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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Here’s the article I mentioned previously from GSIL. Have a great day all!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Sincerely<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Andrew Harmon<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> Ryan Donnelly <rdonnelly@gsil.org> <br><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, March 27, 2024 8:44 AM<br><b>Subject:</b> GSIL Advocacy Alert<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=left style='border-collapse:collapse;margin-left:6.75pt;margin-right:6.75pt'><tr><td width=877 colspan=2 valign=top style='width:657.75pt;background:maroon;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt'><p style='line-height:115%;mso-element:frame;mso-element-frame-hspace:9.0pt;mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-anchor-vertical:paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal:column;mso-height-rule:exactly'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:white'> </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%'><o:p></o:p></span></p></td><td width=4 style='width:3.0pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p style='mso-element:frame;mso-element-frame-hspace:9.0pt;mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-anchor-vertical:paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal:column;mso-height-rule:exactly'><span style='font-size:10.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr style='height:1.0in'><td style='padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:1.0in'><p align=center style='text-align:center;line-height:115%;mso-element:frame;mso-element-frame-hspace:9.0pt;mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-anchor-vertical:paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal:column;mso-height-rule:exactly'><img width=221 height=119 style='width:2.302in;height:1.2395in' id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.jpg@01DA8020.0B70EDB0"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%'><o:p></o:p></span></p></td><td style='padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:1.0in'><p style='line-height:115%;mso-element:frame;mso-element-frame-hspace:9.0pt;mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-anchor-vertical:paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal:column;mso-height-rule:exactly'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p align=center style='text-align:center;line-height:115%;mso-element:frame;mso-element-frame-hspace:9.0pt;mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-anchor-vertical:paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal:column;mso-height-rule:exactly'><b><span style='font-size:22.0pt;line-height:115%'>Granite State Independent Living</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align=center style='text-align:center;line-height:115%;mso-element:frame;mso-element-frame-hspace:9.0pt;mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-anchor-vertical:paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal:column;mso-height-rule:exactly'><b><span style='font-size:22.0pt;line-height:115%'>Advocacy Alert</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-element:frame;mso-element-frame-hspace:9.0pt;mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-anchor-vertical:paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal:column;mso-height-rule:exactly'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></td><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;height:1.0in'><p style='mso-element:frame;mso-element-frame-hspace:9.0pt;mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-anchor-vertical:paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal:column;mso-height-rule:exactly'><span style='font-size:10.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr><tr style='height:.2in'><td valign=top style='background:maroon;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:.2in'><p style='mso-element:frame;mso-element-frame-hspace:9.0pt;mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-anchor-vertical:paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal:column;mso-height-rule:exactly'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#FFE699'>March 27, 2024</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#FFE699'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;mso-element:frame;mso-element-frame-hspace:9.0pt;mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-anchor-vertical:paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal:column;mso-height-rule:exactly'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#FFE699'>In This Issue</span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#FFE699'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0in;text-indent:-.15in;mso-element:frame;mso-element-frame-hspace:9.0pt;mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-anchor-vertical:paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal:column;mso-height-rule:exactly'><span style='font-size:8.0pt;color:#FFE699'> </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#FFE699'><o:p></o:p></span></p><ul style='margin-top:0in' type=disc><li class=MsoNormal style='color:#FFE699;margin-left:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>NH Towns are Lagging on Providing Accessible Voting Machines<o:p></o:p></span></b></li><li class=MsoNormal style='color:#FFE699;margin-left:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Ask Congress for Increased Funding for SCI Model Systems<o:p></o:p></span></b></li><li class=MsoNormal style='color:#FFE699;margin-left:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Social Security Rethinks its Approach on Overpayments<o:p></o:p></span></b></li><li class=MsoNormal style='color:#FFE699;margin-left:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Keene Roadway Safety Action Plan Community Survey<o:p></o:p></span></b></li></ul><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#FFE699'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p