Public Policy

The Arc Tennessee tracks pertinent legislation on our Legislative Monitor page here.

State Legislation

For regular updates on the State of Tennessee legislative activities, visit the Tennessee General Assembly website.

Preserve the DIDD Family Support Program!

The Arc Tennessee received the devastating news at the budget hearing for the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (DIDD) on Friday, November 4, 2011 that the Family Support Program was eliminated from its 2012-2013 budget proposal.

Family Support is a state-funded program providing critical supports and services to over 4000 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities at an average of $1200-$1400 per individual/family for the minimal cost of $7.2 million per year.

Elimination of the Family Support program will severely impact the thousands of Tennesseans who use this small amount of funding to keep their family unit intact, to get services to help them work and live in their communities, and in many cases, simply survive day to day. The majority of the individuals receiving Family Support are either on waiting lists for other services or not eligible for other services at all. Elimination of this funding will only shift the costs to other government and public services including hospitals and emergency rooms, nursing homes, and jails.

It is important that lawmakers hear from us about how critical the DIDD Family Support Program is to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Help preserve the DIDD Family Support Program and contact your legislators and Governor Haslam today!

Links to Preserving Family Support Activities

Local Chapter Activities:

Davidson County Letter Writing Campaign
Mid-South Town Hall Meetings
Washington County Rally
Williamson County Letter to Recipients
Article about Townhall Meeting with Lt. Gov. Ramsey hosted by The Arc Washington County

Media:

The Arc Williamson County Dec. 2011 Newsletter
Press Release

Sample Letters:

Letter to Legislators
Letter to Governor

Effective January 1, 2012, all registered voters must show a valid photo ID to vote at the polls. It is important that you register to vote, get your photo ID and exercise your right to vote. Unless legislation is passed to repeal this, the photo ID requirement will remain in effect and you will have to show an approved photo ID when you vote. Senator Lowe Finney and Representative Mike Turner have introduced legislation to repeal the voter photo ID legislation passed last spring. However, a photo ID will be required unless there is a change to current state laws. To learn more about how to obtain a photo ID, please download the following document: DLAC Photo ID Flyer

Federal Legislation

Legislators use Facebook and Twitter social media! Click here to download those contacts.

The United States Congress still needs to hear the message:  Don’t Cut Our Lifeline!
Thanks to the strong grassroots advocacy efforts by local chapters and members of The Arc, Medicaid escaped cuts during the first round of budget activity this past summer.  After much debate, Congressional leaders and President Obama reached a deficit reduction and debt deal in time to avoid defaulting on the nation’s debt.  But the fight is far from over.

What’s next?
Part of this deficit reduction and debt deal was the creation of a bi-partisan congressional Super Committee called the “Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction.”  They are facing a November 23, 2011 deadline to propose specific spending cuts.  Medicaid remains extremely vulnerable.  To learn more about the Budget Control Act of 2011, click HERE.

What does this mean?
The federal government currently pays 50% or more of the costs of every state’s Medicaid program.  In Tennessee the federal match is 66%.  If the federal government caps the amount of money it spends on Medicaid or puts Medicaid funding into block grants, the end result is the same – less federal money to support Medicaid and Medicaid Waiver services and programs.  States will be forced to make very tough decisions with the funds that they do have, possibly leading to the reduction or elimination of Home and Community Based Services, a movement of individuals back to institutional settings, more restrictive eligibility criteria, more out of pocket health care costs and even larger waiting lists.

You may have heard the argument by many in Congress that block granting Medicaid funds to the states will reduce “big government” and increase the flexibility at the state level.  While there is some truth to the argument that block grants are more flexible, this “flexibility” means that states can choose what programs to fund and what programs they do not fund.  This means that a state could “choose” to eliminate all services to people with intellectual disabilities.  This increased flexibility could also lead to less oversight with regard to the quality of services provided. 

What must be done?
Now more than ever it is important to contact your elected officials and share your personal stories of how Medicaid benefits you and/or your family.  Let them know what would happen to you and/or your family if Medicaid services were stripped away. Ask your elected officials to share your story and relay the message “don’t cut our lifeline” to their respective party members on the congressional Super Committee.  To find your legislators, click HERE.

Action on this issue continues to be critical.  Please respond to the action alerts that are sent out on this topic.

To learn more about the “Don’t Cut Our Lifeline” campaign, click HERE.

To learn more about other critical pieces of federal legislation impacting the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities such as the potential repeal of the CLASS Act and the reauthorization of ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act), see the most recent edition of the Legislative Monitor.

Helpful documents:

Congressional Handout
Medicaid 101
Medicaid Questions & Answers
Medicaid Advocacy Myths & Facts

The Arc Tennessee and Local Chapters of The Arc Need YOU!

The Arc Tennessee and Local Chapters of The Arc are initiating a “grass roots legislative mobilization” project and we need YOUR participation.  Without your voice, The Arc cannot succeed in improving the supports and services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) in Tennessee. If you would like to participate, download and complete the form HERE.