Government Shutdown
Every year, Congress must agree on how to fund the government, by passing appropriations bills before the fiscal year ends on September 30th. Since a bipartisan agreement was not reached, the federal government shut down at 12:01 AM on October 1st. Funding disagreements are rooted in the Medicaid cuts from over the summer, the upcoming expiration of Affordable Care Act subsidies and how this impacts the health care needs of Americans. Already, hospitals and clinics are closing and at least three states announced plans to reduce payment rates to providers, including HCBS providers (Idaho, North Carolina and Colorado). At this point members of Congress in both parties and the Administration don’t appear to be negotiating seriously.
What a Government Shutdown means for people with disabilities
Services determined “essential” continue during the shutdown, including Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Medicare and Medicaid benefits should continue as normal. However, while people already eligible and verified to receive Social Security checks will continue to receive them, people newly eligible and applying for Social Security and Medicare might experience delays. Additionally, Social Security in-person services are likely unavailable, and there might be fewer staff to help people with issues.
The website shutdownreport.com tracks the latest news and impacts of the shutdown in the states.
Massive Layoffs at the Department of Education will hurt people with disabilities
Over the past weekend the Administration executed massive layoffs (Reduction in Force) at the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), and the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE). This is a decimation of the Federal workforce that supports students with disabilities, from early intervention to transition-aged, and the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) programs that support people with disabilities to work – an even harsher cut considering the work requirements that were passed as part of the Medicaid cuts over the summer. TASH will be advocating with partners against these cuts. You can read more here.
What You Can Do:
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Gutting the Office of Special Education Programs puts the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in grave jeopardy. Call your members of Congress to tell them that these layoffs must be reversed. You can reach your House and Senate offices by calling the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121, to be transferred directly to their office. You can also find contact information for your Congressional Members using TASH’s Advocacy Tools & Resources page. |
Washington Update logo image credit: Romain Pontida, Creative Commons, Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic, some modifications.