21st Century Assistive Technology Act

Outreach to new Members of Congress and committees of jurisdiction on the need to reform rehabilitation access, therapy and expertise for the spinal cord injury. Was asked by the Congressional Telehealth Caucus to submit comments on their RFI on telemedicine, which we did, highlighting the specific needs of access to healthcare and the challenges that our population face with reaching medical experts. Submitted appropriations requests for robust funding to the Hill for the SCI Research Program and the MS Research program at the Department of Defense. National Institutes of Health (NIH) - National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) SCI 2020: Launching a Decade for Disruption in Spinal Cord Injury Research - Post SCI 2020 Call - Had a meaningful discussion with NIH about research priorities for the SCI population and discussed our efforts to advocate on establishing SCI Centers of Excellence. National Institute on Neurological Disorders and Strokes (NINDS) Nonprofit Forum 2019: Progress through Partnership United Spinal Policy staff participated in the Progress through Partnership Forum which provided an opportunity for nonprofit leaders to network with colleagues and to engage in discussions with NINDS staff. The agenda featured panel discussions on cell and gene therapy, data collection and storage, motivating the next generation of researchers, neuroethics and success stories. National Institute of Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) United Spinal policy staff met, along with numerous other disability organizations as members of the Disability Rehabilitation Research Coalition, to outline rehabilitation research priorities to the new director, Jim Whitehead. United Spinal policy staff emphasized fitness, exercise, nutrition and maximizing consumer outcomes from acute care and rehabilitation programs. United Spinal supports and signed onto letters to Congress on H.R.2073 and S. 110 (The Medical Expense Savings Act) - amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permanently extend the 7.5 percent adjusted gross income floor for the medical expense deduction. HHS - Administration for Community Living United Spinal signed onto CCDs letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ACL to oppose the ACL reorganization which is supposed to improve efficiency and effectiveness of the organization; strengthen infrastructure; and improve the connections between the organization and its stakeholder, grantees and consumers at the national, state and local levels. CCD is concerned that the reorganization plan may have the opposite result. HHS - Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT As a member of the Personal Connected Health Alliance (PCHAlliance), a non-profit membership association, United Spinal joined in commenting on the proposed rule, titled 21st Century Cures Act: Interoperability, Information Blocking, and the ONC Health IT Certification Program, published in the Federal Register on March 4, 2019. The letter read in part: PCHAlliance appreciates ONCs extensive work to develop consensus around interoperability standards. Consensus-based standards, certification programs, and policies comprise the essential backbone to enable interoperability and the broad sharing of health care information to support and improve health care delivery, decision-making, and operations. NIH United Spinal submitted comments addressing the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Researchs Request for Information: Research Plan on Rehabilitation. The comments read in part: We echo the comments we joined in submitting as a member of the Disability Rehabilitation Research Consortium (DRRC), the plan should ensure an understanding of rehabilitation research that is cross-cutting, multi-disciplinary, and focused on 1) understanding the mechanisms of disability, 2) supporting efforts to restore and improve functional capacity in individuals undergoing rehabilitation, and 3) maintaining and preventing deterioration of functional skills while enhancing quality of life for people with disabilities. 21st Century Assistive Technology Bill/S. 1835. Submitted letter of support to Senator Caseys office for the introduction for the 21st Century Assistive Technology Act which would help address the need for increased education of and access to the latest assistive technology devices, particularly for people with disabilities living in rural regions. United Spinal sent in comments to Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA) on telemedicine restrictions regarding telehealth policies in her bill entitled Mental Health Telemedicine Expansion Act/H.R. 1301 and highlighted our opposition to in-person visit requirements.

Client expense: Not reported · Firm income: $150,000

Government targets: AMTRAK - Natl Railroad Passenger Corporation, Agriculture, Dept of (USDA), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Natl Institutes of Health (NIH), SENATE, Social Security Administration (SSA), Transportation, Dept of (DOT)

S 1835: 21st Century Assistive Technology Act.

Client expense: $56,582 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Administration for Children & Families (ACF), Defense, Dept of (DOD), Education, Dept of, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Natl Council on Disability, SENATE, Social Security Administration (SSA), Transportation, Dept of (DOT), U.S. Architectural & Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (ACCESS), Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), White House Office