Take Action Today to Save MFP!

The Money Follows the Person program (MFP) officially expired in 2016, and the EMPOWER Care Act (S. 2227 and H.R. 5306) has been introduced to reauthorize the program. MFP and the EMPOWER Care Act will be a focus of two events in D.C. this week, so we must use this opportunity to take action! While we know how vital MFP is, we need to make sure our Members of Congress hear from their constituents about the importance of MFP and community living.

Today at 10:00 a.m. the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Health began a hearing to consider five bills including the EMPOWER Care Act. Then on Thursday, the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities LTSS Task Force, the Disability and Aging Collaborative, and the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations with Representatives Brett Guthrie (KY) and Debbie Dingell (MI) are hosting a policy briefing on MFP! People with disabilities and other experts will be testifying on the importance of the MFP program, including Mike Oxford, past NCIL Board President, current NCIL member, and Executive Director of the Topeka Independent Living Resource Center in Kansas! Find more information on the Facebook event page.

With all this activity going on, it’s crucial that our members of Congress hear from us!

Take Action

Call your Members of Congress!

• Educate your Members: Share with them how MFP has helped free you or people you know from institutions, and how reauthorizing MFP is needed to help disabled people still stuck in institutions.
• Encourage them to attend Thursday’s briefing: Tell your Members and their staff to attend the briefing to hear from people with disabilities and other experts on the MFP program! The hearing is at 3:00 p.m. in 2103 Rayburn, and it is entitled “Helping Seniors and People with Disabilities Get Back Home.”
• Teach them about the EMPOWER Care Act: Tell them how important MFP is and urge them to cosponsor the bill (S. 2227 in the Senate and H.R. 5306 in the House) if they don’t already.
• How to contact: All members of Congress can be reached by calling the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or (202) 224-3091 (TTY). You can also find your Members’ Twitter handles and other contact information on Contacting Congress. (If you post on social media, use the handle #FundMFP).

Continue sharing your stories!

• Share with us: See our previous alert for more details about the stories we’re looking for, and share them with us for our advocacy efforts in DC.
• Share with the press: Arrange press interviews highlighting the stories of folks who were able to move home because of MFP, or individuals who are stuck in institutions and would benefit from MFP’s reauthorization. Sharing our stories is the key to gaining the support of members of Congress AND the public. If you successfully get the press to cover MFP, please send a link of the coverage to [email protected].