Many seniors and younger people with disabilities are forced into poverty or unnecessary institutional care because they lack coverage for long term services and supports that would enable them to remain in their homes. They often can only access coverage for services critical to their independence through the federal/state Medicaid program. Because the Medicaid program is for low income people, in order to qualify, people must "spend down" their income and assets. With their functional impairments, few people with disabilities will overcome this impoverishment.
The time has come for a national program that will provide funding for these long term services and supports - such as housing modifications, assistive technologies, transportation, respite care, and personal assistance services - in a fiscally responsible manner that promotes independence, choice and family unification.
The Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act (S. 1758 ; H.R. 3001) was introduced by Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and by Representative Frank Pallone (D-NJ) on July 11. Later that month, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held a hearing on the community living services and supports. There has been no Congressional action on the bills since then.
It is time to build support for the CLASS Act by adding co-sponsors to the Senate and House bills. There is only a fairly small window of time to get the CLASS Act passed into law. Congress will return from its recess after Labor Day to face a busy schedule of appropriations bills to pass in the fall. A few months later, Congress will begin to turn its attention to the 2008 elections.
As of today, we only have three cosponsors each for the House and Senate bills and all are Democrats. We must enlist bipartisan support and significantly increase the overall number of cosponsors if we hope to see the CLASS Act pass.
