Clancy & Associates, LTD.
  • Home
  • Practice Areas
    • Special Needs Planning & Trusts
    • Transition Planning
    • IEP / Education
    • Guardianship >
      • Adults with Special Needs
    • SSI Applications
    • Estate Planning
    • Resources
  • Our Team
    • Katie M. Clancy
    • Alexandra Baig
    • Elizabeth Dean
    • Robyn McCord
    • Jennifer A. Sabourin
    • Kate Devine Schye
    • What is a Special Needs Planning Attorney?
  • Events
  • Testimonials
  • Learning Library
  • Contact Us
    • E-Newsletter Sign Up
Learning Library
Sign up for our e-newsletter

$2 Trillion Stimulus Bill Gets Mixed Reviews from Disability Advocates

4/9/2020

0 Comments

 
Despite being more than 500 pages long, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act contains little relief specifically targeted to support people with disabilities, disability advocates assert. And one provision in the bill could actually jeopardize the rights of special education students during the pandemic.  

“This is an unprecedented crisis for everyone, and everyone includes people with disabilities and their families,” Peter Berns, CEO of The Arc, said in a statement. “While this bill does provide some important support in this pandemic, there are huge risks facing people with disabilities, their families, and the direct support professional workforce that were largely ignored in this response.”

On the plus side, the $2.2 trillion stimulus bill entitles most low- to moderate-income people to a one-time $1,200 stimulus payment, including Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients (although SSI recipients may have difficulty getting their checks). Unemployment insurance has also been expanded significantly and businesses will be eligible to apply for loans incentivizing them to avoid firing workers.

However, despite extensive advocacy from disability rights groups, the bill includes no new money for Medicaid-funded home and community based services. These programs are critical to keep the elderly and disabled from having to enter institutions like nursing homes, which continue to be a primary source of COVID-19 outbreaks.

Disability advocates, however, did receive a key temporary victory with a funding extension through November for the Money Follows the Person program, the federal government’s largest grant program for helping states transfer people with disabilities from institutions into independent living arrangements.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has also received $12 billion in funding that could potentially assist people with disabilities, many of whom live in units subsidized by HUD, such as Section 8 housing. Landlords participating in these  programs were ordered to suspend evictions.

The special education community has particular concerns as well. Under the bill, Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has 30 days to submit recommendations to Congress to waive certain requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) during the COVID-19 pandemic. This law, passed in 1975, affords nearly seven million students the right to individualized instruction and other support services.  With schools shifting instruction online during the pandemic, DeVos could relieve school districts of their obligation to meet the special education needs of students with disabilities. However, unlike the case with earlier versions of the bill, DeVos would need to obtain congressional approval before issuing any such waivers, which would be unprecedented in the IDEA’s 45-year history.
​
Click here to read the full bill.
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Newsletter
    ​
    September 2021 
    August 2021

    Resources

    March 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    July 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    June 2018
    February 2018

    Categories

    All
    ABLE Accounts
    COVID 19
    COVID-19
    Earned Income Tax Credit
    Letter Of Intent
    Medicaid
    Retirement Planning
    Social Security Disability Benefits
    Social Security Disability Insurance
    Special Needs Planning
    Special Needs Travel
    Special Needs Trust
    Special Needs Trustee
    Supplemental Security Income

Home
Special Needs Planning

IEP / Education
Guardianship 
Testimonials
Contact
Licensed in Illinois
Picture
901 Warrenville Road, Ste. 201
Lisle, Illinois 60532 
​773-929-9000  
Academy of Special Needs Planners
Copyright ©  Clancy & Associates, Ltd.
​All rights reserved.   |   Legal Disclaimer​
​This web site is designed for information only. 
The information presented at this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer/client relationship.
  • Home
  • Practice Areas
    • Special Needs Planning & Trusts
    • Transition Planning
    • IEP / Education
    • Guardianship >
      • Adults with Special Needs
    • SSI Applications
    • Estate Planning
    • Resources
  • Our Team
    • Katie M. Clancy
    • Alexandra Baig
    • Elizabeth Dean
    • Robyn McCord
    • Jennifer A. Sabourin
    • Kate Devine Schye
    • What is a Special Needs Planning Attorney?
  • Events
  • Testimonials
  • Learning Library
  • Contact Us
    • E-Newsletter Sign Up