, Please click on the link below and tell your story to support home and community-based services to not be assigned to exclude others from living in their own home. I believe this is important and a good thing to do at Christmas as those of us who have escaped nursing homes and realize how difficult it is to live in a nursing home without privacy, personal caregivers andthe ability to engage in our communities and see our families. I have a large family but only a few people came to the nursing home. Even if you have not lived in a nursing home I know you realize the benefits of home and community-based services. There are over 3000 waiting to get services. In Kansas 200-400,000,000 is being cut in services. It's a good idea to write your senators and representatives also. If you feel they don't listen, at least you have tried to voice your thoughts. Your comments may help to convince our legislators to understand that the institutional bias to institutions should not be continued. Please write state and federal legislators about not supporting block grants to the states, but to support matching grants that states have always received. Block grants will devastate home and community-based services. will rob I only worked once you and as you based on the record with Alfonzo and I wish you you are a hormone work to do almost stood soon as you you you you you you you you you will they find I'm getting help and utility for Clinton to quit this will go insane if I get the hundred $30m/used to work what you use sleepless for a vote you you you you you Hopefully all states are sending documentation that legislators how HCBS saves money for the state through their advocacy groups you can contact your centers for Independent living to get this documentation.. Just my thoughts, thank you, Dana save this and and please do this after your Christmas activities!.
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas During the holiday season we can't help but think about those who aren't able to be at home with their families or who won't enjoy the simple pleasures of the holidays because they are stuck in an institution. This year, many of us expected that, as the holiday season arrived, we would be working to address the institutional bias by urging our states to select the Community First Choice (CFC) Option or serving on CFC Development and Implementation Councils. Unfortunately, even though the Community First Choice Option became available to states on October 1st, nearly three months later, CMS still hasn't released the final rules. The final CFC rules have been delayed, in part, because of comments made against CMS's proposed rules about the definition of "community" in 1915(c) waivers. In those rules, CMS proposed ways to better define "community", so that certain settings couldn't be funded using 1915(c) home and community based services waivers. There are similar provisions in the CFC rules. Under the proposed rules, cottages on the grounds of public and private institutions, segregated facilities housing only people with a specific disability, and assisted living (in certain cases) wouldn't be eligible for HCBS waiver funding. ADAPT and other advocates were pleased with the proposed rules. Unfortunately others opposed this policy. CMS heard loudly from those who profit from the segregation of our people, those who oppose our efforts to promote the full integration of people with disabilities, and those that want to maintain the status quo. This included 14 state Medicaid directors. Now, CMS and the Obama administration need to hear from us! We need to tell them that they have waited long enough to issue the final rules implementing the Community First Choice Option! They need to hear that we support a STRONG definition of community that distinguishes between REAL integration and segregated settings masquerading as community! Using this link (http://ly.adapt.org/cms), send emails to CMS and the White House telling them that it's time they release these rules! You are sending email directly to the new CMS Administrator, key staff at HHS, and the White House. Feel free to personalize your message. You can share your own story, talk about the importance of freedom, or point out that as everyone else celebrates the holidays, Americans with disabilities and older Americans remain needlessly stuck in nursing facilities, intermediate care facilities and institutions for mental disease because CMS hasn't got the job done. Whether it's wonky or personal, SEND A MESSAGE NOW! Then forward this email to other folks and urge them to take action too! We wish the best to you during this season of many holidays and thank you for working to end the institutional bias all year long! Together, we will FREE OUR PEOPLE! - The ADAPT Community NATIONAL ADAPT MAILING LIST - Adapt Community Choice Act List http://www.adapt.org
