Dear Benchmarks' Members:

There is currently a struggle in Congress between the House and Senate on what the next COVID-19 relief package will look like. We need your voices this week to press North Carolina's Senators to support some key components of the House version that will support your efforts to care for your clients. 

Please reach out to:

• Senator Richard Burr through Chris Toppings, his Legislative Director:  christopher_toppings@burr.senate.gov
• Sen Thomas Tillis through Shil Patel, his Legislative Director: shil_patel@tillis.senate.gov

We have outlined some key provisions we need to advocate for below. It would be VERY helpful for you to craft a personal email that includes support for all of the items below or the ones that impact your organization directly.

PPP was the financial relief necessary to keep my agency operating.  Unfortunately, the PPP resources are soon to run out.  We are in need of a second draw.  

We are asking you to include a second draw of the PPP in the next relief bill and eliminate the requirement that my agency must have a 50% decrease in gross receipts.   We serve (clients with substance use disorders) (clients with developmental disabilities) (children in the foster care system) needing care and support during this COVID-19 crisis.  

While our gross receipts have decreased some, they have not decreased by 50%.  HOWEVER, our costs have greatly increased.  

My agency has had to offer employee incentives and overtime,pay for PPE, sanitation, and other expenses to cover the cost of regular testing for staff.  So while our gross receipts have not decreased by 50%, our costs have increased tremendously.  Just like our hospitals, ouragency is required to do whatever it takes tocare forour clients. 

Keeping our clients safe and stable in the community during the COVID crisis is best for our clients and cost savings for our state. We strongly encourage you to support the 10% increase in funding for Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), the largest program supporting people with I/DD.

We have experienced increased costs in providing Medicaid services that can only be covered by increased rates. We need your support to increase the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) payments to state Medicaid programs by a total of 14 percentage points starting July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021. 

The FMAP increase specifically assists states for activities to improve home and community-based services and supports delivery. Funds can be used to increase and support direct support professionals (DSP) ** Members please share examples about your specific challenges in recruiting and retaining staff that has been exacerbated by COVID.***

$3 billion to increase mental health support during this challenging time, to support substance abuse treatment, and to offer increased outreach.

Children and families in the child welfare system are experiencing unprecedented stress and challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  We need to ensure our child welfare system is able to meet the immediate needs of our children and families in crisis, and help families rebuild after the pandemic.

This bill was introduced last week.  This legislation would provide funding for youth transitioning from foster care.  While these young people have many challenges as they exit foster care, they are experiencing a multitude of challenges as they transition during this pandemic.  Please support our young people exiting foster care by offering them assistance to give them a better start into adulthood.