Highlighted Action Campaign

Ask your Representative to Cosponsor "In the Home" Legislation

Congressmen Langevin (D-RI) and Ramstad (R-MN) are preparing to introduce legislation to eliminate Medicare’s “in the home” restriction on mobility devices and your help is needed to secure original cosponsors!

As you know, Medicare’s outdated “in the home” rule restricts coverage of mobility devices to only those needed for certain in-home activities. An individual who requires a mobility device to help them prepare their meals or brush their teeth may receive a device. However, an individual who may be able to move around their home without a mobility device, but requires a device to go to work, school, the grocery store, or anywhere in the community, is not eligible. This restriction unfairly confines many individuals with disabilities to the four walls for their homes and sharply contradicts community-based initiatives such as the Olmstead Supreme Court decision, Ticket-to-Work Program, New Freedom Initiative, and Americans with Disabilities Act.

Congressmen Langevin and Ramstad will soon introduce the “Medicare Independent Living Act” – legislation to eliminate this discriminatory restriction for individuals with long-term mobility needs. The Congressmen have circulated the attached letter to their House colleagues requesting original cosponsors of the legislation (prior to its introduction).

ACTION REQUESTED: Please call your Representative toll-free via the Capitol switchboard at 1-877-224-0041 and ask that he/she become an original cosponsor of the Medicare Independent Living Act. The Medicare Independent Living Act is bipartisan legislation to eliminate Medicare’s “in the home” restriction on mobility devices and will be introduced by Congressmen Langevin and Ramstad in the coming weeks.

Thank you for your advocacy!

Ongoing Campaigns

EXCITING NEWS!  The Lifespan Respite Care Act has finally passed both houses of Congress, and is expected to be signed by the President! Thank you for your tremendous work over many years on behalf of this great piece of legislation. This is wonderful news for the entire paralysis community, as the Lifespan Respite Care Act will make the lives of the paralyzed and their caregivers a little bit easier.

The Lifespan Respite Care Act authorizes competitive grants to states to make quality respite available and accessible to family caregivers, regardless of age or disability. The bill allows grantees to identify, coordinate and build on federal, state and local respite resources and funding streams, and would help support, expand and streamline planned and emergency respite, provider recruitment and training, and caregiver training.
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The Alliance for Drug Safety and Access (ADSA)
The ADSA seeks to maintain the Federal Drug Administration's (FDA) ability to quickly approve effective new drugs while expanding its authority to ensure patient safety after new drugs are marketed.   The Alliance for Drug Safety and Access strongly believes the following policy changes will dramatically improve FDA's ability to serve the needs of patients:

o Renew Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) as a means to speeding patient access to new therapies;
o Increase drug user fees to fund patient safety activities, including patient and physician education;
o Create new authority for FDA to require post-market studies of drugs;
o Allow FDA to mandate changes to drug labels based on new safety information;
o Require FDA approval of all drug advertisements before public dissemination;
o Create a mandatory and publicly accessible registry of clinical trials and their results;
o Create flexible new enforcement tools for FDA to ensure compliance with these new safety protections - without having to resort to pulling drugs off the market.
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ADSA Fact Sheet»

Independent Status for the NIH National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR) Coalition
The goal of this initiative is to have Congress raise the NCMRR to independent status at NIH to achieve several objectives in line with the NIH Roadmap. The explicit directive of the institute would be a continuation of the NCMRR's statutory mission of planning and coordinating multidisciplinary rehabilitation and disability research both within NIH and across other federal agencies.  It is very important that you contact your elected representatives and seek their support for this initiative.  We request your participation in this important effort by calling or sending an e-mail to your Congressman and two Senators during the month of April and May, 2006.
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Public Access Plan in Effect to Make NIH-funded Research Available
On May 2, the National Institutes of Health launched their public access system designed to make more of the research resulting from their grants available online and free to the public.
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Help Fight Medicare's "In the Home" Restriction on Wheelchair Coverage
On Thursday, May 5, 2005 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released new Medicare coverage criteria for wheelchairs and other mobility devices. Unfortunately, these new criteria fail to modify or repeal the discriminatory "in the home: restriction.
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Write a Letter »

Money Follows the Person
Money Follows the Person has been included in a NEW bill that is rushing through Congress right now. This bill - HR 1811 - includes both the Family Opportunity Act and MFP. Both Family Opportunity and MFP are very important priorities for the disability community and will help people with disabilities, older Americans, as well as their families.
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National Institutes of Health (NIH) Reauthorization

Previous Campaigns

Christopher Reeve, Vice Chairman of the National Organization on Disability, Salutes Wednesday's Rally for MiCASSA and Disability Rights

Congress Must End the Medicaid Bias

Disability Mentoring Day (DMD)

Letter from Christopher Reeve to Senator Harkin

MiCASSA: Medicaid Community-Based Attendant Services and Supports Act of 2005 (S.401, H.R. 910)

Access to Mobility Call-In Day

Ending the Medicare Disability Waiting Period Act of 2005 (S.1217, H.R.2869)

HHS Awards $33 Million to States, Other Organizations to Help People with Disabilities
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced more than $33 million in grants to states and other organizations to help develop programs for people with disabilities or long-term illnesses.
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