This week, September 13th-20th, is National Disability Voter Registration Week! This week is a celebration of the power of the disability vote, but also a recognition that undue barriers continue to present obstacles to voters with disabilities in enacting this civic responsibility and constitutional right.

We appreciate the opportunity to comment on the progress of the TennCare III Demonstration. The Tennessee Disability Coalition is an alliance of organizations and individuals who have joined to promote the full and equal participation of Tennesseans with disabilities in all aspects of life. We work together to advocate for public policy that ensures self-determination, independence, empowerment, and inclusion for people with disabilities. A strong Medicaid program that appropriately serves vulnerable Tennesseans with disabilities is critically important.

As Tennessee children return to school amidst a surge in Covid-19 cases it is important to consider how to best protect them, particularly those who are the most vulnerable because of disability or health condition. This a topic that is complicated but one thing is clear: empirical evidence shows that there are strategies to mitigate the danger of contracting Covid-19.

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), passed in March of this year, is a boon for home- and community-based services (HCBS) in the US. The legislation makes significant investments in HCBS through a higher federal matching rate, which equates to an additional $157 million in funds to improve HCBS in Tennessee. With only a couple requirements for the money, states have broad latitude to determine how to best use their additional funds.

This year Tennessee received approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) for a waiver to shift the funding mechanism for Medicaid (TennCare) from the traditional state-federal matching model to the nation’s first Medicaid block grant. Since then, the General Assembly has passed legislation that permits TennCare to implement the block grant. Since the possibility of a block grant was proposed, we have been concerned about how the use of this funding mechanism will impact Tennesseans with disabilities.