style='margin:0in;mso-element:frame;mso-element-frame-hspace:9.0pt;mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-anchor-vertical:paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal:column;mso-height-rule:exactly'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#FFE699'> </span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#FFE699'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align=center style='margin:0in;text-align:center;mso-element:frame;mso-element-frame-hspace:9.0pt;mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-anchor-vertical:paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal:column;mso-height-rule:exactly'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:white'>Granite State Independent Living</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align=center style='margin:0in;text-align:center;mso-element:frame;mso-element-frame-hspace:9.0pt;mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-anchor-vertical:paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal:column;mso-height-rule:exactly'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:white'>Advocacy Program</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align=center style='margin:0in;text-align:center;mso-element:frame;mso-element-frame-hspace:9.0pt;mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-anchor-vertical:paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal:column;mso-height-rule:exactly'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:white'> </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align=center style='margin:0in;text-align:center;mso-element:frame;mso-element-frame-hspace:9.0pt;mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-anchor-vertical:paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal:column;mso-height-rule:exactly'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:white'>21 Chenell Drive</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align=center style='margin:0in;text-align:center;mso-element:frame;mso-element-frame-hspace:9.0pt;mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-anchor-vertical:paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal:column;mso-height-rule:exactly'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:white'> Concord, NH 03301</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align=center style='margin:0in;text-align:center;mso-element:frame;mso-element-frame-hspace:9.0pt;mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-anchor-vertical:paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal:column;mso-height-rule:exactly'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:white'> </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align=center style='margin:0in;text-align:center;mso-element:frame;mso-element-frame-hspace:9.0pt;mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-anchor-vertical:paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal:column;mso-height-rule:exactly'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#EEECE1'>Phone</span></b><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:white'>: (603) 228-9680 or (800) 826-3700</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align=center style='margin:0in;text-align:center;mso-element:frame;mso-element-frame-hspace:9.0pt;mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-anchor-vertical:paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal:column;mso-height-rule:exactly'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:#1F497D'> </span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align=center style='margin:0in;text-align:center;mso-element:frame;mso-element-frame-hspace:9.0pt;mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-anchor-vertical:paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal:column;mso-height-rule:exactly'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:white'>Visit our website at:</span></b><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'> </span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:white'><a href="http://www.gsil.org" target="_blank"><b><span style='color:#92CDDC'>www.gsil.org</span></b></a></span><span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align=center style='margin:0in;text-align:center;mso-element:frame;mso-element-frame-hspace:9.0pt;mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-anchor-vertical:paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal:column;mso-height-rule:exactly'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:white'> </span><span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align=center style='margin:0in;text-align:center;mso-element:frame;mso-element-frame-hspace:9.0pt;mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-anchor-vertical:paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal:column;mso-height-rule:exactly'><b><span lang=FR style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:white'>E-mail: </span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:white'><a href="mailto:advocacy@gsil.org" target="_blank"><b><span lang=FR style='font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#92CDDC'>advocacy@gsil.org</span></b></a></span><span lang=FR style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p></td><td valign=top style='padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:.2in'><p style='mso-element:frame;mso-element-frame-hspace:9.0pt;mso-element-wrap:around;mso-element-anchor-vertical:paragraph;mso-element-anchor-horizontal:column;mso-height-rule:exactly'><span style='font-size:10.0pt'><img border=0 width=608 height=36 style='width:6.3333in;height:.375in' id="Picture_x0020_2" src="cid:image002.png@01DA8020.0B70EDB0"></span><a name="x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_x_"></a><span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:18.0pt;color:#C82613;background:white'>NH Towns Are Lagging On Providing Accessible Voting Machines. This Bill Could Help</span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>(from New Hampshire Bulletin, written by Ethan DeWitt, published 3-26-24):<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>At his town election this month, Andrew Harmon faced a realization: He knew someone on the ballot. In fact, he’d gone to high school with him. