Welcome to the SNA Capitol Connection! The SNA is dedicated to promoting responsible public policies that meet the many needs of individuals with disabilities, and this newsletter is designed to give our readers a snapshot of these important issues.
In this issue we begin by taking a look at the new officers of the SNA who were elected in the fall. They are our leadership for the next year and as such carry the burden of advancing our collective benefit as a non-profit alliance working to advance the interests of both those with special needs and their families and friends.
When it comes to public policy and legislative affairs, summer is often associated with a slowing down of activities. This past summer proved an exception, however, with movement on raising the debt ceiling coming down to the proverbial wire and producing both drama and an agreement. With that out of the way, for now, we can focus on other issues as Congress returns to Washington, DC in late summer. Beginning in the fall, they'll be taking up pending legislation, some of which is important to special needs families and attorneys. In this issue, we give you a summary of what, where, when and who.
In this issue, we are honored to have Iowa Senator Tom Harkin in our Newsmaker Profile in this spring edition. The junior Senator from the Hawkeye State has a long and impressive record on health-care issues, specifically in working with and advocating for individuals with disabilities.
In this issue, we review ongoing advocacy discussed by senior federal government officials at the recent National Summit on Disability Policy in Washington, D.C. We also continue our focus on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) with a detailed look at the Pre- existing Condition Insurance Plans being implemented as a stopgap for Americans who are without insurance due to pre-existing conditions until the law’s full implementation in 2014.
In this issue, as a follow up to our previous issue’s overview of the ways in which healthcare reform may impact the disability community, we include a more detailed look at the changes to Medicare brought on by healthcare reform.
In this issue, our primary focus is the effects of healthcare reform on the disability community. In addition, we have included an update on a recent ruling in the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals that has troubling implications for special needs trusts.
In this inaugural issue you will read about pending legislation on the two-year wait for Medicare eligibility, allowing military retirement pensions to go into a special needs trust, and the new federal "ABLE" proposals
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