September 2025

Welcome to

AJE's Health Justice Project Newsletter!

August was a busy and exciting month for Team AJE! We kicked off the school year by distributing our First Day Packets at back-to-school events across the District, filled with wellness products, advocacy tools, sensory supports, and health checklists designed to help families of children and youth with disabilities and special healthcare needs (CYSHCN) start the school year with confidence. Distribution will continue throughout September at different community events. These packets reflect AJE’s commitment to supporting families in navigating the physical, emotional, and academic transitions of a new school year.

As families settle into routines, it’s important to remember that preparation goes beyond school supplies - our children’s mental health, healthcare needs, and classroom supports matter, too. Don’t hesitate to speak up if your child requires accommodations, needs an evaluation for an IEP or 504 Plan, or requires healthcare considerations to succeed this year. Advocates for Justice and Education is here to support you every step of the way.

We also want to bring your attention to major changes to the DC Medicaid Alliance program that could affect many mixed-status DC families’ access to healthcare. Please take a moment to review the details here: Alliance Program Changes. In the coming months, AJE will work collaboratively with other community-based organizations via the Save Alliance DC Coalition to provide support to individuals and families who may be directly impacted by this issue, so stay tuned.

About the Health Justice Project

The Health Justice Project works so that DC’s CYSHCN and their families have the tools, rights, and support to live healthy, self-determined lives. We’re here to help families, especially in underrepresented communities, learn how to:

• Partner effectively with doctors and healthcare providers

• Understand their healthcare rights

• Secure support for their children in schools and communities



• Raise their voices for needed changes in healthcare systems

Community Resource of the Month

Transitions are hard, and this year, DC families face even greater anxieties as the new school year begins under the shadow of federal intervention. With the National Guard deployed to the city and heightened immigration enforcement near schools, many families carry not just the usual back-to-school stress, but deep fears about safety and stability. These health checklists serve as a comprehensive guide to help you understand our school policies, daily routines, and expectations. We encourage you to read through this handbook carefully, as it will provide valuable information on how we can work together to ensure a positive and enriching experience for your child.

Community Health Advisory Panelist Spotlight

Each month, we highlight a member of the Community Health Advisory Panel (CHAP), honoring their contributions to strengthening DC’s systems of care for children and youth with disabilities and special healthcare needs (CYSHCN) and their families.

This month, we are proud to feature Veronica Mosqueda. Veronica is a Mexican immigrant, death worker and founder of Conscious Dying / Muerte Consciente, and community organizer with over a decade of experience in housing justice, migrant justice, and criminal legal system reform work in Texas and D.C. Her work is grounded in a praxis of healing and core values of racial and economic justice, language justice, and building power in low-income, working class, BIPOC, immigrant communities. She’s also the co-founder of Seeding Stories / Sembrando Historias—a collaborative that supports individuals, collectives & organizations in creating the structures for collective power building through narrative work, skill building, facilitation, and strategic planning support.

Parent Ambassadors Program Updates

The Parent Ambassadors Program promotes leadership development for veteran family leaders who have experience navigating the DC systems of care for children and youth with disabilities and special healthcare needs. Our primary goal of the Project is to improve education and healthcare outcomes for children and youth through parent-led advocacy efforts in collaboration with key stakeholders in the DC systems of care and policy decision-makers. Each month, we will share updates of the three leadership tracks of the Parent Ambassador Program, which include: Parent Cafe Leaders, Community Health Leaders, and School-Based Leaders.

New Federal Medicaid Work Requirements

If you’re between the ages of 19 and 64 and get Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) expansion or a waiver program, you may now need to meet certain work or activity requirements to keep your coverage. Under this new law, starting no later than December 31, 2026, people will have to show that they are working, going to school, in job training, or doing community service for at least 80 hours per month to stay eligible for Medicaid. This applies to people in the Medicaid expansion group—those whose income falls between the traditional Medicaid income limit and up to 138% of the Federal Poverty Level (Center for Health Care Strategies, 2025). 

To read the blog piece, click here.

About AJE:



Advocates for Justice and Education is the federally designated Parent Training and Information Center and the Health Information Center for DC. AJE seeks to empower families, youth, and the community to be effective advocates to ensure that children and youth, particularly those who have special needs, receive access to appropriate education and health services.

Our passion is empowering families by equipping parents and students with disabilities with the tools they need to be their own advocates.

Have questions? We are here to educate, advocate and empower. Contact us today!