Washington DC Update News
Below are recent articles from the Washington DC Update newsletter, a weekly Family Voices newsletter that provides the latest on national policy affecting children/youth with special health care needs and their families, and also shares relevant resources and happenings in the field.
News, Information, Resources (Washington Update, August 29, 2018)
CDC Expands Autism Monitoring Efforts (Disability Scoop, 8/23/18) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced the availability of research grants to assess 16-year-olds who were previously identified as having autism symptoms when they were age...
Your Input Sought/Of Possible Interest (Washington Update, August 29, 2018)
Your Input Sought NEW Survey on attending genetics appointments after referrals Open until Oct. 12 The NYMAC (New York-Mid-Atlantic Regional Genetics Network) -- one of seven regional networks in the country funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration –...
Upcoming Webinars from the Field (Washington Update, August 22, 2018)
TODAY: A Conversation on Supporting Self-Management in Children and Adolescents with Complex Chronic Conditions Wednesday, August 22, 1:00-2:00 pm ET Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health Background information. TODAY: Protecting Pregnant Women and Babies...
Lawsuit Challenges Arkansas Work Requirements (Washington Update, August 22, 2018)
As reported in earlier Updates, Medicaid beneficiaries in Kentucky challenged the administration’s approval of the waiver application that would allow the state to establish work requirements for beneficiaries, among other things. A federal court invalidated approval...
Parents Separated from Their Children Seek a Second Chance at Making Their Asylum Claims (Washington Update, August 22, 2018)
Parents who failed screening interviews for their asylum cases are seeking a second chance to be interviewed. They allege that the interviews were improperly conducted, in part because the parents were traumatized from being separated from their children. See New...
Supreme Court Nomination (Washington Update, August 22, 2018)
Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has been doing meetings with Senators in preparation for his confirmation hearing. Among those he has met with are moderate Democrats who are up for reelection this year and therefore might be open to voting for his confirmation. ...
Senate Report and Hearing on Care of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children (Washington Update, August 22, 2018)
On August 15, Rob Portman (R-OH) and Tom Carper (D-DE), Chair and Ranking Member, respectively, of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, issued a staff report, Oversight of the Care of...
In Congress: Budget and Appropriations (Washington Update, August 22, 2018)
The Senate will begin debate this week on a bill combining two FY 2019 appropriations bills -- one for the Department of Defense and one for the Departments of Labor, Health, and Human Services (HHS), and Education, known as the “Labor-HHS” bill. Together these bills...
Bill on Children’s Hospice and Palliative Care under Medicaid (Washington Update, August 22, 2018)
On July 26, Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) and others introduced a bipartisan bill -- The Children's Program of All-Inclusive Coordinated Care (ChiPACC) Act (H.R. 6560) – which would fill gaps in hospice and palliative services that children now receive under Medicaid. The...
News from Medicaid (Washington Update, August 22, 2018)
From the CMS Newsroom: Aug. 16 -- CMS Streamlines Medicaid Review Process, Achieves Significant Reduction in Approval Times. “…Today, CMS issued a second Informational Bulletin related to [state plan amendment (SPA)] and 1915 waiver process improvements. This Bulletin...