Congress is in the process of negotiating the next COVID-19 relief package, and we need to make sure that the policy priorities of the Down syndrome community are included. Please contact your Senators and Representatives AS SOON AS POSSIBLE and ask them to include the following in the new COVID relief bill:

1. Dedicated funding for Medicaid Home and Community Based Services (HCBS)

To date, there has been no dedicated funding for Medicaid HCBS in any of the prior COVID relief packages. Dedicated funding is desperately needed to help disabled people and older adults remain safely in their homes rather than being forced into nursing homes and other congregate settings, which have had serious COVID-19 outbreaks. HCBS funding would support the direct service professional (DSP) workforce with better wages and protective personal equipment (PPE) and enable them to provide support to disabled people in their homes with tasks such as housekeeping, managing medication, and daily living skills such as eating, bathing and dressing.

Please ask your Senators and Representatives to include funding for HCBS in the next COVID Relief Bill.

2. Dedicated funding for IDEA

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has been historically and continuously underfunded. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed even more strain on state and local education systems, as they are incurring enormous costs to make investments in technology, products, services and personnel training in their move to distance education, and students with disabilities have been disproportionately impacted. Unfortunately, none of the COVID-19 Relief bills passed to date has contained funding specifically dedicated to students served by IDEA. The Supporting Children with Disabilities During COVID-19 Act (S.240) has just been introduced by Senators Murphy (D-CT) and Hassan (D-NH). This bill would provide $12.2 billion in targeted funding for IDEA to directly support the needs of students with disabilities during the pandemic.

Please ask Congress to incorporate the Supporting Children with Disabilities During COVID-19 bill into the next COVID Relief Package.

Thank you for your advocacy efforts!

The NDSC Policy & Advocacy Team

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