Before we take a look at what is happening on the Hill, let’s pause to celebrate this welcome Fall news: Pfizer will reportedly send their vaccine trial data for children ages 5-11 to the FDA by the end of the month! Here's a collection of articles on Pfizer’s COVID vaccine trials for children ages 5-11.

House committees marked up their portions of the Build Back Better Act last week. Each portion will be combined with those from the other authorizing committees that received reconciliation instructions for a full House vote this week. Simple, right? Maybe not. Recall the timelines in the Washington Update last week--the Infrastructure bill has officially been set for a vote on September 27. Some Democrats will not vote for infrastructure on the 27^th unless they are voting for reconciliation at the same time, whereas others want reconciliation and infrastructure on different timelines. Can they both be done by the 27^th?

How does this affect CYSHCN and families? Many programs for children’s health and well-being could see their size shrink to fit into a framework that is acceptable to enough Democrats to pass. Much is still being figured out. While programs such as home & community-based services, Medicaid continuous eligibility and enrollment, Permanent CHIP, Paid Medical Leave, etc., remain intact now, we can expect to see a number of changes--both in policy, amount, and the procedural rules.

On Sept 9, Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and John Cornyn (R-TX) issued a white paper outlining a framework for redesigning the nation’s mental and behavioral health system. The white paper includes recommendations to address short-term crises, like the mental health impacts of COVID-19 and the rollout of 988 systems, and outlines a national strategy to integrate mental health care into existing delivery and payment systems, strengthen the workforce, and improve how federal funds are allocated. Senators Bennet and Cornyn sent the white paper to the Senate Finance Committee, signaling their interest in working together on mental health legislation. 

On August 13, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its highly anticipated revisions to previous guidance on the resumption of normal Medicaid operations (or “unwinding”) when the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) expires. Key revisions to previous guidance include:

State Health Official (SHO) Letter #21-004 provides guidance on the 100% federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for COVID vaccine administration, temporary FMAP increases for states newly taking up Medicaid expansion, and the 100% FMAP for Medicaid services received through Urban Indian Organizations and Native Hawaiian health care entities. This SHO also includes information on how states can use administrative claiming to fund beneficiary incentives for COVID-19 and flu vaccination.

State Health Official Letter #21-003 provides guidance on mandatory COVID-19 testing coverage in Medicaid and CHIP. It also clarifies that, in light of the impact of the pandemic on schools, states may provide habilitative services to children enrolled in a section 1915(c) and/or 1915(i) program if no local resources are available to provide these services in a remote learning environment. 

In efforts to eliminate waitlists for Waivers, some states may be going too far. The following linked article outlines a recent residency requirement for waivers passed and enacted this summer by Oklahoma legislature. CMS has responded that it violates the Constitution and is impermissible. See Feds Push Back On State's 5-Year Residency Requirement For Medicaid Waivers - Disability Scoop. Similar scrutiny is being applied to waiver applications in additional states as well, such as Tennessee, Texas, and others.

New Research into the Return on Investment of Family Resource Centers: The National Family Support Network and the OMNI Institute have released two new reports detailing the return on investment (ROI) to the child welfare system of Family Resource Centers (FRC). The two reports describe the ROI of a rural FRC in Teller County, Colorado, and an urban FRC in Orange County, California. The reports illustrate significant costs savings to the child welfare system because of FRCs effectiveness at supporting families to be healthy, strong, and less likely to experience child abuse and neglect.

Federal Relief Efforts Protected Millions of Children from Poverty is the focus of this article by Child Trends using recent census data to demonstrate the decrease in child poverty figures. Child Trends dives even deeper into that census data in this article to reveal that the impact for black and Hispanic children was significant.

The Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) makes funding available to states, territories, local governments, and tribes to assist households that are unable to pay rent or utilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, many people with disabilities and older adults who are eligible have not applied, and the aging and disability networks are needed to help to get the word out!

On Thursday, September 30, 2021, 11 am - 12 pm ET, the Administration for Community Living (ACL), in partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Department of Treasury, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, will host a webinar to provide the tools and information you need to help the people you serve to learn more about and apply for Emergency Rental Assistance resources. Register Here.

COVID-19 has spurred Medicaid programs to expand their telehealth policies. It has also encouraged them to examine the effects and impacts of such policies and engaging stakeholders more often than before. Learn about the efforts some Medicaid programs have made in collecting data and working with other groups as they work on solidifying the next steps in their telehealth policy development.

September 24, 2021, 11 am PT / 12 noon MT / 1 pm CT / 2 pm ET Register here.

Consider these ideas, tools, and resources to plan messaging and awareness-raising around National Disability Employment Awareness Month

Not subscribed to the Washington Update? SIGN UP HERE

Thank you for subscribing to the Washington DC Update newsletter. Please feel free to contact the Family Voices Director of Public Policy and Advocacy, Cara Coleman, with any questions. Past issues of the Update appear on the Family Voices website. If you wish to unsubscribe, you can do so via the "Unsubscribe" link below.

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.