As we begin 2022, the Amputee Coalition Government Relations Team would like to share our 2022 legislative priorities. The first legislative priority is advancing the Triple-A Study Act. The bill was reintroduced in April 2021 during Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness month by Senators Tammy Duckworth and Marsha Blackburn and Representatives G. K Butterfield and Brett Guthrie. The Triple-A Study Act directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study barriers to care for assistive technology, evaluating patient outcomes across Medicare, VA, and private insurers. This bill solves the problem of a lack of data available to explain why two-thirds of the 2.1 million Americans living with limb loss or limb difference never receive a prosthetic device if they are getting access to the care they need, and how these decisions are made. Since the introduction of the Triple-A Study Act, advocates have taken multiple actions with us to support the bill. The following are some notable actions:
- 28 Letter to the Editors on the Triple-A Study Act have been published.
- Over 3,000 messages were sent by advocates to your Senators and Representatives supporting the Triple-A Study Act.
The second priority is achieving Funding for National Limb Loss Resource Center. The Amputee Coalition runs the National Limb Loss Resource Center through a cooperative agreement with the Administration for Community Living (ACL) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Have you met with one of our Certified Peer Visitors? Have you participated in one of our over 400 support groups located across the country? Have you spoken with one of the resource center specialists? If you can answer yes to at least one of these questions, then you have interacted with National Limb Loss Resource Center. The National Limb Loss Resource Center is the only national, comprehensive, evidence-based, and unbiased source of education information and peer support services dedicated to promotions of prevention, recovery, reintegration, and the health of individuals living with limb loss or limb difference. Each funding year, we ask for funding to ensure that these crucial services are available and continue to meet the needs of the limb loss and limb difference community.
To achieve our legislative priorities this year, we need the help of individuals like yourself. We know some of you are asking if it’s easy to start and we are here to share some ways for you to get started. Advocacy is as easy as ABC if you have the right tools and knowledge. This blog post will share a couple of ways for you to start your advocacy journey:
- Sign up to get advocacy emails. This is the best way for you to stay involved and up to date on all the work we do on behalf of the limb loss and limb difference community. You will also receive information on events to connect with the Government Relations team and information to take action. You can register by visiting the following link: https://www.amputee-coalition.org/advocacyemail
- Sign up for one of the All Advocate Call. Our all-advocate calls are a great introduction to learning how your voice matters. On these calls, you will have a chance to interact with other members of the community as well as learn some great tools to assist you on your advocacy journey. Our next advocacy call is on February 1, 2022. To sign up please visit the following link: https://amputee-coalition.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIudu6przgvG9AvzVSFYPMO-pJO7YJmAHlm
- Email the Government Relations Team at advocacy@amputee-coalition.org We love to hear from our members. If you have a question or would like to walk through an action alert or want to tell us all the great work you have been doing, send us an email. The Government Relations team is here to assist you in your advocacy journey.
We look forward to having you advocate with us for the limb loss and limb difference community in 2022!