Policy Corner: June 17, 2022
Categories: Policy Corner Archives
BIAA Advocates for ABLE Age Adjustment Act
The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) urges members to support S. 331, the ABLE Age Adjustment Act, that would expand eligibility for beneficiaries to participate in Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) accounts to allow individuals who sustain a brain injury or other disability before age 46 to save for their long-term care and related expenses without risking the loss of certain federal benefits. These benefits include Social Security Insurance (SSI) and Medicaid. Currently, only individuals who have a qualifying disability prior to age 26 are able to open an account in an ABLE plan – leaving many people with brain injury ineligible. Forty-six states and the District of Columbia have set up ABLE programs, and many state programs accept outside residents into their program.
S. 331 is critical to expand eligibility and help more people living with brain injury and their families to save and pay for needed disability-related assistance that may be limited or not even covered under federal programs, such as housing, therapy, transportation, health care, education, and retirement. You may contact your Senators to urge them to support this important legislation by using BIAA’s Legislative Action Center.
House Appropriators Begin Markups on Federal Spending Bills for Governmental Programs
This week, House Appropriations’ subcommittees began mark up on six of the twelve annual spending bills that fund the Departments of Defense, Legislative Branch, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Homeland Security, and Financial Service starting October 1. Funding for brain injury programs, including research and services, are largely in the spending bill that funds Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education and Related Agencies. The BIAA submitted testimony urging increased funding for the HHS’ Administration for Community Living’s (ACL) Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Act programs; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to establish that National Concussion Surveillance System; and the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) to expand TBI Model Systems (TBIMS) and research for TBIMS collaborative research projects on TBI as a chronic condition.
CMS Extends Time for States to Spend Medicaid HCBS Funding Provided by the ARP
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has notified states that they now have an additional year to use funding made available by the American Rescue Plan (ARP) to enhance, expand, and strengthen home- and community-based services (HCBS) for people who are Medicaid eligible and need long-term services and supports. The ARP provided additional funding during the pandemic to address disability services that were hampered by the workforce crisis, among other issues. To help states, the APR included a 10% bump in the federal government’s share of spending on HCBS between April 2021 and March 2022, which has now been extended through March 31, 2025.
Many states used the additional funding to increase Medicaid provider rates, including providers of HCBS for individuals living with brain injury. A few states expanded services for individuals living with brain injury. Advocates are encouraged to learn how their states are spending the additional funding and to provide input to the state’s Medicaid agency as to the needs of individuals living with brain injury.