Hi All:

The House hearing for HB1593 has been set for this coming Wednesday, January 10th, starting at 1:00pm. We need your testimony.

This bill was filed because of written communication received last year (2023) from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) that clarified to individuals and families that certain items and services that may had been historically funded by Medicaid in NH are not supposed to be covered and no longer will be in the future. 

In short: if you or a family member received funding for community integration activities through the Medicaid waiver but are no longer receiving it due to new Medicaid rulings, HB1593 is intended to help you.

People with disabilities have a legal right to participation in normal life experiences. The important of community integration is also referenced extensively in RSA 171-a. It is critical that we continue to work to implement the vision of the system and the laws that support it.

HB1593 establishes a developmental services community integration fund in the department of health and human services to support individuals with developmental disabilities. This fund is intended to support critical community integration activities that are not supported under the Medicaid waiver.

Talking Points

This is your opportunity to let legislators know the impact of community inclusion on you and/or your family member. The Institute for Community Inclusion has a good description of what inclusion means, but I think there's also opportunity for you to provide specific examples about the positive impact of inclusion on you, your family member, and society as a whole. For example, in your specific experiences:

• How has inclusion helped with physical and mental health?
• How has inclusion helped with improving behavior?
• How has inclusion helped with developing friendships/relationships?
• How has inclusion potentially increased the support network in our fragile developmental disability service delivery system?
• How has inclusion helped society grow?

Also, you might consider emphasizing that inclusion in the community is not clustering people with disabilities into one home, classroom, workplace, or social center.

Template for Testimony

You are welcome to write your own testimony from scratch, or you may use the following template to create your testimony. If you use the template, replace the words in italics with your information.

Date

Dear Chairman MacDonald and Members of the House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee,

My name is Your Name and I live in Town, NH. I am asking you to SUPPORT HB1593 and the creation of the developmental services community integration fund. This is necessary for individuals to live full, inclusive, and productive lives.

I want to tell you a bit about (myself/my family member). (I am/My family member is) supported by Gateways Community Services through XXX (Replace XXX with Early Supports and Services, In Home Supports Waiver, Family Support, Developmental Disabilities Waiver, or Acquired Brain Disorder Waiver).

(Share a brief paragraph about yourself or family member and specific examples of how community inclusion or lack thereof has impacted you and/or your family member. Also provide specific examples of how inclusion has helped others in the community grow. If you are creating the testimony using Microsoft Word or other word processing software, consider providing a picture with a photograph of yourself or family member in an inclusive community setting.)

Thank you, Chairman MacDonald and Members of the House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee, for considering my testimony. I urge you to SUPPORT HB1593 and the creation of the developmental services community integration fund. This will help (me/my family member) live a full, inclusive, and productive life while also helping our society grow as a whole.

Sincerely,

Your Name

Your Address

Attending In Person

The hearing is in LOB 210-211 this coming Wednesday, January 10th, starting at 1pm. Plan to arrive EARLY and be prepared to pay for parking. If you can, please make 19 copies of your testimony to give to the committee.

If you plan on speaking, please also review our testimony tips to help you give the most effective testimony possible. Practice ahead of time to keep your testimony short and concise. Ideally you should not read from your written testimony and it is perfectly acceptable if your spoken testimony is not identical to your written testimony.

The address for the Legislative Office Building (LOB) is 33 N State St, Concord, NH 03301, and the hearing is in room 210-211.

CLICK HERE for downtown Concord parking information.

Submitting Testimony Online

To register your opinion online, fill out this form - it takes less than a minute:

• Step 1: Fill out your personal information
• Step 2: Select Wednesday, January 10th
• Step 3:
• Select the Committee: "House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs"
• Choose the Bill: "1:00pm - HB1593"
• I am: "A Member of the Public"
• I'm Representing: "Myself"
• Indicate Your Position on this Bill: Choose "I Support this Bill" if you want the community integration fund to be put in place
• Step 4: Upload your testimony
• Step 5: Submit your testimony

Viewing the Hearing

You can watch the hearing live on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NHHouseofRepresentatives

Please let me know if you need help writing your testimony and thank you for your advocacy,

Will