Tell Your U.S. Senators to Vote No on the 2018 Budget - Online Action Link

The National Disability Rights Network has shared a easy action link to contact your U.S. Senator, the following info is shared from our colleagues. - Jim W.

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The Senate is currently working on the 2018 Budget and everything we're hearing is bad news for people with disabilities.

It's time to take action. Click here to contact your Senators and tell them to VOTE NO on the 2018 Budget.

Here are some of the details: The 2018 budget paves the way for massive tax cuts that are heavily tilted towards the super rich and wealthy corporations. If adopted, the budget is projected to lose trillions of dollars in revenue which will put tremendous pressure to cut many critical programs down the road.

Medicaid, Medicare, SSI, education, housing, and many more programs will ultimately be at even greater risk. And that is terrible news for people with disabilities who rely on these programs to live and work in the community and participate fully in the American Dream.

Help us stop this awful budget. Contact your Senators right now.

National Disability Rights Network

820 First Street, NE, Suite 740 ♦ Washington, DC 20002

ACTION: Tell Congress in 2017 to Support Veterans Access to Quality Health Care

The National Disability Rights Network considers it vital that veterans have access to advocacy and protection when in the care of a VA medical center for mental health and/or substance use issues. Yet, all too often veterans do not receive access to the quality care they need and to which they are entitled.

To that end, NDRN has engaged with the office of Representative Martha Roby who has now introduced the Protection and Advocacy for Veterans Act of 2017 (H.R. 1712) to establish a grant program to improve the monitoring of mental health and substance abuse treatment programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

     
But we need your help to get this bill passed. Click here to tell your lawmakers to co-sponsor the Protection and Advocacy for Veterans Act.

# Ability Chicago Info is member of the National Disability Rights Network.

ACTION ALERT - Olmstead Act Rights Under Attack! Tell Congress to Protect Medicaid!

National Disability Rights Network Statement on the American Health Care Act

WASHINGTON –  March, 7, 2017 - “The legislation revealed by House Republicans last night is a giant step backwards in the treatment and care of individuals with disabilities.

“It repeals the expanded Medicaid match that encourages the community integration of people with disabilities and counters biases that lead to institutionalization. It permits discrimination against people with disabilities in the insurance market for their pre-existing conditions. It caps Medicaid funding which means a sharp reduction in services and availability of this important health care lifeline for children and adults with disabilities. In short, this plan is terrible.

“The National Disability Rights Network urges the House not to send people with disabilities back to a time when it was nearly impossible for us to obtain health insurance, live in the home of our choice or participate in community life. We will never go back to those days. Never.”

SOURCE: Press Release March 7, 2017 

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Reach out to your House and Senate Members TODAY and tell them that repealing the Affordable Care Act and replacing it with a plan that CUTS Medicaid is unacceptable.

The National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) is the nonprofit membership organization for the federally mandated Protection and Advocacy (P&A) Systems and the Client Assistance Programs (CAP) for individuals with disabilities. Collectively, the Network is the largest provider of legally 

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SOURCE: Press Release Access Living of Metro Chicago

March 7, 2017 - Republican leaders in the US House of Representatives have finally released their plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Their replacement bill, the American Health Care Act (AHCA), contains provisions that would seriously undermine home and community based services and community integration currently funded by Medicaid. Our Director of Advocacy and External Affairs, Amber Smock, explains further and issues a call to action below:

"People with disabilities fighting for the right to live integrated, included lives in the community need to know that the new federal bill, the American Health Care Act (AHCA), will make it much more difficult for you to exercise your right to live in the community. Remember that the Olmstead Supreme Court decision, whose original plaintiffs were Lois Curtis and Elaine Wilson, made it your right to live in the community, not in a nursing home or institution. For those who rely on Medicaid funding, the AHCA attacks your funding by creating a system called per capita caps, where the federal government gives your state money based on your type of category (aged/blind/disabled, kids, etc). The amount of Medicaid funds is the same for each person in the category---there is no flexibility for those of you whose supports cost more. The per capita caps will stay at FY 16 level funding permanently without accounting for growth, meaning that each year as your state program grows, there will be less money for all. Starting in 2020, the Federal government could actually make big Medicaid cuts to your state if your state spends too much on you. Medicaid providers won't get paid and you won't have access to supports/healthcare you may need to stay in the community. Yes, you could be forced into a nursing home or institution, even though it costs more. The AHCA also eliminates the 6% enhanced Federal match for the Community First Choice Option (also known as the K Plan or 1915(k)). If you are a senior, the AHCA is going to make you pay more for private insurance plans. You may not be able to afford this. If you are a younger person with a private/employer health insurance health care plan, you are going to have to do a lot more paperwork and saving because you will have to pay out of pocket for more stuff. All of these things will make it more difficult to exercise our right to live in the community; be clear, it could PULL THE RUG OUT from under community-based supports. The AHCA is a giant budget cut to Medicaid! It makes Medicaid pay for benefits for wealthier people! So today, let's take action! 

