From The Associated Press:
“Nancy Jensen believes she’d still be living in an abusive group home if it wasn’t shut down in 2004 with the help of the Disability Rights Center of Kansas, which for decades has received federal money to look out for Americans with disabilities.
But the flow of funding under the Trump administration is now in question, disability rights groups nationwide say, dampening their mood as Saturday marks the 35th anniversary of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act. Federal dollars pay for much of their work, including helping people who seek government-funded services and lawsuits now pushing Iowa and Texas toward better community services.
…The threat of cuts comes as the groups expect more demand for help after Republicans’ tax and budget law complicated Medicaid health coverage with a new work-reporting requirement.
…Medicaid applicants often had a difficult time working through its rules even before the tax and budget law’s recent changes, said Sean Jackson, Disability Rights Texas’ executive director.
With fewer dollars, he said, ‘As cases are coming into us, we’re going to have to take less cases.’
The Texas group receives money from a legal aid foundation and other sources, but federal funds still are 68% of its dollars. The Kansas center and Disability Rights Iowa rely entirely on federal funds.”
Read the full article on The Associated Press website.