Public Policy for the People: Volume 2, Issue 3 - Feb. 1, 2016

public policy for the people header

 Volume 2, Issue 3

Insider Highlights

Over the last two weeks, GCDD held two very successful advocacy days: "We Need More DD Waivers" (January 20) and "Independent Care Waiver - Raise the Rate" (January 27) days. The big focus of the upcoming week is for the House to begin working on the "Big Budget", the budget that begins July 1, 2016. Therefore, please take time TODAY to email the appropriate House committee members to ask them to support UNLOCK's requests for:

1. More DD Waivers (the Medicaid waiver with the longest waiting list), and
2. To raise the reimbursement rates of the ICWP waiver (the lowest reimbursed Medicaid waiver in Georgia) to become equivalent with current SOURCE/CCSP rates.

See the next section on Advocacy Actions for template letters and the contact information of the committee members.

Advocacy Actions: Get Involved!

1. Join GCDD for weekly legislative calls throughout the session: Every Monday at 9:30 a.m. Dial 1-888-355-1249 and enter passcode 232357 at the prompt.

2. Attention DD Waiver and ICWP Advocates!! Send emails to committee members in support of UNLOCK's requests. For your convenience, template letters are below as well as the contact information of committee members. Note that there is a different committee that handles these two items so be sure that you are looking at the correct committee for each issue.

Dear ICWP Advocate:

Thank you to those who attended the Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP) Raise-the-Rate Advocacy Day at the Capitol. However, if you were unable to attend the Advocacy Day, you can still help.

The Problem: Out of all the Medicaid waivers in Georgia that support individuals with disabilities to live in their community, the ICWP waiver is by far the lowest reimbursed waiver. As a result, Georgians on ICWP find it nearly impossible to find and keep qualified caregivers and these caregivers are among the working poor. Please see the ICWP fact sheet to learn more.

The Solution: We need to continue to raise the ICWP Personal Support rate to mirror the CCSP/SOURCE Personal Support rates so Georgians on ICWP and their families can find and keep qualified caregivers.

What can you do?

Please send an email to Chairman Parrish and all members of the House Health Appropriations subcommittee TODAY but no later than Wednesday, February 3 and cc: on each email. Ask them to support the UNLOCK ask for an ICWP rate increase to equalize the rates of ICWP with CCSP/SOURCE and share in 3-4 sentences why this rate increase is so desperately needed and the challenges you are having from the low rate. There is a letter template below for your convenience.

The Subcommittee (for ICWP ASK) and their contact information are as follows:

Please don't forget to copy to share your story of why an ICWP rate increase is desperately needed. Thank you for your support. If you need additional information, call GCDD Public Policy Director Dawn Alford at (404)805-9741 or email at .

Template for the ICWP Letter:

Subject: Please support UNLOCK! request: Fund personal support rate increase for ICWP for FY 2017
Dear Honorable Representative:
I respectfully request that you support the UNLOCK! request to raise the ICWP Personal Support rate to mirror the CCSP/SOURCE personal support rates so Georgians on ICWP and their families can find and keep qualified caregivers.
Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
(Give your full name, complete mailing address, phone number, and email address)


Dear DD Waiver Advocates:

Thank you to those who attended the "We need more DD Waivers" Advocacy Day at the Capitol. Those who attended asked legislators to not only support the 100 new NOW Waivers in Governor Deal's recommended budget but also to increase those numbers to address the over 8,000 people on the waiting list. Advocates have asked that legislators direct DBHDD to convert 20% or $4.75 million of unmatched state funds to Medicaid waivers.

This would allow the State to access an additional $10 million in federal funds and support up to 1,000 new waivers. If you were unable to attend the Advocacy Day, you can still help. Here is a DD Waiver Fact Sheet for more information.

How can you help?
Please send an email to Chairman Dempsey and all members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Human Resources TODAY but no later than Wednesday, February 3 and cc: on each email. Ask them to support the UNLOCK! ask for more DD waivers and share in 3-4 sentences the challenges you and your family face as a result of not having the NOW/COMP waiver. A template of a letter is below for your convenience.

The Subcommittee (for DD Waiver ASK) and their contact information are as follows:

Please don't forget to copy to share your story of why more NOW/COMP waivers are desperately needed. Thank you for your support. If you need additional information call GCDD Public Policy Director Dawn Alford at (404) 805-9741 or email at .


Template for NOW/COMP Letter:

Subject: Please support the Unlock Request: Convert state unmatched funds to additional new DD waivers
Dear Honorable Representative (insert last name of committee member):

(State your name, where you live, the name of the person with a DD who needs a waiver, your relationship to that person. Tell how long you (or your loved one) have been waiting for services and the kinds of difficulties and challenges it causes your family not to have access to the needed care and services. Tell what a waiver would do to help your family. Be sure to mention if it has impacted anyone's ability to go to work or if you have lost a job because you have not had the waiver for your loved one.)

I respectfully request that you support the UNLOCK request to support the Governor's recommendation for 100 new NOW waivers and direct DBHDD to convert 20% or $4.75 million of unmatched state funds to Medicaid waivers to support up to 1,000 new DD waivers.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

(Give your full name, complete mailing address, phone number, and email address)

Budget 101

Last week, the House passed their version of the "little budget", the amended FY 2016 budget (HB 750). This amended FY 2016 budget ends on June 30, 2016. The DBHDD section starts on page 17 and the DCH section starts on page 21. Now the little budget moves on to the Senate where they will have hearings this week. Meanwhile, the House begins to work on the "Big Budget," or the FY 2017 budget (July 1, 2016 - June 30, 2017). The House will be holding many public hearings this week to hear testimony on requests to go in the "Big Budget."