Call your members of Congress using the switchboard at (312) 224-3121, and say: "I am a disability advocates and I need you to OPPOSE the American Health Care Act because it will make it more difficult for people with disabilities to live in the community. We won't be able to afford it and our providers won't serve us any more!" CALL TODAY!!!"

In addition to your phone calls, Twitter is an important tool to make your voice heard. If you tweet today on this issue, use these hashtags: 

• #ACAChat
• #KeepAmericaCovered
• #CoverageMatters
• #SaveMedicaid

Here are some sample tweets to use:

• PWD rely on Medicaid. Funding caps and cuts will hurt them and their families the most. #SaveMedicaid
• Federal funding caps mean the rest of us will pay $$$ to keep same quality care #KeepAmericaCovered
• Caps = less funding. Less funding = fewer options #SaveMedicaid
• The ACA gave millions of disabled Americans and their caregivers access to health insurance. #KeepAmericaCovered
• The ACA got things like speech therapy, habiliation services covered. These services heal. #CoverageMatters 

This is a massive attack on our civil right to live in the community, and it's time to fight back!

Take Action NOW to save the ACA and Medicaid, Result Could Be Two Major Blows To Individuals with Disabilities

The National Disability Rights Network has reached asking for help THIS WEEK in the fight to protect, and insure NO CUTS to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) !
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Once again, we need your help.

The House of Representatives is expected to introduce a bill to cut Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on February 27. The result would be two major blows to individuals with disabilities.

Could you help us protect the ACA and Medicaid by reaching out to your Federal and state legislators, and your Governor? We need as many people as possible to tell them that repealing the ACA and CUTTING Medicaid is unacceptable. Click here to send a message to your lawmaker.

People’s health, services, and lives are at stake! We need you to reach out to your lawmakers to let them know why the ACA and Medicaid are essential to people with disabilities and their families and to vote against legislation that removes important protections.

Cuts in funding and other negative impacts to Medicaid recipients could result in:

• Losing home and community-based services and supports. Waiting lists would quickly grow.
• Losing other critical services such as personal care, mental health, prescription drugs, and rehabilitative services. If funds become more scarce, states may decide to stop providing these services altogether.
• Being forced into unnecessary institutionalization. States could return to the days of “warehousing” people with disabilities in institutions.
• Shifting the costs to individuals or family members to make up for the federal cuts. The costs of providing health care and long term services and supports will not go away, but will be shifted to individuals, parents, states, and providers,

The ACA is the most significant law for people with disabilities since the Americans with Disabilities Act:

• Because of the ACA, health insurers can't deny health insurance if you have a disability or chronic condition.
• Because of the ACA, there aren't arbitrary financial limits to how much health care you can get in a year or in your lifetime.
• Because of the ACA, more people with disabilities receive supports and live in the community, not institutions.

Write your lawmakers now!

The ACA has unquestionably improved access to care for people with disabilities and chronic conditions to help them live healthy, independent, and fulfilling lives. In fact, in those states that have taken up the Medicaid expansion provided under the ACA, more people with disabilities are able to work and pay taxes and get off other financial benefits than states that have not taken up this valuable expansion of Medicaid.

So why is Congress trying to dismantle the ACA? It makes no sense! We must resist!

We cannot return to a time when people with disabilities and chronic conditions could not get health insurance and were relegated to poverty and having to choose between rent, food, or seeing a doctor or getting their prescriptions.

Please join us in opposing legislation to repeal the ACA and cut Medicaid. Click here to contact your lawmakers.

Sincerely,
Your friends at the National Disability Rights Network

Save our Schools! Students with Disabilities Will Suffer As Congress Is Trying To Weaken ESSA

The National Disability Rights Network has shared the following info:

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is a critical component in our fight to ensure students with disabilities are held to high standards and have access to a high quality education. ESSA was a successful bi-partisan effort passed last year to improve education for all students and built upon the framework of accountability. 

