June 20, 2007

The Honorable Max Baucus
U.S. Senate
Washington DC 20515

Dear Senator Baucus:

NCIL will be hosting their 25th Anniversary Annual Conference in Washington D.C. July 9th to the 13th. Over 600 individuals with disabilities from across the country will be attending the Conference, and our members will be on the Hill on Tuesday July 10th. We are requesting a meeting with you on for the afternoon of Tuesday July 10th in order to discuss the Community Choice Act of 2007 (S.799), which has been introduced by Senator Tom Harkin.

The National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) is this nation’s oldest cross disability, grassroots organization run by and for people with disabilities. Founded in 1982, NCIL represents over 700 organizations and individuals including: Centers for Independent Living (CILs), Statewide Independent Living Councils (SILCs), individuals with disabilities, and other organizations that advocate for the human and civil rights of people with disabilities throughout the United States.

Although a version of the Community Choice Act has been introduced in the last few sessions of Congress, its prospective passage has been hampered by a brief and inaccurate CBO estimate of the cost contained in a letter to Rep. Newt Gingrich in 1997.

Dr. Mitch LaPlante from the University of California San Francisco is recognized as one of the foremost disability researchers in the country. In his upcoming report, Estimating the Expense of a Mandatory Home and Community Based Personal Assistant Services Benefit Under Medicaid,Dr. LaPlante provides evidence that actual expenditures would be approximately one-tenth of those previously reported by the Congressional Budget Office for implementing the Medicaid Community-Based Attendant Services and Supports Act (MiCASSA), now known as the Community Choice Act. Dr. LaPlante will be attending our conference and will be available to answer any questions you might have about his research.  We would be happy to e-mail you a copy of Dr. LaPlante’s article as well.

We understand Senator Harkin has requested that CBO officially score the bill and we would appreciate any assistance that you can provide to make this happen as soon as possible. In addition, we also believe that it is important for the Senate Finance Committee to hold a hearing on the Community Choice Act in order to maximize our chances of getting it passed during this session.

Personal assistance services are essential for people of all ages with significant disabilities. These services are not always available to individuals at home or in the community, in large part due to a significant bias toward institutions in the Medicaid program. The Community Choice Act keeps families together, is cost effective, gives the ability to gain or maintain employment, provides a more adequate system of care for the upcoming influx of older Americans as well as promotes choice and self-determination.

We look forward to meeting with you on July 10th. We would appreciate it if you could please contact Elizabeth Leef to schedule this requested meeting at 202-207-0334 or Elizabeth@ncil.org. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,                                 

Kelly Buckland                          John A. Lancaster

Update! NCIL successfully met with 8 of the 21 members on the Senate Finance Committee during our 25th Anniverary Annual Conference. The Senate Finance committee will hold a hearing on Long Term Care Sept. 25, 2007.