https://click.emails.thearc.org/?qs=f483eff5f61a43ddf66e0dc109d894abb821ba47e120a6e24ac74162aecc2cb2e45452e464f6d6a8e60ce1b7e9b6f2986049b76a78978b4c8a612b7eefab71b5

Dear Together for Choice Members and Friends:
 
On December 3, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a new proposed rule that would phase-out certificates issued under Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act.  Section 14(c) permits the payment of special wages to individuals with disabilities who are unable to work as productively as a non-disabled person performing the same task.  The Department of Labor is accepting comments on its proposed rule through January 17, 2025.   It is critical that we submit as many comments as possible opposing the proposed rule.  Without Section 14(c) certificates individuals with the most significant intellectual disabilities will be unable to obtain employment.
 
Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act has been in existence for over 85 years.  The purpose of Section 14(c) is to help individuals with disabilities to obtain employment.  No one is forced to work at 14(c) wages.  Therefore, the statute preserves choices for our loved ones; it preserves their civil right to choose the employment setting that best suits them. 
 
It was important that the Department of Labor hear from the families that would be affected by the phasing-out of 14(c) certificates. The Department needs to understand that eliminating Section 14(c) certificates will mean the loss of employment for men and women with significant intellectual disabilities, like our loved ones.  The Department is proposing a “one-size-fits-all” rule that will have a devastating impact on the more than 65,000 men and women who rely on Section 14(c) certificates. 
  
Therefore, please submit your comment to the U.S. Department of Labor BY JANUARY 17, 2025.
 
Comments can be submitted electronically or by mail.  Please follow the instructions below:

Electronic Comments: Submit comments at https://www.regulations.gov/document/WHD-2024-0001-0001.  Click the Comment button.  Where it says “Start typing comment here,” click and type your comment.

Mail Comments: Address written submissions to: Division of Regulations, Legislation, and Interpretation, Wage and Hour Division, U.S. Department of Labor, Room S-3502, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20210.

Thanks,
 
Scott M. Mendel
Chairman, Together for Choice

Join us in urging the Governor to invest in New Yorkers with disabilities and the people and agencies that serve them! We are calling on her to include the following requests in the 2025-26 New York State Budget:Investment in I/DD services through a 7.8% Medicaid rate increase to stabilize non-profit provider agencies.Creation of a Wage Commission to examine the roles and responsibilities of human service workers and establish fair, sustainable compensation standards commensurate with that work.Enhanced Capital Funding to help agencies modernize their operations, making them more energy-efficient and in alignment with the state’s climate goals.  We need YOUR voice in this fight. Click the button below and tell the Governor to invest in New Yorkers with disabilities!

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It is evident that families and self-advocates must continue to collectively fight for the funding, supports and services people with I/DD and their families so desperately need.

This year, with your support, we defended cuts to Medicaid for the millions of people nationwide who rely on it. But our fight to protect and expand rights for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities isn’t over. Please join us again in contacting your members of Congress about two priority issues.We desperately need more funding for HCBS so people with disabilities can access the vital care they need to thrive!

Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) play a vital role in helping people with disabilities live independently in the community—but a lack of funding for these services has left over 650,000 people stuck on waiting lists.Too many people are in limbo, unsure of when they will gain access to critical benefits, and many live segregated lives in the archaic institutions that still exist in 33 states. Tell Congress to increase funding for HCBS so life in the community possible for all! Act Now to Say #CareCantWait Join us in demanding updates to SSI for the millions of people with disabilities who rely on it!Outdated rules to the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program force millions of people with disabilities into poverty and prevent many others from getting married for risk of losing their much-needed benefits.Congress can change this by passing the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act, which would raise SSI asset limits for the first time in over 30 years and reduce marriage penalties related to SSI asset limits.Tell Congress to Update SSI!