ACTION ALERT!
February 25, 2010
Dear NASHIA Member,
NASHIA is again sponsoring and participating in the Brain Injury Awareness Day events sponsored by the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force on Wednesday, March 17th, 2010, in Washington, D.C. We hope you will be able to participate in these events and take this opportunity to meet with your Congressional delegation to discuss pertinent TBI issues and funding. Please be sure to let your delegation know that you are coming to Washington, D.C. ahead of time and invite them to the Brain Injury Awareness Day events. The schedule for the day is provided further in this Action Alert.
Sincemany of the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) state affiliates will also be attending, you may want to coordinate your visits with them or others who may be attending from your State. In addition to the schedule below, this notice provides tips on how to make arrangements for office visits. If you are unable to attend, you may use this opportunity to e-mail your delegation from home making them aware of these issues and the Awareness Day activities.
As NASHIA is contributing money towards this event, members are encouraged to donate in order to be able to do so. This is our one time that we are visible on the Hill along with other Federal and national TBI agencies and organizations. If you wish to contribute, and have not done so, please send your check to NASHIA, PO Box 346, Buckeystown, MD 21717. You may e-mail William A..B. Ditto, Public Policy Committee Chair, if you have any questions ().
Meanwhile, materials have been posted on NASHIA's website with regard to recommendations for FY 2011 appropriations for the Federal TBI Act programs and the NASHIA Public Policy Brochure, Second Session, which provides an overview of NASHIA's Public Policy Priorities. NASHIA will also have materials available for you to use during your visits. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Susan Vaughn, Director of Public Policy at or phone 573-636-6946.
Congressional Brain Injury Awareness Day Schedule
10:00 am -- 1:00 pm
Brain Injury Awareness Fair
Rayburn House Office Building First Floor Foyer
2:30 -- 4:00 pm
Brain Injury Briefing
"From the Playground to the Pros: A Heads-Up on Concussion"
Capitol Visitors Center - Congressional Meeting Room South
5:30 -- 7:30 pm
Reception Celebrating Brain Injury Awareness Month
Rayburn House Office Building First Floor Foyer
Sponsors
CarePath, Inc.
St. Joseph's Healthcare System
National Association of State Head Injury Administrators
National Disability Rights Network
Congressional Visits
If you plan to be in Washington, D..C., we encourage you to meet with your Representatives and Senators. If you do not know who your representative is or who your senators are, you may find that information on the House/Senate websites: www.house.gov, type in your zip code, which will link you to your representative for information on his/her office address, phone number and e-mail; go to www.senate.gov for similar information.
You may also call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask for the Member's office. Then, ask to set up a meeting with the staff who handles appropriations or health care or disability issues.Be sure to let them know you are a constituent. And, invite them to the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force Awareness events.
To see if your representative or senator is a member of the House Appropriations/Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor-HHS-Ed see the list of members by State at the end of the e-mail. It is especially important to communicate with these members.
You should schedule appointments 60-90 minutes apart so that you have time to get from one office building to another. A map of the key House and Senate buildings can be found at:
http://www.aoc.gov/cc/cc_map.cfm. Leave plenty of time for security lines and to eat or rest between visits. Remember, too, that Congressional staff may run behind in their appointments.
Coordinate with your state BIA and other advocates
Since there may be other people from your State planning to attend Awareness Day activities, it is advisable to coordinate with your state Brain Injury Association and any others attending to let them know you've scheduled congressional visits and to coordinate your message accordingly.
Prepare for the appointment
Members of Congress and their staff are very busy. It is important for advocates to tell their story quickly and to make specific requests for improvements in treatment, research and other services for both civilian and military populations. You may use NASHIA materials, and you may want to include materials specific to your State with regard to State brain injury services, Federal grants that you may administer and your State priorities to leave with staff. You may also want to leave a business card or contact(s) on State programs to help them with constituency issues. NASHIA materials may be downloaded from the NASHIA website (www.nashia.org) and/or stop by the NASHIA exhibit at the Fair to pick up materials.
Also, Sarah D'Orsie, Director of Government Relations, BIAA, and Susan Vaughn are making arrangements to have a separate room that day for purposes of updating advocates or answering any questions individuals may have.
