A dangerous budget bill is moving fast, and we need to act now!

The Senate is voting any day on a bill that would cut $1 trillion from Medicaid—a reduction of nearly 20%! The House of Representatives has already passed a version of this bill, and the Senate’s plan makes even deeper cuts. Can you please take 2 minutes today to contact your members of Congress?

If this bill becomes law:

• Nearly 17 million people could lose health insurance over the next 10 years.
• States simply won’t have the money to fund the care and services that people with disabilities need.
• More people will go hungry, including millions of kids.

This is not about line items in a budget. It’s about real people—children, people with disabilities, older adults, and families who need health care and food to live.

Call or email your members of Congress today and tell them to vote NO on any budget that cuts Medicaid or SNAP.

The post URGENT: Act Now to Protect Medicaid and SNAP! appeared first on AdvocacyDenver.

People with disabilities need access to health care and other disability services and food assistance to live independent lives.

Medicaid and SNAP make this possible.

Medicaid:

• Provides essential health care to millions of children and adults with disabilities, so they can live healthier, fuller lives.
• Helps infants with disabilities get a strong start in life through vital developmental support.
• Pays for people with disabilities to get assistance from home care workers for daily tasks, ensuring independence and dignity.

SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program):

• Helps low-income families, including people with disabilities, afford groceries and put food on the table, so no one goes hungry.

Right now, Congress is making big decisions about our nation’s priorities and how to pay for them. They are voting on policies that will take away funding from Medicaid health care and services and SNAP benefits—services that people with disabilities rely on to live healthy lives.

If Medicaid and SNAP are cut, millions of lives will be deeply impacted.

ACT NOW to tell Congress to protect Medicaid and SNAP! 

The post Tell Congress: No Medicaid or SNAP Cuts! appeared first on AdvocacyDenver.

The Latest on Protecting the Rights of Students with Disabilities

The U.S. Department of Education plays a critical role in ensuring students with disabilities receive the support and services they need in schools to be successful. Now, that role is under threat. Recently, we shared with our chapters a short video update on what is going on with the Department. Now, The Arc has stepped up by filing a declaration in support of a major lawsuit challenging the federal government’s plans to dismantle the Department. This fight is about protecting the rights of children with disabilities to receive an appropriate education.

A New Lawsuit

In March 2025, half of the staff of the US Department of Education were fired. Many of these staff had roles that helped students with disabilities. A coalition of educators, school districts, and unions has filed a lawsuit to stop the mass layoffs and dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education. The lawsuit argues that these actions violate the Constitution and federal law and must be stopped.

The Arc Supports the Goal of the Lawsuit

The Arc has filed a “declaration,” which is a signed document, similar to testimony, that provides factual information to the court about the crucial work that the Department does to support students with disabilities, and the harms that will come to students with disabilities and their families as a result of changes at the Department. A declaration is a legal tool that allows The Arc to tell the court about how the changes at the U.S. Department of Education will harm students with disabilities, their families, and disability rights enforcement. By filing a declaration, we can bring the expertise of our advocates, families, and chapters into the courtroom while continuing our broader advocacy work.

What’s at Stake for Students with Disabilities?

The Arc’s position statement on education states: “All children and youth with IDD must receive a free appropriate public education that includes fair evaluation, ambitious goals, challenging objectives, the right to progress, individualized supports and services, high quality instruction, and access to the general education curriculum in age-appropriate inclusive settings.”

Weakening the role of the U.S. Department of Education will make it harder for children with disabilities to get the education they need.

Staff who were fired include those who worked at the U.S. Department of Education, through the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR). These staff work to ensure that students with disabilities receive:

• Special education programs and services funded by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
• Vocational rehabilitation and independent living services • Federal civil rights protections under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• Technical assistance, oversight, and enforcement to ensure states and schools follow the law

Without these protections, students with disabilities risk losing critical support. The proposed layoffs and restructuring could delay IDEA funding, reduce enforcement of disability rights, and limit access to technical assistance that schools and families rely on. 

Chapter Impact: AdvocacyDenver’s Story

AdvocacyDenver, a local chapter of The Arc, provides educational advocacy to more than 400 clients and technical assistance to 1,000+ families of students with disabilities. These families rely on IDEA funds and federal guidance to help their children with disabilities access an education. If the Department’s ability to do its crucial work is weakened, families could face even greater barriers, with fewer resources to challenge discrimination or secure needed services. 

Take Action

The fight for education rights isn’t just happening in the courts—you can take action now by contacting your Members of Congress.

The post Federal Education Advocacy Update appeared first on AdvocacyDenver.

