Policy Corner: April 8, 2022
Categories: Policy Corner Archives
Senate Confirms New SCOTUS Justice
Yesterday, the U.S. Senate confirmed a new justice to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS). The Senate confirmed Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson who will be the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court. She is an experienced judge, who is also the first justice to have served as a public defender. She is a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, since 2021; served as a U.S. Sentencing Commissioner; and was a lawyer in private practice. She attended Harvard University for college and law school, where she served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review.
The SCOTUS is important to people living with brain injury as the court makes decisions regarding health care and disability laws, including decisions involving the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Social Security Disability applicants and special education. The Olmstead decision, for example, issued a landmark decision in 1999 that found that people with disabilities have the right to live in the community in lieu of institutional care.
White House Issues Plan to Address Long COVID
On Tuesday afternoon, the White House announced its “whole-of-government” effort to address the Long COVID crisis. These actions are very closely consistent with the broad sign-on letter sent May 2021 that the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) signed, along with other patient, provider and advocacy groups, calling for the Administration to advance a coordinated interagency effort on Long COVID. The Administration is formally charging the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) with coordinating the Government-wide response to Long COVID, reporting to the Coordinator of the COVID-19 Response (Dr. Ashish Jha) and the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy (Ambassador Susan Rice). The HHS Secretary is empowered to involve other relevant federal agencies across the Administration, as well as nongovernmental stakeholders.
Among the proposed initiatives, the President’s FY 2023 Budget Request is proposing an additional $20 million to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to develop a new Long COVID Centers of Excellence program, working with other federal agencies. The Veterans Administration (VA) would establish additional specialized Long COVID clinics to support the 18 existing VA facilities with Long COVID programs, and support care coordination and referrals across the VA health system. The FY 2023 budget also requests an increase of $25 million at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to advance Long COVID efforts.
Referred to as Long COVID, some people experience post-COVID conditions four or more weeks after first being infected with the virus. Symptoms include difficulty with thinking, mood changes, dizziness, fatigue and shortness of breath. As of July 2021, Long COVID can be considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Congress Adjourns for Spring Break
Both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate will adjourn today and will be home for a work session from April 11 through April 22. The House has postponed votes until 6:30pm on April 26.
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