The US Senate REALLY needs to hear from disability folks about including Sen Casey’s Coronavirus Relief for Seniors and People with Disabilities Act. Here is the Facebook text and the email tool from Access Living:

SHARE!!! URGENT ACTION ALERT! The US Senate is working RIGHT NOW on the COVID-19 stimulus package. It is really, really important that YOU contact your US Senators to let them know that we need to have the items in Senator Bob Casey’s Coronavirus Relief for Seniors and People with Disabilities Act, whether as part of the main bill or its own bill, either way. Please USE this action alert below and help get your friends and families to do it ASAP. A super huge thanks to the disability advocates who are working with the Senator and others (like Congresswoman Pressley) to fight for disability relief!

CLICK HERE TO SEND AN EMAIL TO YOUR SENATORS

UPDATE: That bill just passed.  This didn’t get into that bill, but contact them anyway to get it in a future bill, cause this won’t be the last one.

HERE’s Some More Details about the Bill:

Why do we need the Coronavirus Relief for Seniors and People with Disabilities Act?
More than 105 million Americans—or about 4 in 10 adults—are at heightened risk if infected with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), including older adults, people with disabilities and those with underlying health conditions. The front-line workers and family caregivers who support these individuals also face increased risks, requiring additional resources and supports to protect their health and well-being.

What would the Coronavirus Relief for Seniors and People with Disabilities Act do? The bill will address critical health and economic needs for older adults, people with disabilities, front-line workers and family caregivers. Specifically, the bill would:

• Promote home and community-based services and protect home health workers: Through Medicaid grants to States, the bill would provide funding to ensure that seniors and people with disabilities who need care at home can receive it. States need these additional, new dollars to minimize waiting lists for home and community-based services and to provide wage increases as well as overtime pay and paid sick, medical and family leave to home health workers. [Right now in Texas home care workers/attendants are paid about $8.11 per hour, and are often not even given GLOVES, let alone masks — which keep everyone safer.]
• Increase funding for nursing home surveys to promote infection control: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has deployed its armament of state inspectors to assess nursing facilities’ infection control practices as COVID-19 continues to spread. Well before COVID-19, these essential activities were already operating at a deficit, as the Trump Administration requested a $44.8 million increase for health facility surveys and inspections in FY2021. Emergency funds are needed to support CMS and States as they work to save lives and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes.
• Cover the cost of treatment for low-income seniors and boost the economy: The bill would leverage existing low-income assistance programs for people with Medicare to ensure seniors and people with disabilities living on low, fixed incomes can afford the treatment they need if diagnosed with COVID-19. Individuals living on incomes at or below roughly $19,000 who have limited savings would be auto-enrolled in assistance to cover the cost of their Medicare Part B premiums and cost-sharing.
• The bill would also enhance economic stimulus by putting Medicare premium dollars back in beneficiaries’ pockets. Seniors and people with disabilities would keep about $145 per month, allowing them to buy needed essentials, like food and medicine.
• Make sure seniors and people with disabilities have healthy food and other services at home: The bill would provide increased, emergency funding for programs that allow seniors and people with disabilities to remain healthy and safe at home—where the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) urges they remain during the COVID19 outbreak. Funding would allow States and community-based providers to offer 3 meals a day, 7 days a week during the emergency; provide shelf-stable food to more seniors through the Senior Food Box program; provide respite care and other supports to family caregivers; support ombudsman programs that must transition to virtual services while nursing homes are locked down to limit the spread of COVID-19; and more.

https://www.facebook.com/Austin.TX.ADAPT/photos/pcb.1380370475480996/1380369972147713/?type=3&__tn__=HH-R&eid=ARCRr48IXboNltCHzKxO75zQcxfuLnpJRoVHTvo6OB7TVyo-EBwyGRj6x4F-Jm6dxVNgEOS-HPZqNn9Z&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARA7suRj2UL5jjnh4QMWdpg92o8l82Mwh8FrOuUuMgMGWLX2uwv9CWzB7SkcpulwpfMOXkjV1nKGH_hi952Dx6yVUl-RrJ2wonhV66IZWlGjp3oBfTsYeU3i6TRZSbVSRCNQ0TcnNQivjaZZ93yVd5EJLW0eHQIG0Q1F_9Cgj92ikroeaZLmLvDsH2ou5iOC3r3CtDKgpTRd3pYcWZCfeaaor_4PBx5DXQuIffuxZwIF5CVZHgZP6JPLXWz37AITMoPwfaXFa6PYFoiyEvkTBIpDCF1kSr0dkA1Kj6ACezgpoAGT6G8FJK2RYzIU2v1RJ7mkBrQNn8UWLKooYb90-mKXBg

The day Coronavirus shutdown SXSW, ADAPT of Texas shutdown Uber in Austin!