On March 20th, the Trump administration released an executive order aiming to close the U.S. Department of Education and transfer special education. The U.S. Department of Education is crucial for students with disabilities. Here’s why:

• It holds states accountable when they are not meeting the needs of students with disabilities.
• It funds critical programs to increase the supply of special education teachers.
• It provides parents with information on how to navigate the education system for their child with a disability.

The Department of Education was established by Congress. Congress would need to vote to close the agency, but the administration is moving swiftly to weaken it. We must ALL contact our federal legislators NOW to make our voices heard in demanding resistance to any further attempts to defund or dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. ASK THEM TO Preserve The Department of Education:

• and its administrative role over the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
• and its Office for Civil Rights, which vigilantly enforces civil rights laws in schools to ensure equal access to education and resolve complaints of discrimination.

Demand reinstatement of the workforce recently reduced by this administration. This leaves an insufficient workforce to address the above listed functions and will cause a negative impact on students with disabilities, their families and public education.

You can send your message via The Arc of the United States Action Center HERE:

We CAN make a difference, and this change will not impact the important advocacy work of ADVOCACYDENVER and the network of other Colorado Arc chapters to promote and protect the human rights of children with disabilities.

Dígale al Congreso: Proteja al Departamento de Educación

El 20 de marzo, la administración Trump emitió una orden ejecutiva con el objetivo de cerrar el Departamento de Educación de EE. UU. y transferir la educación especial. El Departamento de Educación de EE. UU. es crucial para los estudiantes con discapacidades. He aquí por qué: 

• Responsabiliza a los estados cuando no satisfacen las necesidades de los estudiantes con discapacidades.
• Financia programas críticos para aumentar la oferta de maestros de educación especial. 
• Proporciona a los padres información sobre cómo navegar por el sistema educativo de sus hijos con discapacidad. 

El Departamento de Educación fue establecido por el Congreso. El Congreso tendría que votar para cerrar la agencia, pero el gobierno se está moviendo rápidamente para debilitarla. TODOS debemos ponernos en contacto con nuestros legisladores federales AHORA para hacer oír nuestras voces y exigir resistencia a cualquier intento adicional de desfinanciar o desmantelar el Departamento de Educación de los Estados Unidos. PÉDIRLES QUE PRESERVEN El Departamento de Educación:

• y su función administrativa sobre la Ley de Educación para Personas con Discapacidades.
• y su Oficina de Derechos Civiles, que vigila la aplicación de las leyes de derechos civiles en las escuelas para garantizar la igualdad de acceso a la educación y resolver las quejas de discriminación.

Exigen la reincorporación de la fuerza laboral recientemente reducida por esta administración. Esto deja una fuerza laboral insuficiente para abordar las funciones enumeradas anteriormente y causará un impacto negativo en los estudiantes con discapacidades, sus familias y la educación pública.

Puede enviar su mensaje a través del Centro de Acción del Arco de los Estados Unidos AQUÍ:

JUNTOS PODEMOS marcar la diferencia, y este cambio no afectará el importante trabajo de defensa de ADVOCACYDENVER y la red de otros capítulos de Colorado Arc para promover y proteger los derechos humanos de los niños con discapacidades.

The post Tell Congress: Protect the Department of Education appeared first on AdvocacyDenver.

Congress is considering cutting Medicaid by $880 billion. There’s no way to do that without taking away critical health care and services from people with disabilities.

The truth is simple: Cutting Medicaid will hurt millions of children and adults.

Slashing funding at this scale will lead to fewer services, fewer caregivers, and fewer life-sustaining services. Some may lose eligibility altogether!

Medicaid is already the most cost-efficient health insurance program, with safeguards in place to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse.These dangerous cuts must be stopped. Contact your members of Congress today and urge them to protect Medicaid.

The post Protect Medicaid. No cuts. No harm. appeared first on AdvocacyDenver.

Millions of people with disabilities rely on Medicaid for health care and for the support they need to live in their communities. If Medicaid cuts happen, access to these vital services could be lost.

Tell Congress that people with disabilities need Medicaid to thrive, and real lives will be affected if there are cuts.

We need your help to make sure your members of Congress know what’s at stake for people with disabilities.

Send a message now and tell them why Medicaid must be protected. It takes just a few minutes, but it can make a huge difference.

Did you miss our Medicaid webinar? 

Watch the recording now to learn more about the growing concern of potential cuts to Medicaid, including what you can do to help protect it. We share tools, resources, and strategies to help you advocate effectively for this vital program.

The post Medicaid is on the line appeared first on AdvocacyDenver.

Action is needed & time is of the essence!

Please call your local Representative and Senator to ask them to sign onto a letter supporting the extension of retainer payments to Calder Lynch, Deputy Administrator and Director, Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services by Wednesday, July 22^nd.

Why?