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>But for the New Hampton resident, what might have been a common, small-town occurrence became a minor problem. Harmon, who is legally blind, was not voting with pen and paper. He was sitting with a town election official in an enclosed tent, dictating his choices aloud to the official, who was marking the ballot. And his former classmate was somewhere outside of that tent, there in the polling place – possibly within earshot. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Embarrassed, Harmon told the official his choice. “When we got to that part of the ballot, I was like, ‘Man, I hope he can’t hear me,’” Harmon recalled.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>In most major New Hampshire elections, Harmon would not be in this situation. No official would join him in the voting booth, and he would not need to speak his choices aloud. Instead, Harmon would vote with a digital device designed for voters with disabilities. He would don a pair of headphones, listen to a tablet computer read his choices aloud, tap a key on a keyboard to choose a candidate, listen as his choices were confirmed, and walk out of the tent with a freshly printed ballot with his choices filled in.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>But in local elections, the system is more primitive. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>New Hampshire’s Secretary of State’s Office provides specialized machines to cities and towns to assist voters with disabilities on Election Day. But following a longstanding policy, the office provides the machines to polling places only for federal and state elections. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>For local elections, such as town meeting or municipal contests for mayor and city council, the cities and towns do not have access to the state’s machines. And most cities and towns don’t have their own. Voters with disabilities must either vote with the help of an aide or family member or vote with the assistance of a moderator or poll worker.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Only two New Hampshire municipalities, Concord and Exeter, have accessible voting machines of their own. Both acquired theirs only after facing legal challenges from voters with disabilities. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“Manchester had a mayoral election this past fall,” said Karen Rosenberg, the policy director at the New Hampshire Disability Rights Center. “And for people who couldn’t fill in the circles, if they wanted to vote, they’d have to share with someone who it is that they were voting for.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“That is very uncomfortable for someone to have to do,” she continued. “And basically, it’s discriminatory because people who don’t experience a print disability and are not blind or visually impaired don’t have to share their private voting information with anybody. They just go and vote.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>This year, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers is seeking to end the problem and force cities and towns to acquire the machines – one way or another.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>House Bill 1264 would require towns and cities to provide accessible voting systems in local elections that meet the Help America Vote Act of 2002 as well as the Americans With Disabilities Act. Those machines would need to have the capacity to accept the choices of the voter and print out a paper ballot filled in with those choices for the voter to then cast, the bill states.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The bill would effectively “enable access to voting for individuals with disabilities during elections by giving them the same degree of privacy that is accorded to nondisabled voters,” a summary from the Secretary of State’s Office reads. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Disability rights advocates have long called for either cities and towns to acquire the machines or for the Secretary of State’s Office to share the ones it already has. That office has said that providing the machines for local elections is impractical because the tablets in each machine would need to be individually programmed according to each town’s warrant and that the office does not have the time or resources to do it. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Sponsored by Rep. Mark Paige, an Exeter Democrat, the bill creates a mandate for towns but does not explicitly state how they might meet that mandate or acquire the machines. But advocates say they envision two phases. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>First, the bill creates a pilot program where the Secretary of State’s Office is required to “provide” the machines to the towns for any elections between Jan. 1 and June 30 of 2025. Paige and other supporters say that would likely entail the Secretary of State’s Office sharing the machines it already has and allowing them to be programmed for local elections.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Second, Paige and other lawmakers say they will work to set aside money in the state budget next year to pay for cities and towns to acquire the machines themselves. Local officials would then use a vendor to program the machines – without the involvement of the Secretary of State’s Office.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The bill received a unanimous recommendation from the House Election Law Committee and passed the full House on a voice vote last week; it heads next to the Senate. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>For municipalities, the threat of litigation is very real. In 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice began investigating a Concord resident’s complaint that the city had failed to provide accessible voting machines during its municipal elections. The voter claimed the city was violating Title II of the ADA, and the federal department, following a program known as ADA Voting Initiative, pursued the claim. The city came to a settlement agreement in February 2019 in which the city agreed to acquire the accessible voting machines, avoiding the potential for costly litigation.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>A similar situation played out in Exeter, where Jean Shiner, a local resident, raised concerns about the lack of machines in 2022, according to the Disability Rights Center. Facing the possibility of litigation, the town moved to buy machines of its own; they debuted in March 2023. