Federal Call to Action: #MedicaidCantWait
The Arc of the United States launched a grassroots campaign, #MedicaidCantWait. We encourage you to participate and share on social media.
For years, Medicaid, the service system that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families rely on has needed an update. People are stuck on waiting lists, the direct care workforce is underpaid, and too often, unpaid family caregivers are filling in the gaps in service.
The COVID-19 pandemic has magnified these problems and exposed the cracks and gaps in the care infrastructure when it comes to supporting people with disabilities and their families.
Tell Congress to support the Administration's historic proposed investment in disability services as part of our COVID-19 economic recovery.
Congress must follow President Biden's lead and fund $400 billion for the Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) system to expand access to HCBS, increase wages for the direct care workforce, and create more of these jobs.
Tell Congress we need:
- A $400 billion investment to fund expanded access to Medicaid HCBS to people with disabilities on waiting lists and address the direct care workforce crisis, including raising wages.
- A national paid leave program to ensure that people with disabilities, family caregivers, and direct care workers don't have to choose between their own health, the health of their families, and their livelihood.
- Improvements to Supplemental Security Income benefits and asset limits to lift people out of poverty.
NCOA Grant Opportunity for New Benefits Enrollment Centers
The National Council on Aging (NCOA), through an ACL cooperative agreement, is seeking grant applications from organizations interested in becoming new Benefits Enrollment Centers (BECs). One-year grants of up to $100,000 each will be awarded to qualified organizations to provide person-centered benefits enrollment assistance to low-income Medicare beneficiaries.
BECs find and enroll Medicare beneficiaries into a range of benefits, with a specific emphasis on:
- Medicare Part D Extra Help (or Low-Income Subsidy, LIS)
- Medicare Savings Programs (MSP)
- Medicaid
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly Food Stamps)
- Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
State or community-based nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and faith-based organizations are eligible to apply.
Special consideration will be given to agencies serving areas not currently served by a BEC and who are focused on assisting underserved populations, including racial/ethnic minorities, rural residents, LGBTQ individuals, persons with disabilities, and individuals with limited English proficiency, among others.
NCOA is hosting two information sessions to provide guidance on applying for the BEC grant, and answer questions from potential applicants. Both events will be recorded.
AHRC Symposium: Eliminating Compounded Disparities for People with Disabilities
AHRC New York City, a Chapter of the Arc New York, and their partners will host a symposium on Friday, May 14, from 8:30 - 4:30 PM titled, A Call to Action: Eliminating Compounded Disparities for People with Disabilities in a Year of COVID-19.
Focusing on Lived Experience, this Symposium will explore the Intersectionality of Disability, Race, Ethnicity, Culture, Gender Identities, and the Political Determinants of Health and provoke a deeper discussion, a greater sense of shared responsibility and a better-defined road map for future action in partnership with people with disabilities.
Learn more and register here.