• Payments for Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities ended Friday, July 17. 
• Retainer payments are one of the many flexibilities that Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) authorized in Colorado to provide critical services during the pandemic. Retainer payments are a critical life-line that allow providers to bill for needed services that can be delivered safely as infections surge. With COVID 19 case numbers on the rise we must protect people with disabilities because without the flexibilities we return to services being delivered in group settings which increase the risk of COVID 19 infection.
• CMS’s June 30, 2020 guidance restricted the length of HCPF’s authority to issue retainer payments.  We do not believe that a 2-week timeline to strategize solutions was adequate given risk factors in group settings. Today is not any safer than at the start of the pandemic.
• Representatives Perlmutter and Neguse are working together to urge CMS to extend the authority for retainer payments in Colorado.  It is important that the network of providers remains intact when the pandemic subsides. Our state Medicaid office, Health Care Policy and Financing, has risen to the challenge of supporting people with disabilities during the pandemic. Our infection numbers are low in the people we advocate for and we want to keep it this way. The flexibilities granted have worked.  It is our primary concern that we keep people safe.

Action

Call your Senator or Representative and ask that they contact Patrick Buhr, Legislative Assistant, Patrick.Buhr@mail.house.gov, by noon on Wednesday, July 22nd, to sign on to the letter to Calder Lynch, Deputy Administrator and Director, Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Senators

Michael Bennet
202-224-5852
Senator Bennet’s Official Website 

Cory Gardner
202-224-5941
Senator Gardner’s Official Website 

Representative (District 1)

Diana DeGette
Representative for Colorado’s 1^st District
Phone: 303-844-4988
Representative DeGette’s Official Website

Other Colorado Representatives can be found at: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/CO

The post Action Alert: Extend Retainer Payments for Home and Community-Based Services appeared first on AdvocacyDenver.

The provisions are applicable to:

• Adult Day Services
• Day Habilitation
• Day Treatment (Brain Injury Waiver)
• Prevocational Services
• Supported Employment – Group

Parents and Caregivers

The decision to go back to a day program is a personal one and should be made in consideration of the needs and wants of the individual and the family. The following information/tools are being provided to help to ensure that you can easily access information related to the safety and necessity of your decision to return to a day program or not to return to a day program.  Please use the following to make an informed decision about returning to a day program:

• Day Program Re-Entry Checklist
• Considerations for Day Program Return
• The Arc’s in Colorado Person Centered Plan for Re-Entry into Day Programs

The post Day Program Services Expected to Reopen July 20, 2020 appeared first on AdvocacyDenver.

These meetings will be designed to garner feedback from the community on how these changes would impact them and will inform the Department’s implementation decisions. Each meeting will include a short presentation about current waiting list and enrollment practices and potential changes, and then time for open discussion, questions and comments.

DD Waiver Waiting List Stakeholders WEBINAR/CALL-IN Meetings

Dates and Times:

Tuesday, February 18, 2020
9 a.m. – 11 a.m. MST

Tuesday, February 18, 2020
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. MST

Wednesday, February 19, 2020
11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. MST

Call-in Information for all three meetings:

Local: 720-279-0026
Toll Free: 1-877-820-7831
Participant Code: 982280#

Webinar Link for all three meetings

DD Waiver Waiting List Stakeholders IN-PERSON ONLY Meeting

Date and Time:

Wednesday, February 19, 2020
2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. MST

Where:
Community First Foundation
(free parking, accessible parking and facility)  
5855 Wadsworth Bypass, Arvada CO 80003
Unit A, Changemaker Room

The post Home and Community Based Services – Developmental Disabilities (HCBS-DD) Waiver – Waiting List Stakeholder Engagement Announcement appeared first on AdvocacyDenver.

From The Desk of Pamela Bisceglia

The Housing Authority of the City and County of Denver (DHA) is opening its 2020 Housing Choice Voucher/Section 8 Lottery. On-line entries (ONLY) will be accepted beginning on Thursday, September 19, 2019 (beginning at 12:01 a.m.) through Friday, September 20, 2019 (ending at 11:59 p.m.) Interested individuals may submit a lottery entry via the internet at DHA’s website: www.denverhousing.org.

Selected and approved families will need to meet the following basic program requirement to include but is not limited to:

• Meet HUD basic eligibility requirements: not a registered sex offender and/or not convicted of methamphetamine manufacture or production on public housing premises
• Have not been evicted from federally assisted housing for drug-related criminal activity in the past 3 years
• Have not been evicted from federally assisted housing within the past 5 years
• Does not owe monies to any subsidized housing programs
• Cannot exceed income guidelines

As of April 24th, 2019, the income limits are:

For more information on the Lottery (Frequently Asked Questions) Click here

The post eAlert: Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) Lottery Accepting Entries appeared first on AdvocacyDenver.