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>But in most cities and towns, voters with disabilities are not given the same accommodations, advocates say.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“It’s honestly quite baffling to me why it hasn’t been available,” Harmon said.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Voting rights advocates have pressed the Secretary of State’s Office to change its policies for years. But Secretary of State Dave Scanlan has followed the policy first established by his predecessor, Bill Gardner, and maintains that the state does not have the resources to share the machines.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>In an interview, Scanlan noted that the state is required by federal law to provide the machines for any election for federal office. That includes every November general election, every presidential primary, and every September state primary, which typically features party primaries for the state’s two congressional seats. The state also voluntarily shares the machines for any special elections when a state legislative seat becomes vacant. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Coordinating the programming of the machines for those elections is already difficult, Scanlan said. There is less than two months between the September primary and the November general election, during which each of the state’s polling locations must return the accessible voting tablets to the Secretary of State’s Office, which must then pass them to a vendor to reprogram them to reflect the general election ballots.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Then, the Secretary of State’s Office must test each machine to make sure the audio instructions for each candidate race are correct and that the machine will make the right selections when a voter pushes a button. There are 309 polling stations in the state, and with 400 seats in the House of Representatives, each ballot is slightly different and must be individually vetted, Scanlan said.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>To Scanlan, attempting to fold in every annual town and city election to that calendar would not be feasible. The only long-term solution, he argues, is for towns and cities to acquire the machines themselves.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“It’s a very challenging issue because of the nature of the different types of local elections,” he said. “And … no matter what we do, it’s going to continue to be a work in progress.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Under HB 1264, municipalities will not need to do so immediately, Paige says. He is hoping the transition pilot period, where the Secretary of State’s Office will share its machines, will buy time next year. And he argued that the town meeting season of 2025 would be an ideal time to try that approach because there will not be a presidential primary, a state primary, or a general election to complicate plans.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Once the state gets to budget negotiations next year, Paige estimates that the price tag to acquire machines for every city and town will not exceed $250,000. Under the likely final agreement, municipalities would be responsible for paying for a vendor to program those machines for local elections. The Secretary of State’s Office would continue to provide its separate machines in all other elections.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“The hope is that this is really small potatoes in a whole large budget for a fundamental right of voting,” said Paige. “So the hope is this won’t be a heavy lift.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>To Harmon, any plan to install the machines for local elections is overdue. For years, he has voted in state and federal elections with the use of headphones and tablets. And for years, he says, he has asked his town to also provide them in March. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“I’ve gotten all sorts of different answers over the years, but they all boil down to basically: ‘It’s not something we can do,’” he said.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><i>The original text of this article may be read <a href="https://newhampshirebulletin.com/2024/03/26/new-hampshire-towns-are-lagging-on-providing-accessible-voting-machines-this-bill-could-help/">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:18.0pt;color:#C82613;background:white'>Ask Congress for Increased Funding for SCI Model Systems</span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>(from the United Spinal Association):<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Right now, Congressional offices are deciding which funding priorities to support in the form of what are known as "sign-on letters." These letters, in support of specific priorities, are led by individual Representatives and Senators and are circulated to be signed by other members of the House and Senate.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>This year, we are fortunate to have sign-on letters in support of the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, which funds the SCI Model Systems program, led by Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) in the Senate and Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Debbie Dingell (D-MI) in the House.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Our Congressional champions have set April 1 as the deadline for their colleagues to add their signatures to these letters. This means that, in the meantime, our whole community needs to send messages to our Representatives and Senators to urge them to sign these letters.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>For over 50 years, the Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems program, sponsored by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), has been the centerpiece of a comprehensive, multidisciplinary system of care, research, and resources for people with SCI. The services they provide encompass the entirety of the rehabilitation process from emergency services at injury through a person’s return to full participation in the community. In addition to comprehensive care for individuals with SCI, these Model Systems conduct a wide range of research and provide information to patients, professionals, and the public both nationally and internationally.