companies, like JK Prostethics in Mount Vernon, say they might not make it.

"Our ConEd bills have all gone up, our insurance bills have gone up. Materials have gone up. I can't afford to make a quality product anymore. I only have half my staff," says Michael Caputo, manager of JK Prostethics.

If they don't close down, Caputo says the other option is to move their business.

However, longtime client Danielle Lanzetta says a move would put her at risk.

"It would devastate me. I've worked with other agencies in the past and, like I said before, I have physically been hurt," Lanzetta says.

Hochul's office says the bill was vetoed last year because it would put a financial burden on the budget.

However, Sturdivant says that the answer isn't enough to satisfy her.

"Why was $145 million too expensive, but you invested billions and billions of dollars in other things? Is the ably-different community not important enough for us to really get attention to issues that really need addressed," Sturdivant says.