Summertime cooking, grilling, and baking. What is on the menu? Who is the grillmaster? What are the right ingredients for the special sauce? This week’s Washington Update uses a culinary theme to share updates from Washington DC demonstrating the mixing and stirring involved in making and implementing the policy of today.

On June 16, 2021, Representatives Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) introduced the Supplemental Security Income Restoration Act in the House, while Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced the bill in the Senate with Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

Want to learn more? Check out this FAQ document on the bill.

The American Rescue Plan Act became law in March 2021, but yet to be determined is the legislation that will emerge from the Biden proposals the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan. There are many discussions as to all the ingredients that will go into making these laws, such as the continued expansion of access to Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS); investment in caregiving workforce; childcare and education from birth through college; integrated employment; and modernization of physical and virtual infrastructures.

Educate your members of Congress! What do HCBS, recovery, and infrastructure mean to you, and why should Congress care? Remember that not everyone on the Hill has the in-depth understanding, knowledge, and lived experience that YOU do regarding the need for expanded HCBS or integrated employment. Share and educate!

Developing the budget occurs in phases. The Congressional Appropriations process is a bit delayed this year, as COVID response consumed most of their time this Spring. On May 28, President Biden formally released a proposed budget, along with this Budget Fact Sheet.

The Biden budget does not include any new health spending, so you can look to the HHS Budget in Brief for a detailed overview of health spending proposals within HHS agencies, including MCHB. The document anticipates $570 billion in mandatory federal Medicaid spending in FY2022, an increase of $49.5 billion. It also includes the $400 billion investment in Medicaid HCBS services included in the President’s American Jobs Act proposal. The budget affirms the Administration’s support for permanently lifting the Medicaid funding caps for the U.S. territories and applying the normal federal match calculation to the territories.

House and Senate appropriators will take this information, as well as those requests submitted by congressional lawmakers, and try to markup bills as early as this week with the goal of passing FY2022 appropriations bills prior to the August recess.

HHS Secretary Becerra’s response to the decision expressed relief for those with disabilities and pre-existing conditions and underscored that health should be a right, not a privilege.

More information is available here. DIAL is available from 9:00 am– 8:00 pm ET Monday through Friday at 888-677-1199.

National Center on Disability in Public Health has launched an initiative to confront vaccine hesitancy in the disability community by facilitating COVID-19 vaccine conversations, identifying barriers to vaccine access, and increasing vaccine confidence.

This Kaiser Family Foundation Data note indicates that while Medicaid and CHIP did see declining enrollment numbers prior to the pandemic, those numbers have now increased and are expected to continue to do so as States emerge from the pandemic. 

The ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center and the Respite Care Association of Wisconsin are seeking input on Proposed Core Competencies for Entry-level Respite Professionals. Access the short survey and provide your comments here by June 28, 2021. 

COVID-19 has taught us difficult lessons about our nation's preparedness and resilience. Now, a new question looms large: how will we handle the next pandemic? The National Homeland Security Consortium has released a robust after-action report, featuring over 90 recommendations for improving our pandemic readiness

Preventing Harm from Automated Decisionmaking Systems in Medicaid by Elizabeth Edwards of National Health Law Program (NHELP)

Wednesday, June 23, 1:00-2:00 pm ET | Register here

Moderator Lisa Waddell, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer of the CDC Foundation, with featured guests Karen Remley, MD, MBA, MPH, FAAP, Director of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities at the CDC, and Nicole Alexander-Scott, MD, MPH, Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, will share insights and answer questions on communicating effectively about children and COVID-19 vaccinations. After you register, you can submit questions in advance.

Thursday, July 1, 2021, 3:00 - 4:30 pm ET | Register here

Vaccine uptake among direct service workers (DSWs) is particularly important for personal health and safety and to the many individuals that DSWs support, due to the high contact, personal nature of home care. However, DSWs experience many barriers to vaccination including culturally competent and accessible information, paid sick leave and/or time off, and transportation.

In this webinar, experts in the field will discuss demographics of the DSW workforce, barriers to vaccination, strategies to increase vaccine confidence and uptake, and promising practices. Panelists Include Cory Nourie, Director of Community Services, Delaware Division of Developmental Disabilities Services, Ramu Iyer, National Alliance of Direct Support Professionals Advisory Council Member, Robert Espinoza, Vice President of Policy, PHI, and Trudy Rebert, Federal Policy Counsel, National Domestic Workers Alliance.

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Family Voices is a national organization and grassroots network of families and friends of children and youth with special health care needs and disabilities that promotes partnership with families--including those of cultural, linguistic and geographic diversity--in order to improve healthcare services and policies for children.