January 22, 2024 | Vol. MMXXIII | Issue 84

Budget and Appropriations

On January 7th, President Biden and Congressional Leaders released a bi-partisan topline agreement on funding levels for Fiscal Year 2024 that includes $772.7 billion for non-defense discretionary (NDD) funding and $886.3 billion in defense funding. This bi-partisan topline agreement achieves essentially the same funding levels that were agreed to as part of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, including the additional $69 billion in NDD resources included in the side agreement. With these topline agreements in place, the House of Representatives and Senate can move forward with finalizing all twelve of the appropriations bills.

The Appropriations Committee and subcommittees are now beginning to work to draft the twelve appropriations bills. The House of Representatives and Senate still need to come to agreement on how to allocate the overall agreement to the twelve appropriations bills. To allow time for this process to go forward, the Congress passed, and the President signed another continuing resolution (CR). A CR continues last year’s funding at the prior levels while Congress works to complete the process for funding the federal government for Fiscal Year 2024. The CR extends funding for appropriated programs through March 1 (Agriculture, Military Construction/VA, Energy/Water, and Transportation/Housing and Urban Development bills) and through March 8 (LHHS, Defense, State/Foreign Operations, Commerce/Justice/Science, Financial Services, Interior/Environment, Legislative Branch, and Homeland Security bills).

Plain Language 

On January 7th, President Biden and leaders in Congress came to an agreement on a budget for Fiscal Year 2024.  Congress passed and President Biden signed another continuing resolution, which continues current government funding until early March. This will give time for Congress to write the appropriations bills.

Action Steps

Call and educate your Members of Congress on the importance of funding for disability programs.  You can reach your Members by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.

Senate Introduces the We Can’t Wait Act of 2023

On December 5^th, Senator Stabenow (D-MI) and Senator Collins (R-ME) introduced the We Can’t Wait Act of 2023 (S. 3400). The bill would “amend title II of the Social Security Act to permit disabled individuals to elect to receive disability insurance benefits during the disability insurance benefit waiting period…”.  After waiting to qualify for coverage, people with disabilities must wait another five months before they can receive SSDI benefits. This prevents people from accessing benefits to pay for food, rent, childcare, and more. This bill would eliminate the waiting period and allow persons with disabilities to access these benefits.

Plain Language 

On December 5^th, Senator Stabenow (D-MI) and Senator Collins (R-ME) introduced the We Can’t Wait Act of 2023 (S. 3400). The bill will let people receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) to get their benefits earlier. Currently, people that are eligible for SSDI must wait before they start getting money. This bill would change that requirement.

Action Steps

Read the bill text. Call and educate your Members of Congress on the importance of reducing disability insurance waiting periods. You can reach your Members of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.

Senate Introduces the Addressing Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults Act of 2023

On December 7^th, 2023, Senator Casey (D-PA) and Senator Murphy (D-CT) introduced the Addressing Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults (SILO) Act (S. 3427).  Many older adults and persons with disabilities “face a crisis of social isolation and loneliness which was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic”. The bill “would help improve social connection for older adults and adults with disabilities by providing funding for Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) and community-based organizations.”

Specifically, the bill provides $62.5 million in annual funding to support AAAs and community-based organizations to provide better training to staff, conduct outreach to individuals at risk of social isolation, develop community-based interventions, connect at-risk individuals with social and clinical supports, and evaluate the effectiveness of the programs developed and implemented through the grants.

In 2019, there were 54 million adults aged 65 and older, with 25 percent of them experiencing social isolation. Social isolation has been proven to cause poor health comes, worsen chronic disease, and cost an estimated $6.7 billion dollars in excess Medicare spending. This bill will improve health outcomes for older adults and adults with disabilities while saving the Medicare program extra money.

Plain Language 

On December 7^th, 2023, Senator Casey (D-PA) and Senator Murphy (D-CT) introduced the Addressing Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults (SILO) Act (S. 3427).  Many older adults and adults with disabilities are lonely or are experiencing depression and other mental health conditions. This bill will provide money to programs so they can better help older adults and people with disabilities experiencing loneliness to feel less lonely.

