SAMPLE LETTER TO CONGRESS

 

 

 

Dear Congressman ___________:

 

We want to thank you for continuing to provide valuable leadership in the Congress that has allowed persons with developmental disabilities to live meaningful lives in your district.  We serve ___ persons at ___ locations providing services that range from ______________ to ____________.
Like most other groups who depend for their very survival on government policies and spending priorities, our clients benefit very directly from a number of policy and spending decisions made in the Congress.


{Add a paragraph describing recent activities in your program(s).}
Clearly, you know the consequences of the severe recession in California continue to present unprecedented challenges to persons with disabilities. The state has already imposed more than $300 million in cuts this fiscal year to programs such as ours, and they propose to continue these cuts into the foreseeable future. The recent proposal from the Governor for the coming 2010-11 fiscal year resists deeper cuts in large part because federal funds are expected to continue to be available to assist California to finance Medicaid services to the population with developmental disabilities. The Governor has built in the assumption that the Federal Government will continue to help out certain programs with an extension of the ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) and a baseline adjustment to the Federal Reimbursement for Medicaid (known as FMAP).


However, ARRA is due to expire on December 31, 2010. California’s historic FMAP (state-federal   sharing ration) has been 50% and the Governor is asking the Federal Government to move us to the National Average of 57%.  If these actions are not taken, at least $200 million MORE in cuts to services will have to be applied to our programs.


We are already in “survival mode” and we fear deeper cuts will devastate the service system in the Community, causing persons now contributing to the economy through work and volunteer services to be at risk of reinstitutionalization—an outcome no one wants. Please help us however you can to make sure that California’s needs are heard and assure us the federal contributions to Medicaid will not diminish in the near term. 
We appreciate your efforts on our behalf. Thank you for your continued leadership.

 

 

Sincerely,