New York
New York has world-class epilepsy care and one of the harshest driving rules in the country. Both things are true at once.
Twelve months without a loss of consciousness. The American Academy of Neurology recommends three. Texas requires three. Pennsylvania just cut theirs to three. New York is still at twelve.
And New York has no Seizure-Safe Schools law. None. Not pending - absent.
Call your representative! ⬇
Representation
Kirsten Gillibrand, U.S. Senator (D-NY) | (202) 224-4452
Charles Schumer, U.S. Senator (D-NY) | (202) 224-6542
Go Here To Find Your Congressional Representative
New York has no Seizure Safe Schools law. Find your state senator and assembly member and ask them to introduce or support one. Twenty-five-plus states have already done it. Ask why New York hasn't.
Federal: H.R. 9956, the Seizure Safe Schools Act of 2026 — introduced July 27, 2026, by Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC-4), referred to Education and Workforce. Zero cosponsors as of August 2026. New York has 26 House members. None of them have signed on.
Your U.S. Senators are Chuck Schumer (D) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D). Schumer is the Senate Minority Leader, which means his office fields a very high volume - call anyway, and be specific about the bill number.
Driving Laws
Under DMV regulation 15 NYCRR 9.3, you're considered fit for licensing if you haven't experienced a loss of consciousness in the previous 12 months and you submit a statement from a physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner confirming it.
Exceptions can be made on the written advice of a physician, provided the New York State Medical Review Board has no objection. That's a real pathway — it is not automatic, and it is not fast.
Anyone applying for a New York license who has ever lost consciousness, or has lost consciousness since their license was last issued, or whose loss of consciousness is reported to the state by a medical practitioner or law enforcement officer, will receive notice of proposed license denial or suspension.
Physicians are not required to report you. The DMV states this plainly: a physician is not required by law to report a seizure or loss of consciousness, though the department encourages voluntary reporting via the Physician's Reporting Form (DS-6). The Medical Review Unit must investigate when a police accident report indicates a condition that may affect driving ability.
Watch this: Senate Bill S7093 (Lanza) would require anyone holding a license or permit to report a medically diagnosed seizure to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles within 60 days. Right now, there's no statute requiring you to report a seizure that happens after you renewed. That bill would change it.
School Laws
The Epilepsy Foundation's own state tracker says it plainly: there is not an enacted law for New York. More than half the states have passed some version. New York — with the fourth-largest population in the country — has not.
That means there is no statewide requirement that anyone in your child's school knows how to recognize a seizure or what to do about it. Whether a trained adult is in the building depends entirely on the district, the principal, and luck.
What you actually have is federal law. Section 504 and IDEA both apply, and a Seizure Action Plan can be built into a 504 plan or an IEP. That's your leverage. Put every request in writing. Ask for training documentation by name and role. Keep the paper.
And this is a live legislative opening. New York doesn't need to debate whether the model works — 25+ states have already passed it. Bring your state legislator the model bill and ask why New York isn't on the list.
Support
Epilepsy Foundation of Metropolitan New York — legally The Epilepsy Institute — has served New York City since 1967. It's the city's only specialized organization combining epilepsy education, awareness, and advocacy with individual services. Their group programming is unusually specific: a teen group for 13- to 17-year-olds co-facilitated by two teens and a licensed social worker; a group for LGBTQIA+ people with seizure disorders including epilepsy, PNES and functional neurological disorder; a 10-week depression group; and a six-week CDC-developed self-management program. Fees are on a sliding scale, and Medicaid, Medicare, and some insurance are accepted. Education and training are free.
Epilepsy Foundation of Northeastern New York covers 22 counties, including the Capital Region, North Country, and Upper Hudson Valley — Albany, Clinton, Columbia, Dutchess, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Montgomery, Rensselaer, and more. Information and referral, counseling, support groups, service coordination, school education, advocacy. Free of charge. They've been doing it for over forty years.
Both are independent affiliates. There is also the Epilepsy Coalition of New York State, which EFMNY holds contractual agreements with alongside the city and state.
Epilepsy Care
If your seizures aren't controlled after 12 months with a general neurologist — or after two medications have failed — national guidelines say you should be at a Level 3 or Level 4 center. Most people who meet that bar were never told it existed.
Check out the NAEC to find a Level 3 or4 Epilepsy Center near you.
NYU Langone Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Manhattan — Level 4 adult
Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Bronx — Level 4, one of the first centers to hold the designation
NewYork-Presbyterian / Weill Cornell Pediatric Epilepsy Center — Level 4 pediatric
Albany Medical Center Comprehensive Epilepsy Program — Level 4 adult, running 2,000+ EEGs a year and evaluating 400+ patients annually in its monitoring unit
Additional Level 3 and Level 4 centers operate across the state. If you're upstate or on Long Island, check the directory rather than assuming you have to come to the city.