VOR has submitted a response to the draft version of the HCBS Access Act of 2021 as proposed by Rep. Debbie Dingell, Sen. Bob Casey, Sen. Maggie Hassan, and Sen. Sherrod Brown.
We believe that provisions in this bill could lead to the elimination of the ICF system by providing fedeal funds to states to fully cover HCBS Waiver services, de-incentivizing states to pay for the services provided by ICFs.
Click here to read VOR's letter
VOR opposes the elimination or phasing out of facility-based Vocational Work Centers (formerly referred to as sheltered workshops) and proposals to discontinue the issuing of specialized wage certificates as provided under Section 14(c) of the Federal Labor Standards Act. VOR has submitted a letter to key members of Congress stating the importance of maintaining these programs.
For more information, please see the link below:
Congress is currently working on the American Rescue Act, a $1.9 Billion package that includes, among other item, a provision to grant additional funding to Home and Community Based Services for people with I/DD.
VOR is asking that this funding be given to all people with I/DD, regardless of their setting or the funding stream that pays for their services. We urge Congress to reject choosing winners and losers among people with intellectual disabilities and, instead, to provide relief equitably to all of them.
Read or download VOR's letter here
Michelle Ballan, PhD, a professorat SUNY Stony Brook, created a COVID Disability Form to help all individuals with IDD communicate their needs in the event of hospitalization. This form is usefiul whether the patient is verbal or non-verbal.
If your loved one is going to the hospital with COVID-19 symptoms, you may fill out this form to provide useful information to his/her medical team.
Right To Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICFs/IID)
Individuals who qualify for Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICFs/IID)* under Medicaid have a legal right to such facilities for as long as they remain eligible and choose to do so. Despite a deinstitutionalization effort by those opposed to congregate care, the ICF/IID program remains a legally enforceable federal entitlement under Medicaid. States which have included ICF/IID in their Medicaid State Plans, but instead offer only Waiver services, are in violation of federal Medicaid law.
VOR's Ongoing Document:
Updated October 3, 2019
This document provides a bibliography of investigative media series, state audits and peer-reviewed research in more than half the states that detail systemic concerns with regard to quality of care in community-based settings for persons with developmental disabilities. Tragedies range from physical, emotional, and financial abuse, neglect and even death. Many of these outcomes are associated with a zest to move to a "community for all" vision people with developmental disabilities without adequately considering the ramifications of separating vulnerable people from specialized care and then doing away with a critical safety net (a/k/a deinstitutionalization). The lessons learned from more than 25 states should cause policymakers and lawmakers to take pause and recognize that a range of needs requires a range of service options.
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