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SELECTED U.S. SENATE
and U.S. HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVE CANDIDATES SELECTED
STATE SENATE and STATE HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVE CANDIDATES |
QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED BY EACH
CANDIDATE
Candidates should email
their ANSWERS AND STATEMENTS to this EMAIL
ADDRESS FOR CANDIDATE'S ANSWERS. Our members, friends,
allies and readers should email their QUESTIONS
to this EMAIL ADDRESS
FOR CANDIDATE'S QUESTIONS . VWD members, friends,
allies and readers are encourage to
email your questions for the candidates. Tell us which candidates you like
and why. We will post selected questions and comments will be displayed on a
separate webpage and linked to the candidate's name. ================================================================================================ QUESTION:: HOW WILL YOU IMPROVE THE OLMSTEAD PROGRAM IN YOUR STATE
AND NATIONALLY? BACKGROUND: ·
In 1999, Supreme
Court gave the states the Olmstead
Decision. Each state must have an Olmstead plan that
will allow persons with disabilities and elderly to live in the community
where they choose with dignity. This is one of the most important decisions made because
it allows elderly persons, and persons with disabilities to live independent
and fruitful lives. President Bush's Executive Order which
orders the placing of qualified QUESTIONS: ·
WILL YOU INCREASE FUNDING
AND SUPPORT NEW PROJECTS FOR ACCESSIBLE AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR PERSONS
WITH DISABILITIES AND ELDERLY PERSONS IN ALL TYPES OF COMMUNITIES? ·
WILL YOU FUND THESE HOUSING
PROJECTS AS PART OF A STATE AND NATIONAL OLMSTEAD PROJECT AND COMMUNITY
CHOICE OPTION? BACKGROUND: The need for accessible and affordable housing is greatly
needed for the increase of persons with disabilities and elderly persons who
become disabled. Many elderly persons are not able to return to their homes
after an illness use the homes have steps or some other barriers that they
cannot afford to modify. The social workers at hospitals are quick to move
patients into nursing homes that warehouse humans. Community
First Choice Option. Several
states have already indicated that they will be selecting the option. California has
formed a CFC Development and Implementation Council and has an aggressive
timeline for CFC Implementation. New York has
announced that it will be selecting the option. Maryland has confirmed that
the state will select the option. Alaska, Rhode Island and Washington all
indicated in a Families USA survey that
they would be selecting the CFC Option in the coming year. In the same
survey, Arizona has indicated that the state is considering selecting the
option. Whether
your state is moving forward with the CFC Option or you are advocating that
they do, ADAPT's Community First Choice Option Fact Sheet explains the basics for you. We have also
developed Answers
to Frequently Asked Questions about
CFC as well as a sample letter you can edit to send to your State Medicaid Director to ask for a meeting about your state
selecting the CFC Option. QUESTIONS: · WILL YOU SUPPORT OR CO
-SPONSOR THE COMMITTEE INTEGRATION ACT, SPONSORED BY SENATOR SCHUMER? · WILL YOU INCREASE FUNDING
FOR MEDICARE TO ALLOW THE PURCHASE OF ALL DME EQUIPMENT TO SUPPORT DIGNITY OF
LIFE? · WILL YOU FUND
WEATHERIZATION OF POWER WHEELCHAIRS AND OTHER DME EQUIPMENT? · WILL YOU SUPPORT LEGISLATION
THAT WILL ALLOW MEDICARE TO PAY FOR SPEECH AND OTHER DEVICES? BACKGROUND: · Senator Schumer is
sponsoring the Community Integration
Act, also known as the Disability Integration Act (DIA). The proposed legislation
establishes new federal law - comparable to the ADA - that requires states and · Additional background and a summary of
the proposed legislation is available here. Answers to frequently asked questions are available.
For policy wonks, the text of the proposed bill is
available here. For people who
are not policy wonks, but want to know how the Disability Integration Act
defines discrimination here is the discrimination section in plain language. ·
Medicaid and Medicare are very important to
persons with disabilities, elderly persons, and the poor They pay for much needed medical equipment,
i.e. power wheelchairs, walkers, speech devices, home aids, caregivers, etc..