Action Steps

Read the bill text. Read the announcement. Call and educate your Members of Congress on the importance of addressing social isolation in older adults and adults with disabilities. You can reach your Members of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.

U.S. Department of Justice Releases Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Implementation of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act

On January 12^th, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposing to revise the regulations for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to improve access to Medical Diagnostic Equipment (MDE). MDE includes “things like medical examination tables, weight scales, dental chairs, and radiological diagnostic equipment.”

The DOJ is proposing to adopt the technical standards issued by the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board and scoping requirements to ensure that MDE used by public entities, such as at hospitals and other healthcare facilities, to offer services, programs, and activities is accessible to persons with disabilities. Without accessible MDE, persons with disabilities may not have an equal opportunity to receive healthcare, including routine examinations, which could have serious implications for their health.

This proposed rulemaking provides the public the opportunity to submit feedback to ensure people with disabilities have equal access to MDE. The deadline to submit comments is February 12^th.

Plain Language 

On January 12^th, the U.S. Department of Justice asked for comments from the public on the accessibility of medical diagnostic equipment.  Medical diagnostic equipment is things like examination tables, weight scales, dental chairs, and other equipment needed to provide a person with a disability good healthcare. This is a chance for the public to tell the U.S. Department of Justice about their experiences with lack of accessibility in healthcare.

Action Steps

Read more and submit comments to the U.S. Department of Justice. The deadline to submit comments is February 12^th.

Reminder: Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee Seeks Public Comments on Autism and Co-Occurring Conditions

On January 12^th, the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) requested input from the public on autism and other co-occurring health conditions. The IACC is looking to identify priorities related to physical and mental health conditions that commonly co-occur with autism. The IACC is also seeking comments on the impact of these co-occurring conditions, as well as research, services, and policy needs to consider in addressing these co-occurring conditions. The deadline to submit comments to IACC is February 14^th.

Plain Language 

On January 12^th, the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee asked the public for comments on the impact of having autism and another physical or mental health conditions. IACC wants to identify what health conditions people with autism face most commonly so they can improve research, policy and services. 

Action Steps

Read more and submit comments to IACC. The deadline to submit comments is February 14^th.

Reminder: Food and Drug Administration Seeks Comments on Clinical Trial Diversity

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is collecting public comments on the diversity of participants in their clinical trials.  People with disabilities have been historically excluded from clinical trials due to stereotypes and bias.  The FDA is looking to find ways to make clinical trials more inclusive, so that the findings from these trials can produce results that work for everyone. The deadline to submit comments is January 29th.

Plain Language 

The Food and Drug Administration is collecting public comments to help them get more people with disabilities to participate in clinical trials. Clinical trials are done by scientists to test out different treatments to different illnesses. 

Action Steps

Read more and submit comments to the FDA.  The deadline to submit comments is January 29^th.

Register for the White House Office of Public Engagement Aging and Disability Communities Call

The White House Office of Public Engagement regularly hosts calls to discuss any federal updates that will affect the older adults and people with disabilities. The next call is January 25th at 2:00 pm EST. Register here.

Check out the latest episode of "Tuesdays with Liz: Disability Policy for All"

"Tuesdays with Liz: Disability Policy for All" is a YouTube video series highlighting current issues and hot topics in disability policy. Past guests of Tuesdays with Liz include US Senators, AUCD’s President Elect, and key members of the disability community. 

Liz Weintraub is AUCD's Senior Advocacy Specialist and the host of "Tuesdays with Liz: Disability Policy for All".

Liz has extensive experience practicing leadership in self advocacy and has held many board and advisory positions at state and national organizations, including the Council on Quality & Leadership (CQL) and the Maryland Development Disabilities Council.  

Find the full playlist on YouTube or check out the latest episode featuring OSERS' Assistant Secretary, Glenna Wright-Gallo.

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