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
Webinars from the Field (Washington Update, January 30, 2019)
Building Capacity to Include People Who Have Disabilities Wednesday, January 30, 12:00-1:00 pm ET Association of University Centers on Disabilities Successfully Engaging Members in Plan Governance Wednesday, January 30, 12:30-2:00 pm ET Centers for Medicare and...
The “Shut-Down” (Washington Update, January 30, 2019)
No doubt you have heard that the partial government “shut-down” has been ended until at least February 15 in order to allow time for Congress and President Trump to negotiate over funding for a “wall” on the nation’s southwest border. Fortunately, this means that...
The Administration (Washington Update, January 30, 2019)
New Federal Policy on Restraint and Seclusion in Schools On January 17, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced a new department initiative to address the problem of restraint and seclusion of school children with disabilities. See U.S. Department of Education...
Congress (Washington Update, January 30, 2019)
Money-Follows-The-Person (MFP) Program Extended Temporarily On January 25, the president signed the Medicaid Extenders Act of 2019 (H.R. 259), which was approved in the Senate by unanimous consent on January 17. The Act provides $112 million for Money Follows the...
The Courts (Washington Update, January 30, 2019)
Kentucky residents have filed a lawsuit challenging the administration’s re-approval of a Medicaid waiver that would establish “community engagement” requirements for certain Medicaid beneficiaries. Eligibility for these individuals would be contingent on their...
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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