Follow-up after the visit
Once you are back home, please be sure to send a thank-you note to each person/office you visited. Also please let Susan Vaughn or Jean Berube, Governmental Relations for NASHIA, at know what was discussed and if follow-up information was requested. Both Susan and Jean will be available that day to help with any questions you may have or any information you may have learned from your visit.
Can't Make It?
If you can not attend, you may use this opportunity to contact your delegation from home to tell them about Brain Injury Awareness Day activities and issues of concern to you. You can send an email or fax containing some of the talking points listed below. The most effective way is to call them directly. You may call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask for the Member's office. Then, ask to speak to the staff who handles appropriations or health care or disability issues.
Talking Points
NASHIA and TBI stakeholder organizations are requesting an additional $2 million for the HRSA Federal TBI Program -- split between the State Grant Program & P&A Grant Program -- a total of $12 million for the program. This would fund four additional States. Currently, less than half of the States are receiving $250,000 grants. Additional funding is being requested for CDC TBI programs for a total of $10 million, and an additional TBI Model System is requested in the NIDRR budget(Department of Education).
· The TBI Act is the only Federal program focused on issues faced by individuals with traumatic brain injury and their families; and is the only Federal program assisting States to address these unique and complex service needs.
· Increased funding is needed for the HRSA Federal TBI Grant Program to increase the number of States receiving grants. Currently, less that half of the States are receiving grants under the new policy of $250,000 a year for four years. If your State is not one of them, please be sure to tell them and tell how increased funding would improve your State's opportunity for improving access to services.
· The 2006 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report noted the strength of the HRSA Federal TBI Program is enabling States to leverage other funding resources, as well as to maximize resources across State systems to better serve and coordinate services.
· The HRSA Federal TBI Grant Program affords people with TBI protection and advocacy (P&A) services to help them to access services, make sure their legal and human rights are protected, and to make sure they are free from abuse and neglect.
· The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as the result of the funding, obtains much needed data on incidence and prevalence of traumatic brain injury to help States and the Federal government plan for services and develop prevention strategies. This funding supports public education and prevention efforts, and additional funding will help improve the delivery of acute care through adoption of guidelines for the management of care.
· While much work has been done in developing service delivery (cite examples that are pertinent in your State), there are still gaps in service delivery that present hardships on individuals with TBI and the family that make it difficult for individuals to live and work in the community without supports (cite specific gaps in your State and how that impacts the lives of individuals and their families).
· TBI is also becoming the signature wound of the Iraq War as a growing number of soldiers are suffering from blast injuries. Initially, brain injuries may go undiagnosed when there are other physical combat injuries present only to be discovered later.
· State budgets are in peril, and impending cuts will impact services for individuals with TBI and their families.
House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on
Labor, HHS, Education and Related Agencies
Alabama
Rep. Jo Bonner (R-AL)
California
Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA),Ex Officio
Rep. Michael Honda (D-CA)
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA)
Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA)
Connecticut
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
Illinois
Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL)
Kansas
Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-KS), Ranking Member
Louisiana
Rodney Alexander (R-LA)
Minnesota
Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN)
Montana
Rep. Dennis Rehberg (R-MT)
New York
Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY)
Ohio
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH)
Oklahoma
Tom Cole (OK)
Rhode Island
Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI)
Virginia
Rep. James Moran (D-VA)
Wisconsin
Rep. David R. Obey (D-WI), Chairman
Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on
Labor, HHS, Education and Related Agencies
Alabama
Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL)
Arkansas
Mark Pryor
Hawaii
Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
Illinois
Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Iowa
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman
Louisiana
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
Mississippi
Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS)
New Hampshire
Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH)
Pennsylvania
Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA)
Rhode Island
Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI)
Tennessee
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Texas
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX)
Washington
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)
Wisconsin
Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI)
ThisAction Alert was prepared by Susan L. Vaughn, Director of Public Policy, . William A.B. Ditto, MSW, is Chair of the NASHIA Public Policy Committee.
TheNational Association of State Head Injury Administrators assists State government in promoting partnerships and buildingsystems to meet the needs of individuals with brain injuries and their families.
National Association of State Head Injury Administrators | PO Box 878 | Waitsfield | VT | 05673
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