In the last several months, since ADAPT of Texas settled their lawsuit against Uber, the WAV (Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle) service has gone down the toilet.  People wait for hours while non-wheelchair using passengers are picked up within minutes.  Sometimes no one EVER comes to pick our folks up.  The App is giving folks issues too. Basically a pretty good service has been trashed. 

Austin ADAPT folks were sick and tired of this treatment.  So last Friday a delegation of our peeps went down to their offices to ask them what was up and let them know their lousy service was not OK with us.  

We rolled in to a very modern, lobby with video screen telling who was being picked up where (at least non-disabled folks) and exposed pipes in the ceiling and folks on laptops perched on barstool seats and helping callers.  But for all their support and monitoring they were clueless as to the problems our folks had been trying to report for weeks.  So we hung out while some mid-level manager took our demands and tried to get us an answer from above.  But Uber is apparently as unresponsive to their local management as they are to their customers who use wheelchairs. The powers that be remained hidden in their corporate cloud, apparently too afraid to face the situation.  No phone numbers, no names, no contact was given.  As 5 pm eastern time approached, we starting chanting and blowing our wheelchair horns — which sounded oddly appropriate in this loft type setting.  All the support staff left (no loss there, since they gave us no support) and the security guard began trying to control us.  No luck with that.  So eventually, while they couldn’t get through to the powers that be in Uber universe, they could get through to the police.  After a while two policemen showed up and we were escorted from the building.

But we are not done yet…  

 ADAPT of Texas and Personal Attendant Coalition of Texas (PACT) gathered at the Texas State Capitol on March 10^th in solidarity with other state ADAPT chapters that were doing similar actions in their states.  ADAPT of Texas/PACT were sending a message to Governor Abbott, Texas Legislators and HHSC Executive Commissioner Phillips that

“Block Grants Don’t Stack Up!”

In addition, there is a crisis in recruiting and retaining Community Attendants because of the low wages and no health insurance or other benefits.  Texas starts Medicaid and general revenue funded community attendants at $8.11 per hour.

Thousands of Texans with disabilities, (children, young adults, seniors) rely on Medicaid funded services and supports to be able to live/age in place in the community in the most integrated setting.

Texas has long waiting lists for HCBS, as well the largest number of state institutions in the country.

Once ADAPT of Texas/PACT finished chanting and flyering outside we then proceeded into the Capitol to the Governor’s office.  We all managed to get to the second floor.  As we were rounding the corner, the state trooper was closing the Governor’s office.  Nicky Boyte rolled fast to the door, but it was locked, she kept turning the knob.  Her persistence paid off.  It got the attention of the family that was still inside the office so they opened the door. Needless to say, the state trooper was not too happy. We were able to meet with his executive staff.  After a 15 minute meeting we then marched out and onto the next fortunate legislator.

We will update you once we have follow-up meetings with the Governor and Lieutenant Governor and their staff.   

PACT Logo

Lyft has a policy to provide free rides to the polls for voters.  One problem: they had no wheelchair accessible rides.  So as soon as ADAPT of Texas found out about it, they sprang into action and won y’all in Austin a victory!

From: Lyft Austin <lyftaustin@lyft.com 

Sent: Monday, March 2, 2020, 5:48:02 PM CST

Subject: Super Tuesday (3/3/20) WAV Rides in Austin

Thank you [ADAPT] for connecting with our team. 

In partnership with Lone Star Transportation, Lyft is providing free Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) rides to the polls in Austin, Texas on Super Tuesday, March 3, 2020, from 7am to 7pm CST.

Please call Lone Star Transportation (512-323-0160) to schedule or request a free WAV ride to a polling location in Austin, Texas on March 3, 2020 between 7am and 7pm CST. Passengers with wheelchairs must identify to the dispatcher that they are requesting a WAV ride with Lyft. The dispatcher will provide all necessary information to the passenger and dispatch a Dodge Caravan with Lone Star branding.

Passengers requesting a WAV ride may schedule a ride (for pick up between 7am – 7pm CST) in advance for shorter wait periods (recommended), or call for on-demand service via a Lone Star dispatcher. Dispatchers are available 24/7 to schedule rides. Service wait periods will depend on demand and traffic patterns, so we recommend scheduling a pick up time in advance.

Valid only for WAV rides to polling locations within a 20-mile radius of downtown Austin on Super Tuesday, March 3, 2020, 7am – 7pm CST. Rides must end within 20 miles of the original pick up location. Offered rides are in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations. Offer is not intended to induce, nor is it conditioned on, the act of voting, or voting for or against any particular person or measure.

Thank you, Lyft

AND we say thank you to Lyft for correcting this wrong. Free rides to the polls is a right on thing to do!  Now, it’s time to make these wheelchair accessible rides a permanent option!.