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AL GORE: FIGHTING FOR AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES
Posted: 30 Jul 2000 19:43:25 -0700
Please reprint and distribute widely.
Justice For All
jfa@jfanow.org
AL GORE: FIGHTING FOR AMERICANS WITH
DISABILITIES
Al Gore and the Administration have worked to increase opportunities for
Americans with disabilities and they have demonstrated to all Americans that
people with disabilities -- given access to the workplace, health care,
community services, and technology -- make significant contributions to our
society and economy. The Administration has signed legislation into law to
prevent people with disabilities from losing their Medicare or Medicaid health
coverage when they go to work. They have also developed a plan to bring more
Americans with disabilities into the federal workforce, and have adopted rules
to make telecommunications equipment and services accessible to people with
disabilities.
CONTENTS
* Gore Cosponsored the Americans With Disabilities Act
* Gore Worked To Expand Special Education
* Gore Fought To Make It Easier For People With Disabilities To Work
* Gore Worked To Establish Presidential Task Force
* Gore Fought For Quality Health Care Coverage
* Gore Worked To Ensure New Assistive Technology Initiatives
* Gore Fought To Expand Housing For People With Disabilities
GORE COSPONSORED THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT
* Gore was an original cosponsor of the Americans With Disabilities Act.
Gore was an original cosponsor of the Americans With Disabilities Act, which
prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities. The ADA
protects people from discriminatory practices in public accommodations (including
colleges and universities), employment, transportation and telecommunications.
GORE WORKED TO EXPAND SPECIAL EDUCATION
* Gore Emphasized the Importance of the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA). Gore proposed an additional $1.5 billion in the first
year on special education, the largest increase ever enacted in the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act to strengthen the federal commitment to help
states and school districts educate children with disabilities while supporting
other initiatives to help all students get the high-quality education they need
and deserve. This budget would provide an important down payment toward the
federal goal of providing 40 percent of the excess costs of educating children
with disabilities.
* Gore Supported More Funding for Special Education. The Administration's
Fiscal Year 2001 budget includes $6.4 billion for Special Education, an increase
of $333 million, to expand on its commitment to improve educational results for
children with disabilities. It also included $290 million for grants to states
to help ensure that students with disabilities get appropriate public education.
* Fighting For More Funding. The Administration's Fiscal Year 2001 Budget
also calls for a $9 million increase for grants to infants and families to
provide intervention services to children with disabilities as early as possible,
$8 million for states to help schools comply with special education law, and $10
million to help schools implement research-based practices to serve children with
disabilities.
GORE FOUGHT TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES TO WORK
* Gore and the Administration Proposed $1,000 Tax Credit for Work Related
Expenses for People with Disabilities. In the Fiscal Year 2001 budget, Gore
and the Administration renewed their proposal for a $1,000 tax credit for work-
related expenses for people with disabilities. This tax credit was proposed
last year but not supported by Congress. The credit would help workers with
significant disabilities cover the formal and informal costs that are associated
with employment, such as specialized transportation and technology. Like the
Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act, it would help ensure that
people with disabilities have the tools they need to return to work by
recognizing the extra costs associated with working.
* Gore and the Administration Proposed Vocational Rehabilitation State
Grants to Improve Employment Outcomes of Individuals with Disabilities. The
Administration's FY 2001 budget includes $2.4 billion, an increase of $60.8
million, to assist State Vocational Rehabilitation agencies in improving the
employment outcomes of individuals with disabilities. A wide range of
services is provided each year to about 1.2 million individuals with
disabilities, and these funds will assist States to address the needs of
this population.
* Gore and the Administration proposed Increasing the Substantial Gainful
Activity Amount. In February 1999, Gore announced a proposal increasing
allowable monthly earnings from $ 500 to $700 a month -- a 40 percent increase --
enabling Americans with disabilities to make the most of their abilities.
* Lobbyist for the Association for Retarded Citizens Welcomes Gore's Proposal.
Martha Ford, lobbyist for the Association for Retarded Citizens (ARC), welcomed
the proposed change. "This is an important step, long awaited, and it will help
a lot of people," she said. "It will make a significant difference for lower-
income workers who are severely disabled and need continued support."
