Take action! Tell Congress to include disability community in COVID-19 relief
Join our fight to let Congress know we want the critical needs of people with disabilities, their families, and the direct support professional (DSP) workforce must be included in the first coronavirus relief bill of the new Congress – we cannot be left behind.
Take action now to tell Congress that we need:
Dedicated funding for Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS). These funds are necessary to serve people with disabilities in their homes and communities and will provide better wages and support for the DSP workforce. Access to HCBS will limit the risk of people with disabilities being put in institutions. State systems are already facing large cuts across the country making these federal dollars more important than ever.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) for direct support professionals. This is urgently needed to protect the health and safety of this critical workforce. DSPs must be designated as essential workers so that they can get access to the PPE and medical supplies they need.
Paid leave for all caregivers. As more people with disabilities lose their usual sources of care, family caregivers are scrambling and need access to paid leave and sick days to help their loved ones. Congress should include all family caregivers in the emergency paid leave provisions.
Economic impact payments for all people with disabilities. Both rounds of stimulus payments have left out adults with disabilities who are claimed as dependents on someone else's taxes. Congress should ensure that all adult dependents are eligible for stimulus payments.
The ARC of Oklahoma has developed a simple tool to use that will send direct messages to our lawmakers. It’s simple and takes only a minute of your time. Please click here to join the fight.