The Arc Expresses Support for H.R. 2941, Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act

/in , , , , , /by The Arc

The Arc of the United States submitted a letter of support for H.R. 2941, Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act. The legislation would urge the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to consider including a code for direct support professionals (DSPs) in its revision of the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) manual. The omission of a DSP SOC code leads to a lack of data on the DSP workforce, the devaluation of the profession, and likely lower reimbursement rates as a result.

The Arc Sends Letter Encouraging Swift Passage of Autism CARES Act

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The Arc expressed its strong support for the Autism CARES Act, which is critical legislation for research and training programs. The proposed bill reauthorizes the programs for another five years. The Arc encouraged the bill to pass quickly to ensure the current bill does not expire.

Letter to House Agriculture Committee on the 2024 Farm Bill

/in /by Darcy Milburn

May 23, 2024

The Honorable Glenn “GT” Thompson
Chairman
House Committee on Agriculture
400 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable David Scott
Ranking Member
House Committee on Agriculture
468 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairman Thompson and Ranking Member Scott,

We write to express strong concern with the proposed changes to future Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) benefit adjustments outlined in the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024: Discussion Draft (House Farm Bill). This proposal would block Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits from keeping pace with the cost of a healthy, realistic diet, which the Congressional Budget Office projects would cut benefits by almost $30 billion over the next 10 years. If enacted, this would be the largest cut to SNAP in almost 30 years, and these cuts would grow much deeper over time. Every SNAP participant would receive less to buy groceries in the future than they would under current law. This represents a serious threat to the health of nearly 14 million people with disabilities who rely on SNAP to put food on the table.

The Arc is the largest national community-based organization advocating for people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families. Our nearly 600 state and local chapters across the United States provide a wide range of services for people with IDD, including individual and systems advocacy, public education, family support, systems navigation, support coordination services, employment, housing, support groups, and recreation.

In the United States, all too often food insecurity and disability go together. Families that include people with disabilities are two to three times more likely to experience food insecurity than families that have no members with disabilities. Similarly, people experiencing food insecurity have increased likelihood of chronic illness and disability.

By increasing access to adequate, nutritious food, SNAP plays a key role in reducing hunger and helping people with disabilities to maximize their health and participate in their communities. SNAP benefits have served as an important lifeline as the price of food has skyrocketed in recent years, but benefit levels have fallen short of meeting many peoples’ needs. From 2019 to 2023, the all-food Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 25 percent. As a member of our network from Minnesota wrote, “As a disabled person who is unable to work and gets the maximum amount of benefits I’m entitled to through the program, I still struggle to feed myself and rely on the food shelf and other charities to make sure I don’t go hungry. Cutting it would be devastating to my ability to feed myself.”

Inflation is not the only factor that influences the cost of a healthy diet. Beyond inflation, people with disabilities face additional food affordability challenges because many have allergies, food sensitivities, or other health conditions that require a specialized diet and higher grocery bills. For example, we recently received a message from a parent in Texas who emphasized the importance of SNAP benefits for her family when she wrote, “My daughter has a life-threatening syndrome related to a slow metabolism requiring her to have a low-[calorie], low fat, overall very healthy diet. These foods often cost more. … We daily are working towards long term solutions to keep her safe and healthy when we are someday gone. Losing SNAP benefits would set us back completely.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s 2021 update to the TFP resulted in modest but overdue improvements to SNAP benefits that have enabled people with disabilities to afford more of the foods they need. For example, the inclusion of some easier-to-prepare foods such as canned beans and pre-cut foods in the 2021 TFP helped make SNAP benefit levels better reflect the reality of what beneficiaries—especially those with mobility and/or manual dexterity challenges—actually buy.

The proposal in the House Farm Bill to freeze the cost of the TFP outside of inflation adjustments, even if nutrition guidelines or other factors change the cost of an adequate diet, would erode benefits over time and have a disproportionate impact on people with disabilities. We urge you not to advance this proposal and to work on a bipartisan basis to strengthen and protect SNAP.

Sincerely,

Darcy Milburn
Director, Social Security and Healthcare Policy
The Arc of the United States

The Arc Responds to FDA’s Proposed Rule to Ban Electro-Stimulation Devices for Aggressive or Self-Injurious Behavior

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The Arc submitted comments to a proposed rule by the FDA to ban electrical stimulation devices for aggressive or self-injurious behavior. These devices are used by only one institution in Massachusetts, and The Arc has been fighting for decades to protect its residents from this abuse.

The Arc Sends Letter to Energy and Commerce Subcommittee Regarding the Hearing, Legislative Proposals to Increase Medicaid Access and Improve Program Integrity

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The Arc expressed its support for several bills being reviewed by the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health at a hearing on expanding access to Medicaid. The legislation reviewed included making Money Follows the Person permanent, portability of Medicaid benefits for dependents of military families, and modifications to the Medicaid buy-in program for older working adults.

The Arc Sends Letter on the Long-Term Care Workforce Support Act

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The Long-Term Care Workforce Support Act would provide major investments and protections for workers across the long-term care settings. The Arc applauded Senator Casey (D-PA) for developing legislation to address this pressing issue.

City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson

/in , , , , , , /by The Arc

Filed: April 3, 2024

Court: U.S. Supreme Court

Overview: Amicus brief arguing that the Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment prohibits cities from criminalizing conduct associated with being unhoused.

Excerpt: “People with disabilities face unique challenges and deep-rooted stigmas that increase their risk for homelessness. Less than 5% of housing in the United States is accessible for moderate mobility disabilities, and less than 1% is accessible for wheelchair use. Housing costs are prohibitive for many disabled people who rely on public assistance for basic costs of living—the average cost of a one-bedroom apartment in the United States exceeds the maximum monthly Supplemental Security Income a person can receive. Moreover, widespread housing discrimination on the basis of disability further compounds the risk of homelessness. The Ordinances’ impact on homeless people with disabilities highlights how grossly out of proportion the punishments they impose are to the severity of the offense. Simply put, criminalizing the involuntary conduct of being a homeless person without a place to sleep—in a city with no public shelters—is anathema to the decency standards of any civilized society.”

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Robertson v. District of Columbia

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Filed: 2024

Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

Plaintiffs: Parents and guardians of students with disabilities in the District and The Arc

Counsel: The Arc, Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, Children’s Law Center, McDermott Will & Emery

Overview: Parents and guardians of children with disabilities living in D.C., along with The Arc of the United States, filed a class action lawsuit against D.C.’s Office of the State Superintendent for Education for failing to provide safe, reliable and effective transportation to and from schools for children with disabilities, thereby denying students equal access to their education and unnecessarily segregating them from their peers.

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Storytelling Toolkit for People With Disabilities and Advocates

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Your life and experiences are powerful and valuable. Sharing your story can change people’s hearts and minds.

This toolkit will help you create and share your stories to raise awareness about an issue, encourage elected officials to change laws or policies, ask people to support changes you want to make in your life, and share about what your life is like.

Download the resources below to get started!