Action Alert! Tell Congress to Pass the EMPOWER Care Act

Support community living for people with disabilities

September 6, 2018

Money Follows the Person (MFP) is a Medicaid program that has helped over 75,000 people with disabilities and seniors move out of nursing homes or institutions and back into their communities. MFP restores the dignity and liberty of people with disabilities by promoting and supporting community living.

Funding for the MFP program expired in 2016, and states have already scaled back their MFP plans by approximately 40%. We need your help and advocacy to get the Senate and House of Representatives to pass the bipartisan EMPOWER Care Act (S.2227 and H.R.5306), which would extend and improve the MFP program. The number of people who transitioned to the community through MFP declined for the first time last year; the EMPOWER Care Act will help reverse that trend.

By passing the EMPOWER Care Act and funding the Money Follows the Person program, Congress can help more people with disabilities transition out of institutions and nursing homes and back into the community. Without action NOW, more people will be trapped in institutions.

Earlier this week, the House of Representatives held a separate hearing and briefing about the EMPOWER Care Act and Money Follows the Person program – now is the ideal time to contact your Representative!

Help people living in nursing facilities and other institutional settings move back into their communities!

Take Action

Use the advocacy tool below to send an email and tweet directly to your Senators and Representative to tell them to support the EMPOWER Care Act and fund the MFP program.

Be sure to connect your Twitter account to use the social media outreach feature of this tool.

Call Your Members of Congress

Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 (voice) or (202) 224-3091 (tty) and ask to be connected to your Senators or Representative.

Easy Call Script:
(produced by the Center for Public Representation)

Hello, this is [Name]. I’m a resident of [Town, State].

I am calling to express my concern about the expiration of the Money Follow the Person (MFP) program.

MFP has enabled over 75,000 seniors and people with disabilities living in institutions to transition back to their communities. MFP is fiscally responsible: it has improved the quality of life for thousands of individuals while saving states money. The program expired over a year ago. States are already having to scale back their programs, and without funding, could have to completely eliminate them.

I am asking [Member of Congress’ Name] to cosponsor and support the EMPOWER Care Act and reauthorize Money Follows the Person Program.

Thank you for taking my call!

[IF LEAVING A VOICEMAIL: please leave your full street address and ZIP code to ensure your call is tallied]

[Optional Add On]

Personal stories are the most effective form of advocacy. Talk about why Money Follows the Person is important for you or someone you know and love.

Additional Information

EMPOWER Care Act One Pager – Center for Public Representation
Congress Should Extend Successful “Money Follows the Person” Demonstration – Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Take Action Today to Save MFP! – National Council on Independent Living