Legislative and Advocacy Round-up (October 2021)

Legislative and Advocacy Round-up

October 2021

Upcoming Events

Brain Injury Resource Center

Whether you have a brain injury or concussion, are a caregiver or a professional, BIANJ has resources available for you. If you’re in need of further assistance, please contact the Helpline at 1-800-669-4323, or info@bianj.org.

Visit the Resource Library

Brain Injury Support Groups

Brain injury support groups allow people with brain injuries and their family members to meet others in similar situations. They gain valuable emotional support, form friendships, obtain information, and discuss a variety of brain injury topics.

Find a Support Group

CARES Program

The BIANJ CARES (Care, Assistance, Resources, Education and Support) Program supports individuals and families impacted by brain injury through care management. This program focuses on assessing current needs and developing a plan to help individuals achieve greatest potential and improve quality of life.

More about CARES

You're Invited to Join BIANJ's Advocacy Committee

The Voices Advancing the Brain Injury Community (formerly known as the Council for the Head Injury Community) champions and publicizes the advocacy, rights, and needs of people who have sustained a brain injury, and their families.

Make your voice heard

Election Day is November 2!

Election Day is Tuesday, November 2, 2021. This is your opportunity to have your voice heard in the political process by voting. Polls are open between 6:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Voting is different from last year. To learn more about voting in New Jersey by clicking New Jersey Department of State - Division of Elections - NJ Voter Information Portal. Through this website, voters can learn about various ways to vote, secure vote drop-boxes, how to track their vote and a other topics.

There is also a designated phone number related to voting-related questions. The number is 1-877-658-6837.

This Election Day, voters will be voting for governor, representatives in both the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly, plus county commissioners, town government, and boards of education.

You may learn more about the Office of the Governor and the New Jersey Legislature by clicking HERE and

HERE respectively. The New Jersey Legislature website provides a step-by-step process of how a bill becomes a law. You may access this by clicking HERE.

Are you interested in knowing who represents you in the New Jersey Legislature? To do so, click "Find Your Town" and then the town in which you live. After this, find the name of your town and the corresponding district number. Click that district number. You should now see who represents you in the New Jersey Legislature.

Ask for advocacy coaching HERE.

New Jersey to Invest $634M to Enhance Medicaid Services for Older Adults and Individuals with Disabilities

Acting Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman, on October 21, 2021, announced the federal government has approved Department plans to invest $634 million over the next three years to bolster efforts to strengthen and expand home and community-based Medicaid services for older adults and individuals with disabilities.

The plan will bring in $329 million in federal funding, for a total state and federal investment of $634 million in these programs. The wide-ranging plan will use federal matching dollars through the American Rescue Plan to enhance, expand and strengthen home and community-based services under the state’s Medicaid program known as NJ FamilyCare

In addition to the announcements today, Human Services remains in discussion with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on more than $100 million in additional proposals, and remains optimistic that these will be approved in the coming months. Highlights of the approved initiatives include helping providers of traumatic brain injury offset costs associated with COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

Traumatic Brain Injury Fund Can Help You

Over the years, the Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey has served and supported many people with brain injury and their families in so many ways. One of the reasons why we have been able to do this is through raising awareness through outreach to New Jersey residents.

We have created a video provides an overview of brain injury and how we serve those impacted by it. This 3-minute, 43-second video also provides an overview of how people can benefit from the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Fund. We encourage you to watch the video and you can do so by clicking https://youtu.be/AtNlufgEkrw.

The TBI Fund provides New Jersey residents of any age, who have survived a traumatic brain injury, the opportunity to access the brain injury related services and supports they need to live in the community.

Learn more about the Fund HERE.

Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey www.bianj.org