In September, members of the Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities’ (CCD) Long Term Services and Supports Task Force wrote a letter expressing concerns with the proposal in H.R. 4531 to modify the Institution for Mental Diseases (IMD) exclusion for youth in foster care who reside in Qualified Residential Treatment Programs (QRTPs). The Amputee Coalition is a member organization of the CCD.
Addressed to Senators and U.S. Representatives, the letter states that children, including those with disabilities, belong in families and now is not the time to make it easier for states to obtain federal funding to keep foster children in institutions.
An amendment was made to H.R. 4531 that would not completely eliminate the IMD exclusion, but instead lift the exclusion “for items and services furnished to such an individual outside of” a QRTP. The CCD task force expressed concern that the exception was so broad because there is no definition of what is “inside” or “outside” of a QRTP.
The letter states that changes to the IMD exclusion will not solve the very real problems that exist regarding lack of access to high quality mental health services for children and youth.
For the benefit of these children, the CCD task force members ask instead for Congress to focus on ensuring children’s right to community-based services.
View the full letter here. Visit our Advocacy Letters to Policymakers webpage to view other letters the Amputee Coalition has endorsed.