#WeAreEssential: Tell Congress to Include the Paralysis Community in COVID-19 Relief Bills

After weeks of negotiations, the Senate has still not come to consensus on what should be included in a COVID-19 relief package. Time is running out for millions of Americans who have relied on the relief provided by Congress at the beginning of the pandemic.

We are asking you to reach out to your Senator and urge them to act NOW and include the specific needs of the paralysis community in the final version of a COVID-19 related relief bill.

People with paralysis and those who support them are being left behind!

Congress has done little to address the continued fallout from COVID-19 since the House passed the Heroes Act on May 15th, and, as of last week, many key relief provisions are expired. People living with disabilities, their families, and the direct support professional workforce have been left to bear the burden of a public health emergency. As a result they are at the highest risk for serious illness, unemployment and reduced resources for maintaining their quality of life if the Senate does not act.

We must ask the Senate to pass a bill NOW that addresses the specific and critical needs of people living with disabilities, including:

Dedicated Resources for Community Based Services. Dedicated resources for Medicaid to support Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) are desperately needed to help people with disabilities and older adults remain safely in their homes rather than being forced into nursing homes and other congregate settings, where infections and deaths from COVID-19 are rampant.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) for direct support professionals. Direct support professionals are a critical segment of the workforce and must be designated as essential workers so that they can get access to the PPE and medical supplies they urgently need to protect their health and safety.
Paid leave for caregivers. As people living with disabilities continue to lose their usual sources of care, family caregivers are still scrambling and need access to paid leave and sick days to help their loved ones. Congress should include all family caregivers in the emergency paid leave provisions.
Economic impact payments for all people with disabilities. Congress needs to ensure that stimulus payments are available to everyone, including adults with disabilities who are claimed as dependents.

We are asking you to reach out to your Senator and urge them to act NOW and include the specific needs of the paralysis community in the final version of a COVID-19 related relief bill.

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Subject:

We Urge You to Include the Paralysis Community in the HEALS Act!

Dear Official,

As a constituent living with or impacted by paralysis, I urge you to include people with paralysis, their family caregivers, and the direct support professional workforce in the HEALS Act.

The systems that support people with disabilities to live in the community, the service providers that provide those supports, and the workforce who delivers them are at extreme risk, as are people with disabilities and their family members. More must be invested into home and community-based services (HCBS) so that people with disabilities can remain safe and stay in their homes and communities. People with disabilities are disproportionately impacted by this pandemic and face possible institutionalization, which could violate their civil rights and further risk their health. The relief packages that have been passed do not address these critical needs.

A new relief bill must include:
•	Dedicated resources for Medicaid to support Home and Community Based Services (HCBS). These resources are desperately needed to help people with disabilities remain safely in their homes rather than being forced into institutions where COVID-19 infections and deaths are rampant. They are also essential for the support workforce. 
•	Personal protective equipment (PPE) for direct support professionals. This is urgently needed to protect the health and safety of this critical workforce. Direct support professionals must be designated as essential workers so that they can get access to the PPE and medical supplies they need. 
•	Paid leave for caregivers. As more people with disabilities continue to lose their usual sources of care, family caregivers are still scrambling and need access to paid leave and sick days to help their loved ones. Congress should include all family caregivers in the emergency paid leave provisions. 
•	Economic impact payments for all people with disabilities.  Congress needs to ensure that stimulus payments are available to everyone, including adults with disabilities who are claimed as dependents.

Thank you for all that you do for our state.

Regards, Your Name

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Thank you for taking the time to contact your Senators and urge them to account for people living with paralysis in the final version of the HEALS Act. We rely on advocates like you to speak up on the community’s behalf, and this simple action will remind Congress that the needs of the disability community should remain paramount.