Tell Congress to address the workforce crisis so more people with disabilities can get the services they need at home!
By: The Arc
Many people with disabilities are eligible for Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) for help with everyday needs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, states received extra funding for HCBS—but this additional funding is ending.
This means many people will lose access to services, and families will need to make hard choices to care for their loved ones at home.Congress can stop this from happening by passing the HCBS Relief Act, which would once again provide states with extra funding to help people with disabilities thrive in their own homes and communities.Send a message to your members of Congress now and ask them to support this important bill, which would provide two years of additional Medicaid funds to:
Improve access to HCBS by increasing direct care worker pay and benefits.Decrease the number of people on waiting lists for HCBS.Pay for assistive technologies, staffing, and other costs that facilitate community integration.
Act now to support funding for HCBS!
“My son Nicholas is autistic and intellectually disabled. He gets services in home and community through Medicaid by people called direct support professionals. It is critical that we expand—not contract—the availability of those services. We need to enhance the [Medicaid] program and make sure people with intellectual and developmental disabilities have access to the care they need, connection to community, and increased agency in their lives.”
– Ray Hemachandra
[A young man with disabilities and his father stand inf front of a wall. They are both wearing a suit and tie and smiling.]