Serving People with Developmental Disabilities
In the news
Members of Ohio's congressional delegation have sponsored to two bills to address long-standing issues in the DD system. The “Ensuring Access to Direct Support Professionals” Act (S.3220) would allow people who rely on a DSP to continue to have access to that professional and their services even when they are temporarily undergoing treatment in an acute care hospital. The bill is sponsored by Senator Rob Portman and is currently pending in the Senate Committee on Finance. The “Supporting and Empowering the Nation to Improve Outcomes that Reaffirm Careers, Activities, and Recreation for the Elderly” Act, or SENIOR CARE Act (S.3010/H.R.5429), would eliminate the age restriction currently placed on workers with disabilities for continued Medicaid coverage. By eliminating the age limit, people with disabilities who want to work beyond the age of 65 would be permitted to while retaining their Medicaid eligibility. This bill has been introduced in the Senate by Rob Portman and in the House Representatives Steve Stivers (R-Fairfield County) and Representative Joyce Beatty (D-Franklin County). S.3010 is pending in the Senate Committee on Finance and H.R.5429 has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Representative Stivers also recently signed on as a cosponsor of the “Marriage Access for People with Special Abilities” Act, or MAPSA Act (H.R.1529), which was originally introduced early in 2019 and seeks to eliminate the benefit marriage penalty for people with disabilities. All of these bills would be beneficial to Ohioans with developmental disabilities, and OACB would like to invite members to thank Ohio lawmakers for their efforts. Click the links below to send a thank-you note to each of the lawmakers mentioned above. Thank Representative Joyce Beatty Thank Representative Steve Stivers Members with questions about these bills can contact Erich Bittner (ebittner@oacbdd.org) at 614-431-0616. Send this page to a friend |