
Public Policy
Policy Priorities to Support Children with Special Health Care Needs and Disabilities and Their Families
Our Strategic Policy Priorities
Children and youth with special health care needs and disabilities, and their families, face systemic barriers and biases that impede their ability to experience their best possible lives. Systems of care do not respond to their needs holistically or facilitate access to supports that enhance their quality of life.
To make the most impact, we focus our policy actions across all levels of government – federal, state, and local. We work with our family and organizational partners to lean on the various levers of policy change through education and advocacy.
Our current policy agenda includes:
- Expand access to peer-to-peer support for families of children and youth with special health care needs
- Support and expand Medicaid coverage for children and youth with special health care needs and their families and caregivers
- Improve the transition to adult health care for youth and young adults with disabilities and their caregivers and families
- Eliminate language access barriers
Family Voices collaborates with national child health and disability organizations, such as the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, The Arc, Autism Speaks, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and other groups.
Recent Policy-Related News
Upcoming Events List – August 2025
Learn more and register for all the events happening both virtually and across the nation. September 8 – 10 – Learn more and register for the NASHP Annual Conference 2025. The 38th Annual NASHP Conference will bring together state leaders from all 50 states and...
Lista de próximos eventos – agosto de 2025
Obtenga más información y regístrese para todos los eventos que se celebrarán tanto de forma virtual como en todo el país. 8 - 10 de septiembre - Para más información e inscribirse en la Conferencia Anual de la Academia Nacional de Política de Salud Pública 2025...
New Resources and Opportunities – August 2025
Check out resources and opportunities from Family Voices and our partners. Resources from Family Voices’ policy team are in both English and Spanish, with more languages in development. Partner resources are mainly in English. American Public Health Association is...
Nuevos recursos y oportunidades – agosto de 2025
Consulte los recursos y oportunidades de Family Voices y nuestros socios. Los recursos del equipo de políticas de Family Voices están disponibles en inglés y español, y se están desarrollando versiones en otros idiomas. Los recursos de los socios están principalmente...
Looking Ahead at Government Funding
While Congress is still away on summer recess, conversations continue about government funding ahead of the September 30 deadline. The most likely outcome is a short-term continuing resolution (CR), although the length of the CR is currently unknown. Congress returns...
Legislation
The legislation tracked below is for informational purposes only. It is not meant to be an endorsement for or against the legislation. Action updates may occur daily, if actions are taken by Congress. Newly introduced legislation will be added weekly.
The legislative tracker is sorted by latest action. To navigate this page, you can scroll through just as you would a normal webpage. You can also click Ctrl+F on your keyboard and type in the search box.
For additional information and to read the full text (if available), click the highlighted bill number. You can also navigate to Congress.gov and search using key terms or phrases, or the bill numbers listed below.