State Budget Update: The NC Senate passed SB 105, their version of the state budget bill, on Friday, June 25. This year’s budget contains a mix of state appropriations and allocations of federal funding that has come to North Carolina through several “recovery act” bills. The NC House is expected to release their budget bill sometime in mid-July. The House and Senate will have to reconcile differences between their budget bills though the conference committee report before sending the final budget to the…
June 9: Legislative Day of Action for Direct Support Wages
ASNC and a coalition of groups across IDD, aging, and home and community-based health services will be rallying at the General Assembly on June 9 in support of increased wages for direct support workers. Legislators have heard our decade of advocacy for increased access to services, and we expect to see more waiver slots in the upcoming budget. Access to waivers must go…
Public Policy Update
Listen to our latest podcast about these policy developments. Federal Actions American Rescue Act: Congress passed an additional COVID and economic relief bill – the American Rescue Plan (ARP) – in early March. The legislation includes a number of items meant to address ongoing problems related to the pandemic including $1,400 stimulus checks for many Americans (including dependents and individuals with disabilities); an extension of unemployment benefits; additional funding…
Update on Medicaid Transformation: What You Need to Know
The NC Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is in the process of implementing Medicaid transformation in North Carolina. In this process, Medicaid recipients will have their health services transitioned from a fee-for-service model to managed care, which allows for physical and behavioral health services to be administered in one plan. Our state’s plan…
Public Policy Update
Federal Actions American Rescue Plan Act: Congress continues to debate the contents of the next round of Federal economic and pandemic related relief. The US House passed the American Relief Act on February 27 and the Senate Passed its version of the bill over the weekend of March 6-7. The legislation includes $1,400 checks for many Americans (including dependents and individuals with disabilities), an extension of unemployment…
Setting the Record Straight: Medicaid Waivers, Medicaid Expansion, Medicaid Transformation
Note: The following is a primer on several issues happening at the same time in our Medicaid system. For background information on Medicaid as a whole, and how Medicaid works in North Carolina, please refer to the “Medicaid Basics” information at the end of this post, content re-published from our public policy papers available on…
Public Policy Update – State and Federal News
Below is the Autism Society of North Carolina’s weekly update on policy changes and legislation related to local, state, and federal COVID-19 emergency orders. This post covers July 31 – August 20. Congressional Update Since our last update, Congress has not passed any new legislation regarding COVID-19 and/or economic relief. A compromise is needed between…
Public Policy Update
Below is the Autism Society of North Carolina’s weekly update on policy changes and legislation related to local, state, and federal COVID-19 emergency orders. This post covers July 15 to July 30. Congressional Update – NEW! The US Senate has announced their new package of COVID-19 and economic relief, the HEALS Act. The Senate began negotiations with the US House…
Public Policy Update
Below is information about recent activity at the state and federal levels, including COVID-19 updates. Schools to Reopen On Tuesday, July 14, the Governor announced that schools would be allowed to open under “Plan B” which allows students to return to classrooms, while maintaining social distancing and other measures to avoid the spread of COVID-19….