Congressional Leaders Announce Coronavirus Deal
Congressional Leaders Announce Coronavirus Deal
On December 20, Congressional leaders announced a bipartisan, bicameral COVID relief and omnibus appropriations deal. The deal includes $1.4 trillion to fund the federal government through the end of fiscal year 2021 and $900 billion for COVID relief.
According to currently available summaries, the COVID relief legislation, unfortunately, takes minimal action on The Arc’s key priorities:
- Dedicated funding for Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) to serve people with disabilities in their homes and communities and provide better wages and support for the direct support professional (DSP) workforce was not included.
- Personal protective equipment (PPE) for DSPs through designation as essential workers was not included.
- Paid leave and sick days for all caregivers were not included in the emergency paid leave provisions. The legislation extended tax credits available for businesses to cover paid leave, but it eliminated rules about when businesses must provide leave and did not extend the tax credits to cover all caregivers as the pandemic continues.
- Economic impact payments for all people with disabilities. While the bill does include a one-time $600 payment per adult and child under the age of 17, it does not include any payment for dependents who are over the age of 17. This excludes more than 400,000 individuals who claim adults with disabilities as dependents.
Both Houses are expected to vote on this package tonight.