The Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act would improve children’s access to needed out-of-state health care by streamlining the burdensome and time-consuming Medicaid provider screening and enrollment process.

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Give Kids a Chance Act (H.R. 1262/S. 932): This critical piece of bipartisan legislation includes a five-year reauthorization of the Rare Pediatric Priority Review Voucher (PRV) Program and policies to increase access to pediatric cancer clinical trials and clarify the application of the Orphan Drug Act’s exclusivity provisions. Learn more

The SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act aims to bring about substantial changes to the Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI) program to enhance beneficiaries’ ability to work and save without jeopardizing their vital benefits. Specifically, this bill increases resource limits used to determine eligibility for the SSI program from $2,000 to $10,000 for individuals and from $3,000 to $20,000 for married couples. The bill annually adjusts the limits for inflation.

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Currently, benefits for people with disabilities who are married and both receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are 25% less than for people who are not married. This bill would remove the marriage penalty and ensure that individuals with disabilities are not penalized by the federal government for getting married. While this bill specifically addresses individuals with intellectual disabilities, it would open the door to more SSI reforms.

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This bill allows an eligible caregiver a tax credit of up to $5,000 for 30% of the cost of long-term care expenses that exceed $2,000 in a taxable year. The bill defines eligible caregiver as an individual who has earned income for the taxable year in excess of $7,500 and pays or incurs expenses for providing care to a spouse or other dependent relative with long-term care needs. Learn More

This bill addresses employment standards for individuals with disabilities. It directs the Department of Labor to award grants to states and certain eligible entities to assist them in transforming their business and program models to support individuals with disabilities by

• providing competitive integrated employment,

• assisting disabled individuals in finding and retaining work in such employment,

• providing integrated employment and integrated community participation and wraparound services for such individuals, and

• ensuring that such services comply with federal regulations for individuals receiving home and community-based services.

The bill also prohibits the issuance of new special certificates that allow payment of subminimum wages to disabled individuals and phases out existing certificates over a four-year period. The bill directs Labor's Office of Disability Employment to award grants to provide technical assistance and other strategic support to employers transitioning from special certificates to competitive integrated employment for disabled individuals.

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