* In July 1999, the Social Security Administration Increased the Monthly
Earnings Guidelines from $500 to $700 Per Month, enabling beneficiaries with
disabilities to earn more without affecting their benefits. These guidelines
are used to determine whether the work activities of a person with impairments,
other than blindness, demonstrate that he or she is able to perform substantial
gainful activity (SGA).
* Gore and the Administration Approved the Workforce Investment Act of 1998.
On August 7, 1998, the Administration signed the Workforce Investment Act (WIA),
which included the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, helping to improve
worker training and placement options for people with disabilities. WIA
establishes better links between the vocational rehabilitation (VR) system and
the general workforce development system. Job seekers with disabilities now
have improved options for service through the mainstream worker training and
placement system, and through the disability-specific VR system. WIA also
strengthens the Rehabilitation Act by giving increased options to individuals
with disabilities in developing VR plans.
* Al and Tipper Gore and the Administration Have Fought for Fairness for
People With Mental Illnesses. In June 1999, the Administration signed an
executive order ensuring that individuals with psychiatric disabilities are
given the same hiring opportunities as persons with significant physical
disabilities or mental retardation. Gore and the Administration called for
parity for mental health and substance abuse coverage in the Federal Employees
Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) by 2001. Also, in 1999, the Administration
held a landmark conference on mental health to raise awareness and break
down barriers for people with mental illness. In addition, the Administration
fought for the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 that took steps to eliminate
disparities between physical and mental illness.
* Gore and the Administration Enacted the Ticket to Work and Work
Incentives Improvement Act. The Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement
Act of 1999 (TWWIIA) is a historic bill the Administration signed into law that
will help provide better health care options for people with disabilities who
work. TWWIIA will improve employment opportunities by: creating new options and
incentives for states to offer a Medicaid buy-in for workers with disabilities;
extending Medicare coverage for an additional 4 ½ years for people on disability
insurance who return to work; creating a $250 million Medicaid buy-in demonstration
to help people whose disabilities have not yet progressed so far that they cannot
work; and enhancing employment-related services for people with disabilities
through the new "Ticket to Work" Program.
* Gore and the Administration Launched an Outreach Campaign to Help Americans
with Disabilities Start Their Own Businesses. Working with the Small Business
Administration, the Administration launched an outreach campaign to provide greater
access to entrepreneurial development programs, financial assistance incentives,
and government contracting opportunities, including the Section 8(a) program, HUB
Zones, and the small disadvantaged business program.
* Directed the Office of Personnel Management to Develop a Plan for Increasing
the Federal Government's Hiring of People With Disabilities. This past May, OPM
unveiled their plan, and federal agencies are currently implementing the plan to
involve more students with disabilities in federal internship programs, give
employees with disabilities options to enhance their leadership skills and
advance their careers, and recruit more people with disabilities at all levels
of the federal workforce.
* Funded a Disability Research Institute. Increased resources will allow the
Social Security Administration to help provide information on Social Security and
Supplemental Security Income disability policy, including ways to assess work
ability and return-to-work strategies.
GORE WORKED TO ESTABLISH PRESIDENTIAL TASK FORCE
* Gore and the Administration Established the Task Force on Employment of
Adults with Disabilities. In March 1998, the Clinton-Gore Administration created
the Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities, charged with creating
a national policy to bring adults with disabilities into gainful employment at
a rate that is as close as possible to that of the general adult population.
Secretary of Labor Alexis M. Herman chairs the Task Force and Tony Coelho,
Chairman of the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities,
serves as Vice Chair. The Task Force has the broad mandate to examine programs
and policies related to employment of adults with disabilities, and to determine
what changes are necessary to remove barriers inhibiting people with disabilities
from achieving economic independence.
* Implemented every Task Force recommendation. Al Gore accepted the Task
Force's first report, Re-charting the Course, in December 1999, and the Clinton-Gore
Administration has taken action on every single one of its formal recommendations.
GORE FOUGHT FOR QUALITY HEALTH CARE COVERAGE
* Gore and the Administration Proposed Extending Medicare Access for People
with Disabilities Who Work. The Administration's FY 2001 budget builds on
achievements enacted in the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act
to ensure that individuals with disabilities have full opportunity to participate
in and contribute to our growing economy. Gore and the Administration have
proposed removing the currents limits on Medicare coverage for people with
disabilities who return to work, giving individuals with disabilities lifetime
access to Medicare.
