Submit your public comment to NCD

Next Public Comment Opportunity January 22, 2026:

10:40 – 11:05 a.m. – Public Comment on Youth in Nursing Homes

11:20 – 12:25 p.m. – Panel on Experiences of Disabled Floridians During/After Recent Natural Disasters

12:25 – 12:50 p.m. – Public Comment on Experiences in Natural Disasters

2:10 – 3:10 p.m. – Panel on Accessible Transportation in Florida: Barriers and Innovations

3:10 – 3:35 p.m. – Public Comment on Accessible Transportation in Florida

Topics:

• Youth and younger adults with disabilities in nursing homes
• Improving the outcome of people with disabilities during and after disasters

Public participation during the public comment period provides an opportunity for us to hear from individuals, businesses, providers, educators, parents and advocates. Your comments are important in bringing to the Council’s attention the issues and priorities of the disability community.

For the January 22 Council meeting, NCD will have two public comment periods of 25 minutes each. The first on youth institutionalized in nursing homes, and the second on experiences of disabled Floridians in recent natural disasters. Additional information on specifics of the topic is available on NCD’s public comment page at https://ncd.gov/​public-comment.

The Council will receive comments from in-person commenters first, and time allowing, from Florida residents who attend via Zoom for Government livestream. Comments are also always accepted via email.

To provide public comment during an NCD Council Meeting, NCD requires advanced registration by either signing up to present while registering for the meeting or sending an email to

PublicComment@ncd.gov

with the subject line “Public Comment” and your name, organization (if applicable), state, and topic of comment in the body of your email.

Deadline for public comment registration is January 20, 2026, 8:00 p.m. EST. Please indicate if you are providing the comment in-person or only submitting via email. All individuals desiring to make public comments are encouraged to read NCD’s guidelines for public comment in advance of the meeting at:

https://ncd.gov/​public-comment.

Comments during this meeting must be specific to youth in nursing homes and experiences in recent natural disasters.

To provide comments by email, please send personal experiences, and/or articles, data, and other research on the following topics to PublicComment@ncd.gov.

Your contributions will help strengthen our investigations and provide for a more comprehensive view for federal policymakers.

I. Youth and Younger Adults With Disabilities in Nursing Homes

This project seeks to uncover the drivers of the growing population of youth and younger adults with disabilities living in nursing homes and explore policy solutions that seek to keep youth and younger adults with disabilities in their communities where they can live, learn, and seek employment. Responses to any of the following questions are helpful.

1. What number of people with disabilities ages 21-40 are receiving LTSS in nursing homes? How large is the subset of those under age 21? What are the numbers by state? What are the demographics? What is the average length of stay? What placements were made out of state?
2. What data gaps exist on these questions and how could the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) improve them? What reporting could HHS or HUD require of federal fund recipients to obtain data on people with disabilities age 40 and under in nursing homes?
3. How many people are estimated to be on waiting lists to transfer out of nursing facilities are ages 21-40 and under 21? What federal and state policies assist in gathering this information and what are the federal and state barriers?
4. Are there existing federal and state policies that have the effect of routing younger people with disabilities into nursing homes? (Please note that NCD is not seeking information on what keeps people with disabilities from leaving nursing facilities as we have well-established research on that topic).
5. What impact has Money Follows the Person had on nursing home diversion for younger people with disabilities? Please provide specific examples to the degree possible. What other programs are successful at diversion of younger people with disabilities from nursing homes?
6. What opportunities are available to younger people with disabilities who reside in nursing homes, for free appropriate public education (FAPE), recreation, community participation? What are the results of unavailability/restricted availability of the activities?
7. How could policymakers specifically address the needs of younger people with disabilities in LTSS and housing policy?

II. Improving the Outcome of People With Disabilities During and After Disasters

This project focuses on how state and local governments execute their emergency management plans; identifies promising practices; and provides resources and recommendations. Comments on any of the following questions are helpful.

1. What elements are lacking in state and local disaster preparation plans that would mitigate the adverse impact of disaster recovery and response on people with disabilities?
2. How do states encourage local emergency management operators to be inclusive of people with disabilities before, during and after disasters?
3. What is FEMA’s role and responsibility to ensure people with disabilities needs are included in disaster preparation at the local level?
4. What states have an infrastructure that promotes the inclusivity of people with disabilities?

Format

The Council will receive public comment in person, over Zoom or by email.

For those interested in commenting, please read the Guidelines for Submitting and Presenting Public Comment During an Event details below in full. Advanced registration is required.

General Background

NCD welcomes the input of the public throughout the year to help inform the Council Members of concerns of the disability community so that their research and recommendations to policymakers reflects the priorities of the community. At any time, individuals and organizations may submit public comment on any topic of concern to PublicComment@ncd.gov.

Four times a year, NCD hosts quarterly Council meetings, during which NCD designates a period of time to receive public comment, either in-person, or via audio or visual through Zoom virtual meeting platform. For these meetings, NCD often selects a topic on which to receive targeted public comment, usually in line with a project that the agency has underway.

Instructions for Submitting a Public Comment

Advanced registration is required to make public comment at a quarterly meeting. To provide public comment during an NCD Council Meeting, please send an email to PublicComment@ncd.gov with the subject line “Registration for Public Comment” and your name, organization (if affiliated with an organization), state, and topic of comment included in the body of your email. Deadline for registration is the night before the meeting, by 8:00 p.m. EDT.

Helpful Information

NCD will call upon as many individuals who registered as possible as time permits. However, all public comment submissions sent via email will be collected and reviewed.

If you cannot attend the meeting, were not called upon, or prefer to submit a written comment, please submit your comment to PublicComment@ncd.gov with the topic in the header. Written comments are accepted both prior to and after NCD meetings

All individuals called upon to make comments will be allotted three minutes to speak.

Council Members will not respond to questions or engage in discussion with commenters.

Comments must be specific to the selected topic for the meeting. While public comment may be submitted on any topic over email, comments received during NCD meetings should be specific to the topic selected for the meeting. Those who make comments on topics other than the selected topic may be asked to stop speaking.

If there is time remaining, individuals who did not register can indicate interest in being selected to speak and may be called upon at the discretion of the agency.

What to Expect

When the Public Comment session begins, please be available and prepared to present your comments when called upon.

Those preregistered will be placed in a queue and will be called upon to present their comments.

When a person called to present, they will be asked to begin.

A warning will be given before the end of the three minute time limit, and the presenter will be stopped at three minutes.