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 Briefs
Recent Policy-Related News
Prenatal-to-3 State Policy Roadmap
Check out the newly released 2024 Prenatal-to-3 State Policy Roadmap. The Roadmap provides a summary of state progress on the following 12 recommended policies and strategies. In addition, the Roadmap provides details on the impact of each recommendation, how to...
Medicaid’s Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) State Health Official (SHO) Guidance
What is EPSDT? EPSDT is a benefit for children that sets a higher standard for care than adults. What does EPSDT cover? Under the benefit, states must cover all “medically necessary” services needed to address the health and well-being of the child. This includes...
Washington Update Dec 5, 2023
The first full week of December finds both the House and Senate busy at work to realize a number of priorities before the end of the year. Read the full newsletter here
Washington Update November 28, 2023
Congress is back in session this week and will look to work on some pending policy priorities before the end of the year. Read the full newsletter here
Washington Update November 15, 2023
The November 17th deadline to pass a federal budget is this Friday, and there is no agreement (on either a budget bill or a temporary, continuing resolution) needed to prevent a government shutdown. The new speaker of the House, Representative Johnson (R-LA), has...
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.
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