* Gore is Working to Expand Medicaid for People with Disabilities. Vice
President Gore believes we should strengthen Medicaid by making it easier for
states to expand coverage to home and community-based services. To eliminate
Medicaid's historical bias towards nursing homes, Gore would enable states to
expand their programs to cover community based care as well as nursing home
residents with income up to 300 percent of the Social Security Income (SSI)
limits, without requiring a complicated and frequently time-consuming Federal
waiver.
* Gore Fought for a Strong, Enforceable Patients' Bill of Rights for All
Americans. Al Gore has been an advocate for a Patients' Bill of Rights to
ensure that people insured by HMOs get the health care they need, when they
need it. He has called for granting patients the right to appeal a denial of
treatment to an outside review board, improving access to specialists, and
guaranteeing coverage of emergency room treatment. The Washington Post reported
that "Gore has been an outspoken advocate of the Patients' Bill of Rights."
* Gore and the Administration are Fighting for Long Term Care Needs.
In January, the Administration announced a proposal to invest $28 billion over
10 years to support families with long-term care needs. This proposal would
provide families with long-term care needs with a $3,000 tax credit, establish
a Family Caregivers Program, and improve Medicaid eligibility for home- and
community-based care. The proposal also encouraged partnerships between low-
income housing for the elderly and Medicaid to promote home-based long term
care. Finally, the proposal called on the government to offer high quality
long-term care insurance to federal employees as a model for the private
sector.
GORE WORKED TO ENSURE NEW ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVES
* Gore and the Administration Proposed Increasing Assistive Technology
Initiatives. The Administration's FY 2001 budget includes $100 million
(a $13.5 million increase) for disability and technology research at the
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). NIDRR
will launch a comprehensive technology initiative which includes: $5 million
for an Educational Technology Initiative; $3.4 million for a multi-pronged
Employment initiative; and $5.1 million for a Community Independence initiative
The Administration's request also includes $15 million to support grants that
establish or maintain alternative loan financing programs. Most people with
disabilities do not have the private financial resources to purchase the
assistive technology they need.
* The Administration Signed the Assistive Technology Act to Help Low-Income
Individuals with Disabilities. Technology is a crucial component in enabling
people with disabilities to obtain and keep meaningful employment. With the
support of the Administration, Congress passed the Assistive Technology Act
of 1998, which reauthorizes the "Tech Act" that created State Assistive
Technology Centers to provide assistive devices to low-income individuals with
disabilities.
GORE FOUGHT TO EXPAND HOUSING FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
* Gore and the Administration Have Worked to Increase Housing Options for
Americans with Disabilities. The Administration has worked hard to increase
housing options for people with disabilities. In 1998, the Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued a statement supporting the view
that institutional living does not constitute real housing for people with
disabilities. On April 28, 1998, Fannie Mae published "A Home of Your Own
Guide," the first manual providing step-by-step home buying guidance for people
with disabilities. In February, HUD Secretary Cuomo issued a directive
encouraging communities to use community development block grant funds for
home modifications for people with disabilities. HUD also included bonus
points for developers who build structures that include "visitability" by
people with disabilities.
* Increasing Section 8 Funding. The Administration supported the inclusion
of $40 million in Section 8 funding for people with disabilities. This funding
was designed to help accommodate displacement which could occur as a result of
"elderly-only" designation of public housing formerly occupied by people with
disabilities.
* Helping Renters Buy Their First Home. The Administration created a
homeownership voucher program in 1999 that will allow as many as 50,000 families
to use their Section 8 rental assistance vouchers to become first-time
homebuyers. Under the new program, the same HUD funds helping pay a
family's rent will instead be used for the family's monthly mortgage payments.
Read the Press Release:
http://www.algore2000.com/briefingroom/releases/pr_0725_nat_2.html
Read the Policy Brief:
http://www.algore2000.com/awdfg/policy_brief.html
Read Al Gore's Record:
http://www.algore2000.com/agenda/americans_with_disabilities.html
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