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| September 2009 | ||
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Advocate, Advocate, Advocate!
It is apparent that the fight for maintaining (not to mention improving and increasing) programs and services for older adults continues, and we must be even more vigilant in the fight today than we were ten, twenty, thirty years ago—particularly regarding services that help people to live in the community rather than institutions.
Please don't falter; don't give up; don't get tired. We must continue to advocate. We must continue to speak the message and make our voices heard in Frankfort, in Washington DC, and in our local communities. Neglecting our most valued and vulnerable populations is not what makes this country strong. We must continue to advocate a consistent message of solidarity for the citizens of this Commonwealth. There are many opportunities for advocacy every day. Here are some points of interest for everyone willing to advocate: At the State Level 2009 Special Session Ends, Human Services Programs Face Deeper Cuts, More Budget Cuts to Come Kentuckians who depend on community-based support services took another hit following the close of Kentucky's Special Legislative Session which ended June 24. AARP Kentucky focused on protecting human services in the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) from another round of cuts. Despite your calls to members of the Senate and AARP's efforts, CHFS is facing even deeper budget cuts. These programs include Department for Aging and Independent Living, KY's Homeplace, Personal Care Attendant, Home and Community Based Services, Grandparenting, and others that deliver community-based programs. And the new mandatory 2.6% budget cuts will likely be made worse due to new, last-minute tax credits passed by the General Assembly and signed by Governor Beshear. Although recent news indicates that the Cabinet for Health and Family Services will incur a 1% cut instead of 2.6% (4% for other agencies), any cut to community-based services to older adults and persons with disabilities has a negative impact. Waitlists existed before cuts; they will grow with cuts; they will grow without increases. What Happened? State Representative Jimmie Lee (Elizabethtown), Rep. Greg Stumbo (Prestonsburg) and other House legislators pushed to keep funding in for CHFS' budget. Rep. Lee's amendment to House Bill 1 (Section 11, in House Committee Substitute of House Bill 1), however, failed to be included in the final budget. According to Rep. Lee in a House floor speech, "Over the last few years budget shortfalls in family support programs have taken a terrific hit on the reductions and funding. We are at the point now that they cannot survive another reduction." Ready or not, more cuts are coming to your county. The same programs that help people live independently in a community or home setting are still targeted for more cuts in addition to the last two rounds of state budget cuts. What's Next? In 2010, the General Assembly returns to Frankfort and likely faces another budget deficit—without extra federal government stimulus dollars. How hard will human services be impacted again? How much will the community-based service network be devastated and dismantled? How can we turn this trainwreck around? What Can You Do? Please tell Governor Beshear and your state representatives how more cuts to these basic services will hurt individuals and families across Kentucky. Ask them to stop cutting human services and demand they deliver on their campaign promises. Contact Governor Steve Beshear: On the National Level: Keep Up the Pressure on Project 2020: Recruit Co-Sponsors and Press for Inclusion in Health Reform over the Summer Recess Encourage your Senators and Representatives to support long-term services and support (LTSS) provisions including Project 2020 as part of health reform legislation. Connect with your legislators and their staff to urge them to support Project 2020 and do more to expand the availability of home and community-based services for seniors in the health insurance reform bills. Thanks to those of you who have already contacted your legislators and customized and sent letters in support of Project 2020 to Congress. We need to keep up the pressure on Congress to pass Project 2020 during this critical recess period. Even if you have connected with your legislators before, it is critical that you reach out to them again during "town hall" meetings on health reform. They must hear from you and the older adults who benefit from your agency's programs and services. Without your voices, Project 2020 and other key LTSS provisions will not be included in health reform. Click here for a list of town halls and district events. Background As detailed in previous n4a Advocacy Alerts, Project 2020 was introduced as S. 1257 by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and H.R. 2852 by Representatives Bruce Braley (D-IA) and John Sarbanes (D-MD). Working with our partners at NASUA, n4a is recruiting Members of Congress to sign on as co-sponsors of S. 1257/H.R. 2852 and to push for inclusion of Project 2020 provisions in the House and Senate health insurance reform packages currently under discussion. Health insurance reform remains front-and-center this recess. The House Democrats completed committee mark-ups on their tri-committee health reform bill just before leaving for recess and the Senate Finance Committee continues to work to negotiate a bipartisan agreement on its health reform package. n4a and NASUA are working closely with the Project 2020 bill's congressional champions on amendment strategies for committee and floor consideration in September and we will keep you posted on these efforts. In the meantime, it is crucial that every single AAA and Title VI Native American aging program also weigh in directly (and/or indirectly through your advisory boards, community leaders, etc.) with your state/district's congressional delegation. Action Steps to Take
Resources Not sure where to start? n4a's Project 2020 Campaign Page has all you need to craft your correspondence, educate others about the bill and ultimately persuade your Senators and Representatives to get on board. Letters n4a and NASUA have developed state-specific sample letters that you can use to form the basis of your letter to your Senators and Representatives. But feel free to customize your correspondence, borrowing from other Project 2020 resources, such as…. • Project 2020 Overview (short and detailed) Documents to Share If you already have a relationship with a member's office, please follow up on your letter with a phone call. Engage the staff member by offering to share more details on the bill, including… • S. 1257/H.R. 2852 Bill Summary
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| © 2011 Kentucky Association for Gerontology | |
Electronic newsletter design and publication by IlluminAge Communication Partners |
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It is also apparent that some of our politicians and policy makers don't "get it." They do not understand that the decisions they are making to cut human service programs result in higher costs now and will definitely impact cost in the future.