Stimulus Plan Includes Significant Disability Funding

From Arc and UCP Alerts (Jan. 15-16, 2009):

House Unveils Economic Stimulus Package
Many provisions to increase spending on disability programs included

* * * Take Action * * *

Urge Congress to Support the Economic Recovery Bills  

* Please email your Senators and Representative TODAY.  See the "Take Action" section of the Arc website for a sample message.

* Once this legislation becomes law, we will have to work closely with state agencies and their local communities to maximize the use of these new funding sources to protect and expand services to our constituents.
 
Background

The House of Representatives released its version of the economic recovery package yesterday. The Senate is likely to unveil its version next week. That bill will be S.1.  Both versions are being worked on in close cooperation with the incoming Obama Administration.

In addition to $275 billion in tax cuts, the House bill, entitled the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, will provide $550 billion for myriad domestic programs to spur the economy, job growth and help state and local governments cope with rising deficits.

This bill and a similar one in the Senate are expected to move quickly through the legislative process so that it can be signed into law by President Obama in mid February. There are many provisions in the bill to increase spending on disability programs. Many other funding increases to states and communities could also be utilized to provide numerous types of assistance to people with disabilities and the programs that support them.

The following is a list of disability specific programs and the amount of increased spending they will receive from the time the bill is enacted through 2010:

HEALTH
•    Medicaid: FMAP - $87 billion - all states receive a 4.8% increase with higher rates for states with high unemployment rates
•    Medicaid and Medicare regulations moratoria are extended until October, 2009
•     $8.6 billion for 100% Federal funding for optional Medicaid coverage for certain recipients who are involuntarily unemployed
•    COBRA: $30.3 billion to extend health insurance coverage beyond the 18 month limit
•    Health Information Technology: $20 billion to jumpstart computerized health records
•    Prevention and Wellness: $3 billion to prevent chronic diseases and to increase immunization programs
•    Lead-Based Paint Removal: $110 million - competitive grants to localities and nonprofits to remove lead paint in low income housing
•    NIH Biomedical Research: $2 billion for increased research

EDUCATION
•    Special Education: $13 billion for the IDEA State Grant Program and $600 million for the IDEA Part C Early Intervention Program
•    School Construction: $20 billion to renovate and modernize schools
•    Education Technology: $1 billion for 21st century classrooms
•    Teacher Quality: $300 million for teacher and administrator incentives and to address teacher shortages

SOCIAL SECURITY
•    SSI: $4.2 billion to provide a one time approximately $450/individual and $630/couple stimulus payment
•     SSA Disability Backlog and Claims: $500 million to help the Social Security Administration reduce the processing time for claims and appeals decisions
•    SSA Modernization: $400 million to replace the antiquated National Computer Center
 
EMPLOYMENT
•    Vocational Rehabilitation: $500 million through the VR State Grant for construction and rehabilitation of facilities that prepare persons with disabilities for gainful employment
•    Unemployment Insurance: $27 billion to continue the current up to 33 weeks of extended benefits through December 31, 2009
•    Job Training: $4 billion for adult, youth and dislocated worker training

INDEPENDENT LIVING
•    Centers for Independent Living: $200 million to assist people with disabilities to live in their communities

HOUSING
•    Public Housing Capital Fund: $5 billion for building repair and modernization
•    HOME Investment Partnerships: $1.5 billion for local communities to use green technologies to build and rehabilitate low-income housing
•    Community Development Block Grant: $1 billion to support housing and services to help hard pressed localities
•    Community Services Block Grant: $1 billion for housing, food, employment and healthcare to serve areas hardest hit by the recession
•    Low-Income Energy Assistance: $1 billion to help low income households pay for heating and cooling
•    Neighborhood Stabilization: $4.2 billion for communities to purchase and rehabilitate foreclosed, vacant properties to create more affordable housing
•    Home Weatherization: $6.2 billion to weatherize homes of low income households to reduce energy costs
•    Energy Efficiency Housing Retrofits: $2.5 billion to upgrade HUD sponsored housing to increase energy efficiency

CHILD CARE and HEAD START
•    Child Care Development Block Grant: $2 billion to serve an additional 300,000 children in low income working families
•    Head Start: $2.1 billion to provide services to 110,000 additional children

The Congress hopes to complete action on these bills so that President Obama can sign the economic recovery package into law by mid February. Clearly most states and local governments are desperate to receive this influx of federal money to prevent increasing job loses and massive budget cuts.

Many states are now in the process of deciding which disability programs to cut or eliminate. These bills will likely draw substantial bipartisan opposition due to the costs involved. It is imperative that disability advocates contact their Senators and Representatives to support these critical bills.

>>> To Let your Congressman know you support this Bill

For more information on the recovery plan see:

http://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/legislation?id=0273

or

http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/PressSummary01-15-09.pdf

Comments

[nicholas conchewski]

i am disabled, my sister too proud to amit it, is also disabled, not gotten out of bed for 4 yrs,(on and off) since parents death.

her money exhausted , and my meager ssi, has left us to refinance the house, which i will not lose.

our dr even says she is disabled and with her meeting the requirements we would be able to meet our bils.

i nicholas concheski fight to keep my credut score so we may lower our current interst rate on the home loan ...currently 7%/ witha lower rate, we couls afford our bills, we are ok for a couple of months, but will be need help. i will get her to committ, she need to help herself, so she can help us!

[Marilynn H Moore]

My only income is SS Disaility. Will I be included in a one tme rebate under the 2009 Stimulus Bill?

[Brian K. Wilson]

I, like Marilynnabove, seem to be unable to get an answer to this question,

[David Pollard]

I have TBI for 16yrs, worked s hard to finally able to earn 40k in '08, after working for 14 1/2yrs after before getting on disabilaty. Now I'm very limited, can't manitenance my anymore, but am trying to be able to keep it. The problem is the debt I'm in, my disabilaty check is hard to make it work. I was'nt expecting to go on this and I really did'nt know what shape I was in. I can't get a write off from them and most will not work with me, just keep calling all day 'till 'round 8-8:30pm everyday include saturday. I'm not that concerned about my credit but I can't keep paying these people and keep food on the table. What else do I do? To bankrupt will cost most all my check. Thank You