Lack of funding allows persons to be warehoused in nursing homes where
dignity is lost. Medicare doesn't pay for power wheelchairs to be weatherized
against rain or snow. ·
Legislators are introducing legislation that will
allow Medicare to pay for speech devices ·
LEARN MORE. QUESTIONS: · ALLOW MONEY TO FOLLOW THE
PERSON IN THE COMMUNITY AND DO NOT ALLOW NURSING HOMES TO KEEP IT. · WILL YOU FUND COMMUNITY
CARE OPTIONS INSTEAD OF UNUSED NURSING
HOME BEDS? · WILL YOU CALL FOR STATE AND NATIONAL COMMISSIONS TO OVERHAUL
THE OUTDATED DON SCORE TEST, WHICH IS USED TO GAUGE HOW MANY HOURS OF
CAREGIVING IS NEEDED FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES? BACKGROUND: · When
a person is discharged from a hospital or a rehabilitation center, a
councilor often suggests a nursing home until an accessible appointment can
be found. Signing into a nursing home usually means signing your benefits
over to them. If the person finds an accessible / affordable house or
apartment, the nursing home won't give up the person's benefits. Thus, "Human
warehousing" occurs. This leads to a loss of dignity and death. · State
and federal moneys are used to pay nursing homes for unused beds. These
moneys can better be spent on Community Choice Options. · The
DON SCORE TEST is a gauge used by some rehabilitation and DHS councilors
to gauge what kind of personal activities persons with disabilities are able
to do on their own, e.g. feeding, bathing, etc. This is only a snapshot taking during a
short interview by a councilor. Most disabled people have good and bad days.
There needs to have a way to tell the total needs of a person with a
disability. QUESTIONS: · HOW WILL YOU INCREASE
EMPLOYMENT FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES? · WILL YOU SUPPORT TRAINING
CENTERS FOR EMPLOYERS AND SUPERVISORS? · WILL YOU PAY AIDS TO HELP
DISABLED EMPLOYEES IN THE WORK AREA? BACKGROUND: · Large numbers of persons with disabilities are unemployed, especially the severely disabled. This is caused, impart, by a lack of understanding and willingness to help disabled employees in the work area. Supervisors need training.. Even the Federal Government tried to fire a severe disabled employee after 35 years of service. He had to sue them to obtain his dignity. Thousands of disabled employees and scientists gave our county new products, ideas, and art to us. Persons with disabilities are human too and are capable of great things if given a chance. QUESTIONS: · WILL YOU FUND SPECIAL
EDUCATION AT A STATE AND FEDERAL LEVEL? · WILL YOU FUND A GRANT PROGRAM FOR HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES? BACKGROUND: · The
education of persons with disabilities often brings new scientists and
business leaders to the nation. QUESTIONS: · WILL YOU FUND ACCESSIBLE HOUSING FOR SINGLE MOTHERS WHO MAY BABIES WITH DISABILITIES? · WILL YOU PROVIDE CAREGIVERS FOR THE BABIES? BACKGROUND :
· Most single mothers to be are very worried that her baby will have a disability. Hospitals and support centers can help with the medical and educational needs, but finding an accessible and affordable apartment is extremely hard to find. Often institutions are the only options. Love and hope change to hate and despair. QUESTIONS: ·
WILL
YOU SUPPORT THE LEGAL USE OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA? ·
WILL
YOU SUPPORT FUNDING FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA RESEARCH? ·
WILL
YOU SUPPORT THE LEGALIZATION OF THE SALE AND USE OF RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA? ·
WILL
YOU SUPPORT AND FUNDING OF ALL TYPES
OF DURG ADDITION RESEARCH AND REHABILITATION CENTERS? BACKGROUND · Many persons with disabilities are able to benefit from taking Marijuana. More research is needed on all drugs. Pain relief is reported by sports stars and others. Research grants will find more uses for this drug. The use of recreational use of Marijuana can bring much needed tax revenue . QUESTION: ·
WILL
YOU INCREASE FUNDING FOR VA PROGRAMS AND INCREASE BENEFITS? |
ACTION ALERTS
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