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Over time, however, federal funding for SCI Model Systems has not kept pace with the SCI community's needs. While the SCI community achieved a victory in 2022 by restoring the capacity of the SCI Model Systems program to include 18 Model Systems receiving funding as opposed to 14, the average amount of funding each individual Model System receives has barely changed. Prior to 2022, this funding had remained stagnant at $6.5 million total annual funding since 2006. In restoring the capacity of the SCI Model Systems program to 18 funded centers, overall funding now stands at $8.5 million, but the amount each SCI Model System receives still stands at approximately $470,000. The purchasing power of these federal funds has not kept up with inflation or the approximate 50% growth of the SCI community since 2000.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>United Spinal is asking Congress to support increasing funding for SCI Model Systems in the fiscal year 2025 appropriations bill to $16.8 million; increase funding for the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC), which serves as the premier source of spinal cord injury-related statistical data in the United States to $1.8 million and increase funding for the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC) to $2.1 million. The MSKTC works with the NSCISC and the SCI Model Systems on research and on translating the data collected into useful fact sheets on various topics related to spinal cord injury that are used not only in the United States but globally. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Please contact your Members of Congress and ask them to sign the Congressional sign-on letters for increased funding for NIDILRR for all three Model Systems: SCI, Traumatic Burn Injury and Burn, led by Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) in the Senate and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) in the House of Representatives, to be included in the fiscal year 2025 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>Contact Information for NH Members of Congress </span></b><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal> <span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>Senator Maggie Hassan<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal>324 Hart Senate Office Building<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Washington, DC 20510<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Phone: (202) 224-3324<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://www.hassan.senate.gov/contact">https://www.hassan.senate.gov/contact</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorHassan">https://twitter.com/SenatorHassan</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>Senator Jeanne Shaheen<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal>506 Hart Senate Office Building<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Washington, DC 20510<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Phone: (202) 224-2841<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://www.shaheen.senate.gov/contact/contact-jeanne">https://www.shaheen.senate.gov/contact/contact-jeanne</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorShaheen">https://twitter.com/SenatorShaheen</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>Representative Ann Kuster<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal>320 Cannon House Office Building<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Washington, DC 20515<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Phone: (202) 225-5206<br>Fax: (202) 225-2946<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://kuster.house.gov/contact">http://kuster.house.gov/contact</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://twitter.com/RepAnnieKuster">https://twitter.com/RepAnnieKuster</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>Representative Chris Pappas<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal>323 Cannon HOB<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Washington, DC 20515<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Phone: (202) 225-5456<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://pappas.house.gov/contact">https://pappas.house.gov/contact</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="https://twitter.com/RepChrisPappas">https://twitter.com/RepChrisPappas</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:18.0pt;color:#C82613;background:white'>Social Security Rethinks its Approach on Overpayments to Beneficiaries</span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>(from Disability Scoop, written by Michelle Diament, published 3-22-24):<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The Social Security Administration is making major changes amid backlash to its heavy-handed efforts to claw back billions in overpayments from beneficiaries including those with disabilities.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley said this week that the agency will give people more time to pay back money that they mistakenly received and will make it easier to request that debts be waived.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“Despite our best efforts, we sometimes get it wrong and pay beneficiaries more than they are due, creating an overpayment,” O’Malley said. “When that happens, Congress requires that we make every effort to recover those overpaid benefits. But doing so without regard to the larger purpose of the program can result in grave injustices to individuals.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The changes at Social Security come after an <a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/social-security-overpayments-investigation/">investigation</a> by KFF Health News and Cox Media Group television stations detailed numerous cases where the agency demanded that beneficiaries, including those with developmental disabilities, repay money that they shouldn’t have received, sometimes in as little as 30 days.