Eliminate Waiting Lists for People with Disabilities

Dear Sen. Mitt Romney, Sen. Mike Lee, Rep. Burgess Owens, Rep. John Curtis, Rep. Blake Moore, and Rep. Chris Stewart,

An email was send out to Utah residents by the Division of Services for People with Disabilities earlier this month, that said NO NEW STATE FUNDING was allocated this year to help people get off of the wait-list for the Medicaid Waiver. Last year, the same thing happened because of the pandemic. This is devastating because almost 5,000 disabled Utahns are on this list and in desperate need of services. It is a huge blow to the Autism Community because many of us have been on the wait-list for 5+ years. Early intervention for the Autism Community will save our state money in the long run. Our kids are missing milestones while neglected parents try to "figure it out" all alone. This is counterproductive and we need a change now. This will also create thousands of jobs in Utah!

The HCBS Access Act will address the Autism Community's biggest issue head on. But, we are in desperate need of adequate services for all disabled people in Utah. To those of us on the waiting list, we know that this neglecting people with disabilities is Utah's biggest shame. Not meeting the needs of people with disabilities seems to go against the core values of the majority of Utah citizens.

According to an article titled "Waiting Lists May Be Eliminated For Disability Services Provided By Medicaid" in Disability Scoop, "A draft bill unveiled this month known as the HCBS Access Act would require Medicaid to provide home- and community-based services to EVERYONE who is eligible and establish a minimum set of services that states must offer. The bill is also designed to help states create a network of providers and workers to deliver such supports."

WE NEED THIS! The decision earlier this year to put zero funds toward getting disabled people off of the waiting list has broken the hearts of your constituents and we need you to step up to the plate and bring this bill home. We deserve to live our best lives and we need your help to do that.

Disabilities are non-partisan and this bill should be, too. Please join U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., along with Sens. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio in drafting and voting for this bill. We are counting on you!

Sincerely,
Utah Citizens Advocating for Autism

*Rep. Chris Stewart is not going to be sent this petition since his email address is not available to the public. To send him your thoughts and feelings, contact him through his website at https://stewart.house.gov/contact/