Dear ARAN leadership,
PLEASE DISTRIBUTE THIS ACTION ALERT TO ALL ARAN MEMBERS AND ANYONE YOU KNOW WHO
CARES ABOUT VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION.
This is an action alert calling for all ARAN members to contact their House and
Senate offices to urge that the final economic recovery legislation maintain or
increase the funding to assist persons with disabilities that has been included
in the House draft. The House Appropriations Committee may mark up this
legislation AS EARLY AS THIS AFTERNOON, WEDNESDAY JAN 21st. The full House of
Representatives will vote on it soon - perhaps by Friday - and the Senate is
actively assembling its bill.
ACTION NEEDED: Please call your Representative's and two Senators'
Washington, DC offices and ask that they support a final stimulus bill that
includes or increases the current funding for Vocational Rehabilitation state
grants - a $500 million increase - and other programs to support persons with
disabilities. You may ask to speak to (or leave a message for) the staffer
handling the stimulus bill, or you may leave a message with the receptionist who
answers the phone.
If you do not know who your Representatives or Senators are, or don't know the
phone numbers for the Washington, DC office, look on the websites at
www.House.gov and www.Senate.gov. The House allows you to enter your zip code
and find out who your Representative is; the Senate includes a list by state.
BACKGROUND:
The House stimulus package was released last week, and it includes good news for
VR and for persons with disabilities. The proposal includes an increase of $500
million for state VR grants to help address the economic downturn.
Other programs to assist persons with disabilities received important increases,
as well. They include:
. $13 billion for IDEA State Grants - the largest ever increase in the program.
If enacted, this would bring the federal contribution to IDEA up to 27%.
. $600 million for IDEA Early Intervention services for infants and toddlers.
. $87 billion for an increased federal Medicaid match (FMAP)
. A one time $450 (individuals)/$630 (couples) payment to all SSI recipients
($4.2 billion total)
. $900 million to improve the Social Security Administration claims process and
computerization upgrades
. $6.5 billion for several low income housing initiatives
The House Appropriations Committee is expected to vote on the legislation today
or tomorrow, after which it will proceed quickly to the House floor. There is
some growing opposition from Members of Congress who are concerned that the bill
is too large and that the funds will take too long to "hit the ground." There is
a push on to reduce stimulus funds that are appropriated to programs like VR,
and replace them with tax cuts. This would be potentially devastating to persons
with disabilities, as the interventions needed far exceed the value of a
proposed tax credit.
Thank you for all you do to support public VR and independence for persons with
disabilities!
Catriona
Catriona Macdonald
President
Linchpin Strategies, LLC
700 12th St. NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20005
866-443-0998 MAIN
202-345-3334 MOBILE
202-478-2086 FAX
CMacdonald@LinchpinStrategies.com
