Speaking out for People with
 Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities


VOR to State Governors: Say No To Medicaid Cuts

VOR has submitted a letter to the National Governors Association, the Republican Governors Association, and the Democratic Governors Association, in hopes that they will unite against making any cuts to Medicaid.
We want the Governors to understand how severely these cuts will harm their constituents in the I/DD, autism, mental health, and aging communities. We want them to realize that these cuts will futher impact their state hospital systems, as people who lose Medicaid will turn to emergency rooms far more frequently. Furthermore, Medicaid cust will further strain their own state budgets, while lowering their credit ratings and making it more diffilcult to borrow funds to build roads, schools, and infrastructure.
We ask our members to please share these resources with their own State Governors and State DD Directors.

VOR's Open Letter to the President and the PCPID

The President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities held its first in-person meetings since 2019 on September 25 and 26, 2024. This year's committee was notable in that self-advocates comprised a majority of committee members.

While the reports from HHS - sponsored agencies were informative and covered a variety of issues, all of the subject matter was directed to Home- and Community-Based Services. People with intellectual disabilities who receive long-term supports and services through the non-HCBS silo of Medicaid were once again left out of the conversation.

VOR Members Respond to Bias in Washington Post Stories on 14c

On August 30 and September 2, 2024, the Washington Post published a series of highly biased articles opposing sheltered workshops and 14(c). The articles went beyond mere bias. They cherry-picked comments from both sides and made several statements misrepresenting the programs and those that provide these opportunities. Several VOR members wrote to the Post to complain. Only one paper, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, which reprinted the Post's stories, printed a full response to the articles.

Attached below are a few of those letters.

VOR Comments to PCPID March, 2024

The President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities is meeting on March 21, 2024. In advance of that meeting, the committee has requested that any concerned parties submit comments.
Unfortunately, the committee has limited comments to 1500 characters, perhaps a reflection on how much input they want from those they claim to represent.
Click below to read VOR's full comments to the PCPID, and for information as to how you may attend the meeting online.