The current Congress is in its final days before new members are sworn in on January 3 and the balance of power in Washington quickly starts to shift.
The tight timeframe means there is an opportunity, as lawmakers will be laser-focused on passing a spending bill to keep the government funded. This spending bill could also include additional priorities focused on health and disability policies.
ANCOR is advocating for several of its policy priorities to be included in any year-end legislation that passes Congress. Such policy priorities, if included in the legislation, have the potential to strengthen home- and community-based services, create economic opportunities, and prohibit practices that endanger the health and well-being of people with disabilities.
ANCOR supports the following policies:
Congress should permanently reauthorize the Money Follows the Person program, which would support people to transition out of institutional settings and into home- and community-based settings.
Congress should expand eligibility for tax-favored ABLE (a Better Life Experience) Accounts, which allow people with disabilities to save for and pay for disability-related expenses, by raising the maximum qualifying age from 26 to 46.
Congress should raise the asset limit in the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program so that people are not forced to choose between poverty or receiving benefits.
Congress should end the use of electric shock devices on people with disabilities, a practice still in place at the Judge Rotenberg Center in Massachusetts.
Please contact your members of Congress today and tell them to support these policies!