ADAPT! Happening today

[loyalsister]

They got the Democratic gubernatorial candidate's staff to meet with them and assure them that his administration will implement community choice as part of policy. ADAPT has been there for a couple of days and several have been arrested. I think that the candidate knows they will be back if he goes back on his word.

They have now moved on to the American's for prosperity offices and are demanding meetings. These advocates are SO good! They make their demands and present a well thought out argument.

09/15/2014 PRESS ALERT:

WHO: ADAPT

WHAT: ADAPT DEMANDS THAT AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY STOP SPREADING LIES REGARDING THE COMMUNITY FIRST CHOICE OPTION AND CEASE THEIR OPPOSITION TO ITS IMPLEMENTATION

WHERE: AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY 1400 WEST MARKHAM SUITE 400

WHEN: WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 17, 2104 ADAPT, A NATIONAL GRASSROOTS GROUP OF ACTIVISTS WITH DISABILITIES, IS PRESENTING DEMANDS TO THE ARKANSAS CHAPTER OF THE AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY THAT THEY STOP SPREADING LIES ABOUT THE COMMUNITY FIRST CHOICE OPTION (CFCO) AND CEASE THEIR OPPOSITION TO ITS IMPLEMENTATION.

ADAPT is confronting officials from the Arkansas chapter of the Americans for Prosperity (AFP) regarding their spreading of lies about CFCO. The lies the AFP has been spreading include:

CFCO is an integral part of Obamacare. The truth is that it was not originally included in the Obamacare legislation, but was added after disability rights advocates secured the support of several US Senators.

CFCO will take away local and state control. The fact is that states retain control, as they always have, of determining their own institutional eligibility criteria.

CFCO is a Medicaid option that states can voluntarily adopt. Once adopted it simply requires that individuals who qualify for state institutional care be given the option of funding for community services, if they so choose.

CFCO is a partisan issue. The fact is that it was passed with bipartisan support, as have all disability civil rights laws.

CFCO will be costly for Arkansas.
The fact is Arkansas state officials have used very conservative estimates to project the costs out twelve years and have found that the provision of community supports will actually save the state money. This has been born out by the actual experiences of other states which have implemented strong community services.

CFCO will raise federal taxes because it pays six percent more of the cost of services than for nursing homes. The fact is that community services are so much more cost effective that the federal government is projected to save money even with the additional match.

In summary, CFCO will save the state government money while improving the lives of persons with disabilities who would otherwise be forced into institutional settings – a rare win-win for fiscal conservatives and civil rights activists. It does not create a new mandate – the mandate is already there for nursing home services. “CFCO embraces conservative principles including the use of market forces – allowing individuals to choose the services they want and forcing nursing facilities to compete for their choice,” said Gene Rodgers, an ADAPT member and Republican from Texas.

Rock on ADAPT! This is the group that threw off their wheelchairs and crawled up the Capitol steps to demand passage of the ADA. They are thoughtful, committed, and audacious. When we talk about demonstrating and demanding change, they are some of the best role models for planning actions and advocacy.

[thucythucy]

1. K & R

ADAPT is awesome!

[loyalsister]

5. They've moved on to Goodwill!!

An alliance of ADAPT and advocates for min. wage increase (especially fast food and walmart employees) could be a really strong force! ADAPT is thorough in their research and developing arguments. They also train advocates extremely well.

[KamaAina]

2. I hear from FB that repuke candidate Asa Hutchinson is on the fence

My reply: "Is it a barbed-wire fence?"

Thanks for posting, loyal! It's nice not to be the only ADAPTer around here!

[loyalsister]

3. He's between a rock and hard place for sure

I'm wondering what would happen to his campaign if AFP is actually discredited?

I wonder if it would turn some people against him? It definitely would not be good for him if their funding dried up. I'm sure that is probably the math they are working with.

It would be a huge victory for all of us if they wind up helping Ross win.

[loyalsister]

4. Here's what they got from Ross

ADAPT, A NATIONAL GRASSROOTS GROUP OF ACTIVISTS WITH DISABILITIES, MET WITH THE STAFF OF DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE MIKE ROSS AND OBTAINED MR. ROSS'S COMMITMENT TO SWIFT IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMMUNITY FIRST CHOICE OPTION (CFCO)

ADAPT would like to thank Gubernatorial candidate Mike Ross for sending his staff to meet this morning with a large contingent of our members and conveying his public support of the Community First Choice Option (CFCO).
CFCO would allow all Arkansans who qualify for institutional placement to choose community supports instead. This would end the long waiting list of nearly 3,000 desperate citizens, some of whom have been waiting for over nine years. State officials have developed twelve years of financial projections for implementing CFCO which show that selecting this option will generate savings for the state.

This is born out by the experience of other states and studies which have demonstrated that community supports are generally less
expensive than institutional placement. This is truly a rare win-win for supporters of civil rights and fiscal conservatives alike.
Implementation of CFCO does not require a full vote of the legislature.
However, it does require the approval of the Health, Labor and Welfare committee, as well as of Rules and Regulations.

The meeting with Mr. Ross's staff came after some initial tense moments in which ADAPT members were arrested on their way to present our demands to the candidate. Once our members arrived at the campaigne headquarters. Mr. Ross and his staff were very gracious and drafted a letter agreeing to all of our demands. These demands are attached as a seperate document. Following the
meeting with his staff Mr. Ross's campaign web site was updated to state his support for the CFCO.

""We believe that voters should know whether the Gubernatorial candidates will support the right of seniors and people with disabilities to live in the community or will continue state policies which force them into unwanted institutionalization and throw away our precious tax dollars," said Brenda Stinebuck, an organizer of Arkansas ADAPT. "We are delighted with Mr. Ross's response," said Stinebuck.

[thucythucy]

6. Excellent! nt