Now, Congress is trying to weaken ESSA by rescinding important regulations that are critical for meaningful implementation of ESSA. If they succeed, students with disabilities will suffer.

Click here to tell your Senators to preserve these critical protections for students with disabilities.

The regulations clarify the statutory language in ESSA, build upon ESSA’s flexibility for school improvement and provide a clarified role for families, educators and stakeholders to share in the implementation process. 

Perhaps, most importantly, the final regulations maintain the civil rights legacy of the law by meaningfully including all students, including students with disabilities.

Help us by clicking here to send your Senators a message.

Thank you for all you do in the fight to protect and advocate for people with disabilities.

National Disability Rights Network

SOURCE: Press Release National Disability Rights Network

Dept of Veterans Affairs and National Disability Rights Network Sign Agreement to Enhance Services to Veterans with Disabilities

WASHINGTON – Oct. 28, 2016 - Curtis Decker, executive director of the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN), signed a Memorandum of Understanding with officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service (VR&E). This agreement signifies a formal relationship between NDRN and VR&E to better enable Veterans with service-related disabilities to successfully transition into civilian life.

Signing on behalf of the Department of Veterans Affairs were Curtis Coy, Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Opportunity and Jack Kammerer, Director, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service.

The VR&E program provides individualized employment solutions and rehabilitation services to Veterans with disabilities that affect employment opportunities. NDRN is the non-profit membership organization for the nationwide Protection and Advocacy Systems and Client Assistance Programs (P&A/CAP). Collectively, the network is the largest provider of legally-based advocacy services to people with disabilities.

Under the agreement, NDRN and VR&E will collaborate to improve outreach to Veterans with disabilities, and increase awareness of and access to services that will enable them to better adjust to the civilian community. It will also improve communication and information sharing between the two organizations.

Additionally, NDRN and VR&E have agreed to determine when P&A/CAP agencies can support VR&E counselors to enhance services to Veterans; will exchange Fact Sheets on P&A/CAP and VR&E programs, services, statutes, and regulations to educate staff and clients; will conduct topical trainings on a variety of information important to Veterans such as benefits, disability rights under the law, employment, education and housing.

“Having sacrificed so much for our country, Veterans with service-related disabilities deserve every opportunity to find rewarding careers when they return to civilian life,” said Curt Decker. “This agreement is an important first step in a partnership that will improve employment services for our nation’s veterans.”

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The National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) is the nonprofit membership organization for the federally mandated Protection and Advocacy (P&A) Systems and the Client Assistance Programs (CAP) for individuals with disabilities. Collectively, the Network is the largest provider of legally based advocacy services to people with disabilities in the United States.

SOURCE: Press Release 

DArcee Neal Crawls Off Plane After United Airlines Fails to Provide An Aisle Wheelchair

(update posted below the original post)
A man with disabilities crawled off a plane at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, Tuesday night after the airline failed to provide an aisle chair and someone to help him get off the plane.

report By Chris Gordon for NBC4 Washington | Oct 22, 2015

When no one from United Airlines came, and needing to use the restroom, DArcee Neal crawled up the aisle from the middle of the plane to the doorway.

"I mean, it's humiliating," he said. "No one should have to do what I did."

Ironically, Neal was returning from San Francisco where he had a speaking engagement about accessible transportation.

"Half the time, I feel like airlines treat people with disabilities as a secondary concern," Neal said.

United Airlines said it regrets the delay in providing an aisle chair to assist Neal.

This type of problem is happening too often on various airlines, The National Disability Rights Network said. The Air Carrier Access Act guarantees consistent service to passengers with disabilities, but complaints are up 9 percent in the past year.

"In 2014 here were over 27,500 complaints in reference to things like this, so it is not uncommon," said Dara Baldwin of the National Disability Rights Network. "I hate to say that."

Lawyer Amy Scherer said she also has been left waiting on an aircraft, and one time her travel companions had to lift her and carry her off the plane.

"We got tired of waiting that long," she said.

Advocates for people with disabilities who travel are collecting stories to determine what progress has been made under the Air Carrier Access Act and what still needs to be done.

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Man-With-Disabilities-Crawls-Off-Plane-After-Airline-Fails-to-Assist-Him-336076281.html

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UPDATE at LINK - POSTED OCT. 26th

United Airlines apologizes after disabled man crawls off flight

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