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Most overpayments involve the Supplemental Security Income program and they can be the result of a mistake made by the Social Security Administration or due to failures on the part of beneficiaries to comply with the agency’s complex requirements, the investigation found. In some cases, the overpayments go unnoticed for years ballooning to tens of thousands of dollars before Social Security seeks repayment from beneficiaries, many of whom are just scraping by to begin with.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Starting next week, Social Security will halt its practice of withholding 100% of a person’s monthly benefits if they fail to respond to a demand for repayment, instead capping such withholding at 10%, O’Malley said. The agency will also update its guidance and procedures to shift the burden of proof away from beneficiaries in determining whether they were at fault for the overpayment.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Meanwhile, O’Malley said Social Security recently adjusted its policy to approve repayment plans of up to 60 months, two years longer than before. And, the agency plans to make it “much easier” for beneficiaries to request a waiver of repayment in cases where they believe they were not at fault or do not have the ability to repay the money.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>More broadly, O’Malley, who took the reins at Social Security in December, said he’s working to prevent overpayments from occurring.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“We have also embarked upon a deep dive into the extent of the overpayment problem at Social Security, the root causes of these administrative errors, and the steps we can take as an agency to address these individual injustices,” O’Malley said.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><i>The original text of this article may be read <a href="https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2024/03/22/social-security-rethinks-its-approach-on-overpayments-to-beneficiaries/30797/">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:18.0pt;color:#C82613;background:white'>Keene Roadway Safety Action Plan Community Survey</span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span class=x193iq5w>Are you in the Keene area? A Keene committee is developing a roadway safety plan and has <a href="https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/77c204c8c6924ca3aa43472cf372dca2">prepared a survey</a> to get as much input as possible.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Your responses to the survey’s 14 questions will help the City and the planning consultants better understand key issues for people who drive, bike, walk, or use a mobility device in Keene. As the Safety Action Plan evolves over the coming months, results of the survey will inform the team's recommendations related to proposed infrastructure projects, safety programs, and project prioritization.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The survey, which runs through April, should take 10-15 minutes to complete and all responses are kept confidential. Note: access to the input maps in question 10 may not work using some phones and can be more-easily accessed using a laptop. For additional information about the survey or the planning effort, please contact the City's project manager Brett Rusnock P.E. at <a href="mailto:brusnock@keenenh.gov">brusnock@keenenh.gov</a>.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>If you wish to respond to the survey verbally, please call Keene Public Works at 603-352-6550 to make the request.<o:p></o:p></p></td><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;height:.2in'></td></tr><tr style='height:.2in'><td valign=top style='background:maroon;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:.2in'></td><td valign=top style='padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;height:.2in'></td><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;height:.2in'></td></tr></table><p style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Ryan Donnelly</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Advocacy Coordinator</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'> </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Granite State Independent Living</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><b><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#7F7F7F'>Tools for Living Life Independently</span></i></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#7F7F7F'>Home Care • Community Supports • Employment Services</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>21 Chenell Drive| Concord, NH | 03301 <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Office: (603) 228-9680 x1125 | (800) 826-3700 (V /TTY)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Visit our website at</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>: </span><span style='color:black'><a href="http://www.gsil.org/" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>www.gsil.org</span></a></span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:black'>Pinnacle Award Non-Profit Business of the Year, Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:black'>Year of Service, Citadel Broadcasting / WOKQ</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:black'>Corporate Fund Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:black'>NHBR Business Excellence Award –Nonprofit</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:black'>Business NH Magazine Nonprofit of the Year</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif;color:black'> </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial Narrow",sans-serif;color:black'>CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail and any files transmitted with it are for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and contain information that may be privileged and confidential. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, please delete this e-mail and any files transmitted with it and notify the sender immediately.</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>