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----- Original Message -----
From: "Justice For All Moderator" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2007 10:30 PM
Subject: Senator Biden Answers Candidate Questions!
Senator Biden Answers Candidate Questions!
Dear Advocates,
Today, AAPD received responses from Senator Bidens campaign to
the disability questionnaire that AAPD, ADAPT, National Council on
Independent Living (NCIL), and Self Advocates Becoming Empowered
(SABE) sent to each of the candidates earlier this year. Although
the responses have been slowly trickling in, we still have not
heard from many of the campaigns, and weve yet to hear from any
Republican candidates. Lets not let up. Lets continue to remind
each campaign that we expect responses to our important concerns
about where each of them stands on disability issues. Ask the
campaigns to send their responses electronically to Anne Sommers
at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
For a list of the questions, the original letters sent to
candidates, and a listing of candidates and their campaign
websites, visit: www.aapd.com/News/election/peac2008.php
________________________________________________________________
AAPD, ADAPT, NCIL, SABE Questionnaire
Senator Biden Response
1.. LONG TERM SERVICES AND SUPPORTS
2.. How would you address America's increasing need for home and
community-based long-term services and supports (such as personal assistance
services, respite care, and other supports)?
1.. Do you support the Community Choice Act of 2007 (S.799, H.R. 1621)
and/or the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act of 2007
(CLASS Act of 2007)?
2.. What other steps would you take to help states implement the
Olmstead v. L.C. Supreme Court decision and help address the institutional
bias in the current Medicaid system?
3.. Will you propose integrating acute and long-term services by using
integrated managed care principles?
4.. How will you address the shortage of community direct care attendants?
5.. How will you address the lack of coordination between Medicare and
Medicaid policies?
I strongly believe that every individual living with a disability should
have the opportunity to live independently as he or she chooses. I have
consistently opposed the unjustified segregation of people into
institutions. It is discrimination pure and simple. That's why I am a
cosponsor of the Community Choice Act of 2007 and have supported the
precursor of this bill, the Medicaid Community Based Attendant Services and
Supports Act (MiCASSA) since it was first introduced in the 107th Congress.
The legislation would provide a variety of personal assistance services
under the Medicaid program to enable disabled individuals to live at home
rather than in institutions. Our long term care system has a heavy
institutional bias and 65 percent of Medicaid long term care dollars pay for
institutional services, while the remaining 25 percent must cover all the
community based waivers, optional programs, etc. The Community Choices Act
requires states to provide equal access to community attendant services and
supports for eligible individuals in need of long term services and
supports. To help states phase in the community attendant benefit, an
enhanced match rate will be available for community attendant services and
supports for the next five years. In addition, the legislation provides
financial assistance to states as they develop and enhance comprehensive
statewide systems of long term services and supports to provide access to
consumer-directed community-based services and supports in the most
integrated setting appropriate.
While we must ensure that we do all we can to allow people to live as
independently as possible, we also have to recognize the support people
receive from their family members to enable them to live at home or in a
community-based setting. Many family members devote a significant portion of
their time to help their loved ones with many aspects of their daily living.
We must do all we can to reduce the burden on family caregivers and that is
one of the reasons why I cosponsored the Lifespan Respite Care Act in the
last Congress. In order to realize the goals of this act, I would insist
that it receive full funding during the budget process.
6.. HOUSING
7.. What would you do to increase the availability of affordable,
accessible, integrated housing opportunities in the community for low and
moderate income people with disabilities and their families?
8.. How will you assure the vigorous implementation of all Fair Housing
Laws?
9.. How will you assure that HUD implements programs that will assist
states in complying with the Olmstead decision?
A 2005 Urban Institute study showed that people with disabilities face
discrimination in up to half of rental inquiries. Not only do they face
discrimination but people with disabilities, especially those who rely on
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, face tremendous financial
barriers in their efforts to find safe, affordable and accessible housing
across this nation. Too often, they are priced out of the housing market. We
must expand affordable housing in this nation to address this shortage. That's
why I've supported programs like the Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section
8) and tax credits for affordable housing development. We must fund Section
8 vouchers to encourage mobility and housing choice. We've never funded
Section 8 to meet the needs of the people who are eligible, as only one in
three eligible families gets assistance. We must also expand the Low Income
Housing Tax Credit to lower the financing costs of housing developments so
that the rental prices are more affordable. In addition, President Bush has
continually attempted to cut funding from Section 811 housing programs.
These programs provide capital grants and ongoing project rental assistance
contracts (PRAC) to developers of new subsidized housing for persons with
disabilities and provide vouchers for tenants with disabilities to use in
the private housing market. As President, I would work to restore proper
funding to these programs, expanding the affordable housing opportunities
for people living with disabilities.
We must not only expand affordable housing, we must also promote tougher
enforcement of Fair Housing laws and the Olmstead decision. In 1988, I was
an original cosponsor of the Fair Housing Amendments Act, which expanded the
Fair Housing laws to prohibit discrimination in housing on the additional
grounds of physical or mental disability. Unfortunately, President Bush has
attempted to cut funding for Fair Housing programs. I would restore funding
for these programs and work with federal and local groups to educate the
public and housing providers about their obligations under the Fair Housing
Act. In addition, I believe we should expand paired testing, along with more
traditional reasonable accommodation testing, to promote stricter
enforcement for Fair Housing laws.
In addition, we must work to increase the amount of housing that is
accessible by ensuring that HUD is overseen by people who understand the
difficulties that people with disabilities face in finding affordable,
accessible housing and support the enforcement of fair housing laws. As
president, I would appoint people who understand these issues.
...
(Please go to the following link for the remaining
questions and responses.)
http://www.aapd.com/News/election/071016sjb.htm
SOURCE: AAPD
________________________________________________________________
For more 2008 Presidential Election issues, see:
http://www.aapd.com/News/election/index2008.php
# # #
MODERATOR, Anne Sommers, JUSTICE FOR ALL -- A Service of the
American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). To
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