Hi everyone,
If you have questions or concerns about below, please feel free to contact me with the far below information.
Send an e-mail then urge others to be part of this:
If you remember Community Choice Act (CCA). It is now known as Community First Choice (CFC) Currently, many advocates and states alike are waiting for the FINAL RULES to be given out about the CFC Option. The CFC Option became available to states on October 1, 2011 but, three months later, CMS still hasn’t released the final rules. The final CFC rules have been delayed, in part, because of comments made against CMS’s proposed rules about the definition of “community” in 1915(c) waivers.
In those rules, CMS proposed ways to better define “community”, so that certain settings couldn’t be funded using 1915(c) home and community based services waivers. Under the proposed rules, cottages on the grounds of public and private institutions, segregated facilities housing only people with a specific disability, and assisted living (in certain cases) wouldn’t be eligible for HCBS waiver funding. Advocates were pleased!
However, CMS heard loudly from those who profit from the segregation of our people, those who oppose our efforts to promote the full integration of people with disabilities, and those that want to maintain the status quo. Now the administration needs to hear from us!
Using the form below, send an email to CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner, HHS Deputy Secretary Bill Corr, HHS Chief of Staff Sally Howard, Henry Claypool at the HHS Office of Disability Policy and Kareem Dale at the White House.
Tell them that we have waited long enough for CMS rules that implement the Community First Choice Option and distinguish between REAL integration and segregated settings masquerading as community. Then urge others to take action too!
To take action please go to:
Send a message to the CMS Administrator and other key policy makers. If you’ve done this Action Alert, THANK YOU! You don’t need to do it again.
If you haven’t done the alert yet, DO IT NOW!!!
It’s fast!
It’s easy!
EVERYONE SHOULD ASK OTHER PEOPLE TO HELP!
Start with those holiday lists!
Ask family, friends, and neighbors.
Ask community partners we work with.
Ask consumers.
Ask attendants and community-based staff.
Maybe folks you know aren’t as computer literate.
You can call them, log onto the website, and help them by typing in their information. Just over 100 people from New York have responded. Our organizations (alone) have generated five times that number! We need to do it again!!!
Let’s tell CMS that we want to ring in the New Year with FREEDOM!!!
Thank you,
Dean DeRusso
Deaf Systems Advocate
