Disability Rights Florida (DRF), Florida’s designated protection and advocacy agency, joins with other disability and aging leaders and community stakeholders in calling on the federal government to address the critical needs of disaster-impacted people with disabilities and older adults. The passage of The Disaster Medical Relief Act (DRMA) (S.3120/H.R.6029) and the Real Emergency Access for Aging and Disability Inclusion (REAADI) for Disasters Act (S. 1049 / H.R. 2371) would be a critical step in that direction.
Disasters affect the whole community, but the trauma intensifies for older adults and people with disabilities, who are 2 to 4 times more likely to die, be injured, and experience increased hardship during or after a disaster than people who don’t have disabilities. DRMA and REAADI make up key legislation that would establish new requirements to ensure emergency preparedness, disaster planning, response, recovery, and community resilience to meet the diverse needs of people with disabilities and older adults.
DRMA would ensure that individuals eligible for Medicaid who are forced to relocate due to a disaster or public health emergency are able to continue to access their critical Medicaid supported services. The Act includes five specific provisions:
- Provides uninterrupted access to Medicaid services when recipients must evacuate across state lines, increasing health maintenance and community living and preventing institutionalization during disasters or public health emergencies.
- Helps states meet the needs of Relief-Eligible Survivors through a limited time one hundred percent federal match for displaced individuals.
- Provides technical assistance and support to develop innovative state strategies to respond to an influx of out-of-state individuals.
- Creates a grant to help states develop an emergency response corps to provide home and community-based services.
- Guarantees that a 100 percent federal matching payment for medical assistance is provided to states in disaster and public health emergency areas, reducing death and injury and improving outcomes for the whole community.
Furthermore, REAADI prioritizes the civil rights of people with disabilities. It explicitly reinforces a 49-year-old requirement that all federal dollars spent during disasters must be compliant with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as well as all requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, including the Olmstead decision.
DRF calls upon Congress to pass DRMA and REAADI. In a disaster, these laws will be a lifeline to improve outcomes for people with disabilities and older adults, their families, and their communities in disasters and public health emergencies. We are counting on the full support of our representatives.
Contact your Congress members to pass the Disaster Relief Medicaid Act.