Advocacy Monitor

Last week the Senate’s “skinny” COVID-19 relief package, the Delivering Immediate Relief to America’s Families, Schools and Small Businesses Act (PDF), failed to advance. This was considered their “skinny” package, because it is a scaled-back version of the HEALS Act that was introduced in July. You can read more about the HEALS Act in our previous alert.

The next two weeks are critical for passing real, comprehensive COVID-19 relief. If the Congress doesn’t reach an agreement this month, it will likely delay any significant relief until after the election, and possibly even until January. That is unacceptable.

Even if you’ve contacted your Senators already, they need to hear from us again today! They need to hear from their constituents how important it is that they work to pass real, comprehensive relief now. And, they need to hear how critical it is to address the disability community’s needs in this COVID-19 package. They need to hear about all our priorities, but especially about the need for funding for home and community based services (HCBS). You can see a full list of priorities in this letter from CCD (PDF), of which NCIL is a member. NCIL also worked with other disability organizations to highlight our most critical priorities (PDF).

TAKE ACTION: Contact your Senators to tell them to #GetBackToWork on a bill that addresses our needs. Remind that that #WhatWeNeed is #HCBS funding!

• Call your Senators. Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 (voice) or (202) 224-3091 (TTY). Ask to be connected to your Senators.
• You can find your Senators’ contact forms at senate.gov.
• You can find your Senators’ direct phone numbers, Twitter handles, Facebook pages, and more on Contacting Congress.
• You can use Resistbot to turn texts into faxes by texting “RESIST” to 50409.
• Also consider contacting Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. You can use the methods above or tweet at them. McConnell – @SenateMajLdr; Schumer – @SenSchumer.

A sample script is below. Please feel free to personalize.

The Senate has introduced another COVID-19 relief package called the Delivering Immediate Relief to America’s Families, Schools and Small Businesses Act (PDF). This is considered their “skinny” package, because it is a scaled-back version of the HEALS Act that was introduced in July. You can read more about the HEALS Act in our previous alert. Like the HEALS Act, this new package does not meet the needs of the disability community. It also includes the same dangerous liability shield. This is the piece that would undermine the Americans with Disabilities Act and give businesses immunity for harm they cause in almost all circumstances.

The Senate voted and failed to advance their bill today, by a vote of 52-47. Our Senators need to hear from us again now! They need to hear about the importance of addressing the disability community’s needs in their COVID-19 response. They need to hear about all of our priorities, but especially about the need for funding for home and community based services (HCBS). You can see a full list of priorities in this letter from CCD (PDF), of which NCIL is a member. NCIL also worked with other disability organizations to highlight our most critical priorities (PDF).

TAKE ACTION: Contact your Senators to tell them to #GetBackToWork on a bill that addresses the our needs. Remind that that #WhatWeNeed is #HCBS funding!

• Call your Senators. Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 (voice) or (202) 224-3091 (TTY). Ask to be connected to your Senators.
• You can find your Senators’ contact forms at senate.gov.
• You can find your Senators’ direct phone numbers, Twitter handles, Facebook pages, and more on Contacting Congress.
• You can use Resistbot to turn texts into faxes by texting “RESIST” to 50409.
• Also consider contacting Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. You can use the methods above or tweet at them. McConnell – @SenateMajLdr; Schumer – @SenSchumer.

A sample script is below. Please feel free to personalize.

The Johns Hopkins Disability Health Research Center is conducting a disability-led qualitative study to inform COVID-19 policy for the disability community. They are looking to recruit disabled people to participate in a research study of virtual focus groups discussing healthcare, accessibility and employment-related gaps in the COVID-19 response. See below for the study announcement, including information on how to participate and contact information.

In June, we reached out to gather input on the changes that COVID-19 has had on access to in-home support workers. Many of you graciously replied, sharing stories of the struggles being faced daily, and your very personal perspectives and unique perspective allow us to continue to advocate for solutions. We are sending this message to provide you with an overview of the 100 responses we received.

Respondents ranged in age from 19 to 87 years old. The majority (64 persons) rely on personal care attendants using Medicaid as a payer. Hours of support authorized varied widely, but almost every respondent hired privately and indicated a new or worsening worker shortage, and delays in receiving services or funds to make payments. Pay ranges reported an average of about $12.50 an hour. Compounding the worker shortage issue was a universal lack of personal protective equipment PPE, and many reports of out-of-pocket costs to supplement workers’ needs. In addition, 4 out of 5 responses recorded a disruption to routine or elective healthcare.