President Joe Biden recently announced a $2 trillion infrastructure plan with a goal of rebuilding the infrastructure of the country, mainly the roads and bridges of the nation that would be a job creator, but that is not the only funding in the plan. Biden’s plan also calls for $400 million for in-home and community-based services for people with disabilities.
According to a recent story from disability scoop the infrastructure plan known as The American Jobs Plan would provide for $400 million to expand access to Medicaid programs and would also include new employment opportunities for disabled individuals. The funding is needed due to a long waiting list of people who are disabled and can’t access these programs yet. Below is a more in-depth description of the program from disability scoop.
The push to enhance offerings for individuals with disabilities is part of a sweeping proposal to modernize America’s infrastructure and put more people to work. In addition to projects focused on improving transportation and repairing schools and federal facilities, Biden is arguing that the nation must also invest in the caregiving system in this country.
The White House pointed to research suggesting that increasing pay for direct care staff leads to better quality care, greater productivity, fewer health violations and helps prevent deaths.
The focus on caregivers and improving access to home- and community-based services makes good on promises Biden made during his campaign for the White House last year. And, the plan’s rollout comes just weeks after a group of federal lawmakers issued a draft proposal for a bill known as the HCBS Access Act that’s designed to eliminate waiting lists for home- and community-based services, strengthen the network of providers and bring other changes to the nation’s disability services system.
Beyond services for people with disabilities, Biden’s American Jobs Plan would also expand access to competitive, integrated employment for people with disabilities and bar employers from paying people with disabilities what’s known as sub-minimum wage — pay that’s less than the federal minimum — the White House said.
The Arc, a disability nonprofit that has long advocated for better access to home- and community-based services, said it was “encouraged” by Biden’s plan to improve access to services and supports provided by Medicaid.
Peter Berns, the group’s CEO, said he was “pleased to see the value of people with disabilities, family caregivers and direct support professionals recognized and upheld in the administration’s bold American Jobs Plan.”
The president’s American Jobs Plan is far from a done deal as it has already received objections from most Republicans. It seems like this plan may be forced in the same direction of the stimulus bill that was passed earlier this year without any Republican support. The funding for disability programs would be a much needed benefit for some disabled individuals who have found it difficult to access programs that are underfunded or where there are long wait times before an individual can be eligible for a program.
