On March 27, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a restructuring plan that would eliminate the Administration for Community Living (ACL). Eliminating ACL will likely disrupt critical services that support the health and independence of our seniors and people with disabilities.
In Michigan, our 15 Centers for Independent Living are vital to those with disabilities, coordinating critical services like in-home care and medication management. The restructuring could also jeopardize programs that serve individuals with developmental disabilities, including Developmental Disability Councils, University Centers on Developmental Disabilities, Protection and Advocacy networks, and State Independent Living Councils.
These programs empower individuals to lead more independent lives and contribute to their communities by supporting competitive, integrated employment and community living. This results in reducing the need for costly institutional care and prevents unnecessary emergency room visits.
We all want government-funded programs like Social Security, Medicaid, and SNAP to be efficient and effective. However, the proposed restructuring could dismantle important services that people with disabilities and older Americans rely on in their daily lives.
MiDDC believes Congress and all elected leaders should reconsider the restructuring plan and work on solutions that strengthen these programs while protecting taxpayers.
If you are interested, please share your thoughts with your elected officials. Use your lived experience and your personal story to let your lawmakers know how this change would affect your life.
Use your lived experience (personal stories, firsthand experiences) to tell your elected officials why the Administration for Community Living (ACL) is important in your life. Here are some examples that may help you write a message to your lawmakers:
- Programs like the Michigan Developmental Disabilities Council empower individuals to lead more independent lives and contribute to their communities.
- The proposed elimination of ACL could dismantle important services that people with disabilities and older Americans rely on in their daily lives.
- ACL has consistently demonstrated that it is both effective and efficient in supporting older adults and people with disabilities. Dismantling or disrupting this structure would undermine more than a decade of progress for older Americans and people with disabilities who want to live and thrive in their own homes and communities.
- ACL keeps families together, fosters independence, strives to increase integrated employment opportunities with competitive wages for people with disabilities, and encourages economic independence and prosperity for individuals and communities.
- Medicaid provides essential healthcare, covering doctor visits, prescription medications, and hospital care.
- Medicaid also provides supported employment services, which help people obtain individual competitive, integrated employment in the community.
- In Michigan, our 15 Centers for Independent Living are vital to those with disabilities, coordinating critical services like in-home care and medication management.
- Over the past 13 years, we have seen a reduction in institutionalization and greater awareness of the importance of aging in place and living in the community because of ACL’s tireless efforts.
The above are examples, but please use your own experiences to share why ACL is important to you and your loved ones!