News Release
NCD #99-278
December 17, 1999
Contact: Mark S. Quigley
202-272-2004
202-272-2074 TTY
mquigley@ncd.gov
National Council on Disability Welcomes Work Incentives
Improvement Act of 1999
WASHINGTON, D.C.--The National Council on Disability
(NCD) welcomed the Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999, H.R.
1180, signed into law today by President Clinton. The measure allows
individuals with disabilities to retain their Medicare benefits
longer than had been previously allowed, and removes limits on the
Medicaid buy-in option for workers with disabilities. The law also
provides $250 million to states for demonstration programs to assess
the health and financial benefits of providing Medicaid coverage
to people whose condition has not yet deteriorated enough to prevent
work, but who need health care to prevent that deterioration.
"This law is a step in the right direction," said
NCD chairperson Marca Bristo. "It affirms the basic principle stated
in the Americans with Disabilities Act: that all Americans should
have the same opportunities to be productive citizens." Bristo commended
the "inexhaustible efforts of the disability community's grassroots
organizations in working with congressional leaders to bring this
bipartisan measure to fruition."
Bristo added that awareness of the disability community's
concerns, as demonstrated during the law's preparation and passage,
must be extended and maintained beyond the federal level. "The Work
Incentives Improvement Act now moves to the states, where the nuts-and-bolts
work of enabling greater participation for individuals who are disabled
will take place. I sincerely hope the states will take advantage
of the new options and address the remaining barriers to employment
for social security recipients with disabilities."
NCD is an independent federal agency mandated by Congress
to advise the President and Congress on public policy issues affecting
people with disabilities. It is currently coordinating a multi-year
study on the implementation and enforcement of the Americans with
Disabilities Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,
and other civil rights laws.
|