Note two public hearings during this upcoming week in case you want to attend:

  1. House Appropriations Health Subcommittee (chaired by Rep. Butch Parrish)
    Wednesday, February 3, 2016
    2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
    Location: 406 Coverdell Legislative Office Building
    Covers: DCH Budget (Come support ICWP Rate Increase ASK)
    Agenda: FY17 Public Hearing

  2. House Appropriations Human Resources Subcommittee (chaired by Rep. Katie Dempsey)
    Wednesday, February 4, 2016
    1:00 - 3:00 PM
    Location: Room 403 of the Capitol
    Covers: DBHDD Budget (Come support DD Waivers and IPSE budget ASKS)
    Agenda: FY17 Public Hearing

Issue Update

To see the most updated version of the GCDD 2016 legislative agenda, please click here.

Employment First
At the end of last week, GCDD hosted an Employment First call in which we said farewell to D'Arcy Robb as the Employment First coordinator and discussed how folks can continue to be involved. We wish D'Arcy well as she begins a new chapter working with GVRA. Dawn Alford, Public Policy Director at GCDD, will be the Employment First contact going forward. Dawn's contact information is and (404) 805-9741.

Please get involved TODAY and support Employment First!

1. Sign up for Employment First Advocacy Day on Thurs Feb 11th: www.gcdd.org/advocacy
2. Look up your own representative & senator. Type your full mailing address into search bar at www.openstates.org. Click on each name to get their contact information
3. Email, write or call your representative and your senator. Let them know you are a constituent and you support Employment First and ask them to request that the governor create the Employment First Council.
4. Go over this fact sheet to get issue talking points about Employment First, and share it with your legislators
5. SHARE this to do list with other disability advocates.

Inclusive Post-secondary Education
This week GCDD, UNLOCK!, and the Georgia Inclusive Post-secondary Education Consortium (GAIPSEC) will host an Inclusive Post-secondary Education (IPSE) Advocacy Day at the Capitol on Tuesday, February 2. If you haven't already, please sign up to attend this day and help us advocate to make post-secondary options available for more Georgians with disabilities.
 
ABLE -
submitted by Elizabeth J. Appley, Esq., AADD Public Policy Advocate

The Georgia ABLE Act (HB 768) had a very successful first hearing this past Monday, January 25, in the House Ways & Means Committee Income Tax Subcommittee chaired by Rep. Bruce Williamson (R-Monroe) presented by lead author, Rep. Lee Hawkins (R-Gainesville) with testimony from representatives for GCDD, AADD, Autism Speaks, Medical Association of Georgia, DBHDD, GVRA, Kathy Keeley of AADD for the ABLE Act Coalition, as well as powerful testimony from several self-advocates who explained in compelling terms what an ABLE Account will mean for them.

The next hearing will be TODAY Monday Feb. 1, 2016 at 3:00 p.m. in Room 133 of the Capitol. Please join us and pack the room as we did last time. It means a lot!

We thank all of you who have already reached out to your representatives and senators, and ask everyone to please take the following action steps this week to help pass ABLE legislation:

  • Contact your House and Senate members If your legislator is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, your contact is especially important now.
  • Urge them to support HB 768 as a key way to allow private savings for people with serious disabilities that will support independence in the community. ABLE Accounts allow people to save for qualified disability expenses without losing eligibility for Medicaid and SSI. Be sure you mention the importance of holding on to the $2,000 state tax deduction in the Bill. Click the following link for an updated set of talking points that includes the list of ABLE Act coalition members.
  • If you haven't already done so, please register for ABLE Lobby Day on February 24, 2016.

Family Care Act

There are two bills for the Family Care Act that are being worked, both with identical bill language: HB 746, which has been assigned to the House Industry and Labor Committee, and SB 242, which has been assigned to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. Please look up your legislators at www.openstates.org and if one of your legislators is on one of these committees, please call them and ask them for a hearing in the committee in which the bills is assigned. Please send any feedback about what kind of response you get from the legislator(s) to Mary Frances Williams at .

Standard of Proof for Intellectual Disability

We had two successful teach-ins on this issue last week and we continue to work this issue with legislators and among the PAPE coalition. However, we need you to get involved if you are not already. Please register to attend the advocacy day scheduled for this issue on February 9 here.

Bills

2016 House Bills

This section presents a sample list of bills that GCDD is tracking. Please note the information within this section is current as of Friday, January 15, 2016 (cutoff for publishing). For a more complete list of Bills that GCDD is tracking, click here.

Advocacy Corner

Question of the Week: Not sure who your legislators are?
Answer: Go to www.openstates.org and enter your complete address to find out who they are and how they can be contacted.

To see a list of legislative terms associated with the Georgia General Assembly, click here.

Dates to Remember

GCDD Advocacy Days, Teach-ins, Weekly Policy Calls, and Disability Day:

Support our Partners at the Capitol:

  • February 24-25, 2016: Senior Week


Resources

Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities 2016 Legislative Agenda
Tips on How to Speak with Your Legislator
Accessibility on Capitol Hill
House Committee Meeting Calendar
Senate Committee Meeting Calendar
Watch the Session Live
Find your Legislator
Georgia State Constitution

Join Our Advocacy Network

To receive updates and calls to action during the session, be sure to join our advocacy network. In order to ensure you receive important legislative communications, be sure to select to receive both the Public Policy and UNLOCK alerts.

Sincerely,

GCDD Public Policy Team

Tags: GCDD, Advocacy, public policy