Speaking out for People with
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
On March 14, 2017, Secretary Tom Price and CMS Administrator Seema Verma sent a letter to the Nations' Governors concerning their goals for making changes to Medicaid.
VOR President Caroline Lahrmann wrote back in response to Secretary Price and Administrator Verma. Administrator Verma replied on August 2nd.
Read the original Letter from Secretary Price and CMS Administrator Verma here
Read the Response to VOR from Administrator Verma here.
At the beggining of every Congress, VOR delivers a letter to the members of the House and Senate, welcoming them to work on behalf of the people of this country, introducing ourselves, and outlining our issues.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently requested submissions and recommendations for how they might improve service in HCBS Waiver settings. VOR's comments focused on the need to expand and improve services for people not well suited to group homes as a way to imporve the services for people for whom those settings might be deemed appropriate.
We provided links to articles in our archives and from newspapers that illustrate VOR's position on these issues. The resources in this article should prove useful to many of our members in making presentations to their representatives, decision makers, and family groups.
All of the links in the footnotes will work once you download the pdf.
Earlier this year, the Administration for Community Living - Administration on Intellectual an Developmental Disabilities (ACL-AIDD) requested comments on required 5-year State Plans of State Councils on Developmental Disabilities (SCDD's). The Notice Requesting Comments was published in the Federal Register, Vol. 77, Number 84 (Tuesday, March 29, 2016).
October 21, 2015
The Honorable Roy Blunt
Chairman, Subcommittee on Labor, Health & Human Services, Education, & Related Agencies
Committee on Appropriations
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Tom Cole
Chairman, Subcommittee on Labor, Health & Human Services, Education, & Related Agencies
Committee on Appropriations
U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Patty Murray
Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, & Related Agencies
Committee on Appropriations
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Rosa DeLauro
Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Labor, Health & Human Services, Education, & Related Agencies
Committee on Appropriations
U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairman Blunt, Ranking Member Murray, Chairman Cole and Ranking Member DeLauro:
As organizations representing stakeholders of the Social Security Administration (SSA), we respectfully ask that as you work to finalize the Fiscal Year 2016 Labor-HHS Appropriations Bill that the final bill includes the President’s Budget Request of $12.513 billion for SSA’s Limitation on Administrative Expenses (LAE) account. We believe this level of funding is critical to ensure that SSA can continue service level improvements while addressing stewardship responsibilities. In order to balance those stewardship responsibilities and provide appropriate service to the American public, SSA must have adequate funding.
