It is now urgent for the Division of Insurance (DOI) and the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) to act to protect CCA’s members. In recent weeks, we wrote to and met with the Attorney General’s Office urging its team to proactively protect the interests of CCA’s members as rumors circulated about an acquisition of CCA. Now that we have heard that no acquisition of CCA is imminent, that its financial position may be unsound, and that its members are at increasing risk, we believe the DOI must pursue, by and through the AGO, a temporary receivership of CCA pursuant to Chapter 176G, Section 20 and Chapter 175, Section 180B of the Massachusetts General Laws.  

With news that Commonwealth Care Alliance (CCA), a health plan serving thousands with the most significant health care needs, faces major financial hurdles, the Disability Policy Consortium (DPC) has called on the state to place CCA into temporary receivership. DPC, a leading statewide disability rights and advocacy organization, believes a temporary receivership is urgently needed to ensure that CCA’s unique person-centered, member-directed model of care remains available to the disability community, now and in the future.

Every legislative session, we pick a handful of priorities to advocate for in the budget and legislative process, based on what we hear is important to our community and where we know we can make an impact. 

This bill prohibits the use of physical pain to change the behavior of a person with a physical, intellectual, or developmental disability. It also prohibits programs treating persons with disabilities from denying them reasonable sleep, food, shelter, bathroom access, and other human needs.

Hearing aids not only help people hear better, but they decrease isolation, a proven issue in prevention of dementia. Prescription hearing aids can cost around $10,000. Most health insurance does not cover any portion of the cost. If they do cover any portion, it is only a couple thousand dollars at most. Over the counter hearing aids cost between $300 -$500 from major drugstore chains, and are not covered by insurance at all.

These bills are all working towards the same goal: to allow spouses to be authorized to serve as paid caregivers in the MassHealth program for the provision of certain home-based care and services. Other relatives are already permitted to serve as paid caregivers. 

Wheelchairs and scooters are often prone to defects and sudden failure. It is common for consumers to be left stranded or isolated in their homes for weeks, or even months, awaiting repairs. By strengthening warranty protections for Massachusetts residents with disabilities and accountability for wheelchair providers, we can level the playing field for consumers, shorten repair wait times, save taxpayer money, and ensure that we are all treated with dignity and respect.

AHVP provides rental assistance for low-income adults with disabilities age 60 and under. This bill would make AHVP easier to use, administer, and issue. It would do this by separating AHVP’s regulations from those used for Public Housing, making it more similar to other state issued voucher programs.

People with disabilities are more than twice as likely to be homeless than their nondisabled peers. The Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP) provides mobile housing vouchers to low-income individuals with disabilities between the ages of 18 and 60.

The Mass Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing provides vital access services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities. Increased funding can create recruitment, training and mentorship opportunities for ASL interpreters and CART transcriptionists, addressing the severe shortage of these professionals in Massachusetts.  

It can be especially difficult for people with disabilities to find homes that meet their access needs. The Accessible Affordable Housing Grants (AAHG) offers developers and landlords grants to create or rehabilitate physically accessible housing that prioritizes AHVP recipients. This program has funded projects across the state since its inception a few years ago. The Governor’s budget eliminated this program. 

People with disabilities are frequently the victims of explicit and implicit bias in the healthcare system–all based on the presumption that the lives of disabled people have less worth than the lives of nondisabled people. This can have harmful and deadly consequences. Some disabled patients have been denied treatments, medications, and even removed from life support, while others have been pressured to sign do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders.  HD.2485/SD.1130 protects people with disabilities from life-threatening discrimination in our healthcare system

According to Sandy Novack, the Vice President of the DPC Board of Directors, not many people with disabilities show up in history books. DPC wants to change that by documenting as much as possible the lives of people with disabilities in Massachusetts so that future generations will have role models, not feel as isolated with their disabilities as many feel now, and learn how others have or have not handled life's challenges. People with disabilities and able-bodied people can get exposure to the variety of disabilities people can have, and all the ways that people with disabilities have lived that have not been documented.

Last week, Governor Healey released her version of the state budget. This kicks off a 5-month (or longer) budgeting process which happens every year. The House and the Senate will make significant changes before it returns to her. The Governor’s budget helps advocates see where we need to focus our energy in the coming months.

We are thrilled to announce the second annual iteration of this vital initiative. This year’s Summit will be held September 23-25, 2024—and we need your support.

Boston College and its School of Theology and Ministry will be the host for the 2024 Institute on Theology and Disability this June.

Cities and town governments are responsible for planning and responding to a disaster. Individuals should also prepare themselves, their families, and their caregivers. We offer guidance on what to think about, record, and practice to complete your emergency preparedness plan.

People with disabilities are more than twice as likely to be homeless as their nondisabled peers. Together, AHVP and AAHG help solve the urgent issue of homelessness and institutionalization in the disability community by creating more accessible homes and helping people pay for them.

This bill establishes the legal framework for Supported Decision-Making in Massachusetts, an alternative to guardianship in which adults can choose a group of trusted supporters to assist them with making and communicating decisions.

This bill builds more accessible and affordable homes by improving the Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP) and allowing project-basing of AHVP vouchers.