Recognizing the impact of the economic recession on working families, President Obama and Vice President Biden held a meeting of the Middle Class Task Force on January 25, 2010 to discuss ways to reduce the financial burden for this group and increase investments for them. Over the past year, the Task Force has held several meetings on this topic and their recommendations include the following:

1. An increased Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit for families making under $85,000 a year. The administration also plans to provide a $1.6 billion increase in child care funding to help an additional 235,000 children.

2. A decrease in students’ federal loan payments to 10% of their income, referring to the Income-Based Repayment (IBR) program, created by Congress in 2007. For more information about IBR or Public Service Loan Forgiveness, go to NASW’s loan forgiveness website at http://www.socialworkers.org/loanforgiveness/default.asp.

3. Creating a system of automatic workplace IRAs, requiring that employers give employees the option to enroll in a direct-deposit IRA.

4.Tax credits to match retirement savings and new safeguards to protect them.

5.Support for families balancing work with caring for elderly relatives, which is intended to help families manage multiple responsibilities and allow seniors to live in the community for as long as possible.

For more information about these initiatives or to review remarks by the President and Vice President at the Middle Class Task Force meeting, go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/key-investments-middle-class-families.

On Thursday, January 21, the Supreme Court handed down its decision in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. In essence, this decision holds that corporations and unions may spend money from their general funds on political and campaign activities. We are presently analyzing the impact of this decision on NASW and PACE, and will provide you with more information as soon as possible.

August 3, 2009

Edward M. Kennedy
Chair
Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
317 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Kennedy:

On behalf of the 150,000 members of the National Association of Social Workers, I am writing in support of the confirmation of Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, as Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Founded in 1955, NASW is the largest membership organization of social workers and seeks to enhance the well-being of individuals, families and communities through its work and advocacy.

Professional social workers have an important and growing presence at NIH.  This is not only through the provision of clinical services, but also due to a portfolio of research grants on psychosocial care, health disparities, family caregiving, and innovative, community-based health, mental health, and substance abuse intervention.

Dr. Collins’ lengthy career has focused on revolutionizing our collective understanding of disease genes and the human genome map. Thanks to this work, social workers and a wide range of other medical care providers are able to better understand the personalized nature of illnesses.    Dr. Collins’ work shines a light on the entire spectrum of human conditions, and the need to more fully address the interactions of genes, behavior and the environment.

Dr. Collins’ work has a direct and invaluable impact for our society.  In addition to his long list of contributions to basic genetic research and scientific leadership, Dr. Collins is known for his close attention to ethical and legal issues in research. He has been a strong advocate for protecting the privacy of genetic information and has served as a national leader in efforts to prohibit gene-based insurance discrimination.

We know that understanding genetics is one key to the research work of NIH, because of the way such research changes how disease will be addressed.  For example, in the case of schizophrenia,  this understanding can lead to new possibilities for cure or disease management, but may also  create dilemmas stemming from earlier awareness that a person will develop a disease.  All of these factors have psychosocial dimensions that will benefit from the knowledge, skills and practice of social work.

Dr. Collins leadership and management skills, broad-based scientific knowledge, his understanding of the linkages between research and clinical services, including social work services, his long-standing engagement with the research and advocacy community make him an excellent choice to lead NIH at this time of attention to translational research and personalized medicine.

NASW looks forward to working with Dr. Collins to continue to address the critical issues of health disparities and the elimination of diseases through behavioral change and addressing social and environmental conditions.  Because Dr. Collins understands the field of social work’s contribution to health and well-being, and his commitment to enhancing the health of Americans everywhere, it gives me great pleasure to support Dr. Collin’s nomination and I ask for his confirmation. Thank you for your consideration.

Yours truly,

Elizabeth J. Clark, PhD, ACSW, MPH
Executive Director

Click here to tell your story of service.

“United We Serve” is a nationwide service initiative that will help meet growing social needs resulting from the economic downturn. With the knowledge that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things when given the proper tools, President Obama is asking us to come together to help lay a new foundation for growth. NASW is a partner in this effort

Whether you were already serving your country, or are responding to the President’s call, you have a chance to tell your story of how you are delivering on change in your community.

Whether you are helping those struggling in the current economy, tutoring kids in your neighborhood every day, or anything else, we want to highlight what social workers are doing to strengthen our country.

On July 10, NASW staff, at the request of the White House, participated in a teleconference to discuss the findings from the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics’ report entitled, “ America’s Children: Key National Indicators on Child Well Being,” http://childstats.gov/americaschildren/, that includes 40 indicators of child wellbeing.

The discussion touched on some of the reports’ findings that include persistent increases in child poverty and teen pregnancy, food insecurity, and health disparities and the Administration’s plans to address these issues. Administration officials on the call were Tina Chen, Director, White House Office of Public Engagement, Abby Witt, Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff, Office of Public Engagement, and Ken Baer, Associate Director for Communications and Strategic Planning, Office of Management and Budget.

Take Action Today!

President Obama has selected his nominee for Supreme Court Justice to replace retiring Justice David Souter, Judge Sonia Sotomayor. We asked you earlier this month to contact President Obama and encourage him to nominate a candidate who reflects the diversity of this country. You responded and he listened. If confirmed, Judge Sotomayor will be the first Latina justice and the third female justice to serve on the court.

Action Requested
Please contact your Senators and ask them to confirm the appointment of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court.  Click here to send your letter.

Background
Judge Sotomayor has an impressive resume’. She graduated from Princeton University and Yale Law School where she was an editor at the Yale Law Journal. She worked as an Assistant District Attorney in New York before entering private practice in 1984. She went on to be a federal trial judge on the U.S. District Court and a highly regarded and accomplished appellate judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

NASW believes that Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s compelling life story and her extensive, as well as distinguished, record of judicial service will serve the country well. The federal courts often are called the guardians of the Constitution because their rulings protect the rights and liberties guaranteed by this important document. For many Americans, the federal judiciary is the first line of defense against violations of dearly held constitutional principles; for others, it is the last bastion of hope in a system that has marginalized, mistreated or simply ignored them. The composition of the federal judiciary is a civil rights issue of great relevance to all Americans, because the individuals charged with dispensing justice in our society have a direct impact on civil rights for all. To this end, the federal judiciary must be perceived by the public as an instrument of justice, and the individuals who are selected for this branch of government must be the embodiment of equity as well as impartiality.

In her 17 years on the bench, Judge Sotomayor’s legal opinions reflect the passion and commitment to enrich the lives of ordinary Americans while, also, reaching conclusions that improve America as a country founded on Democratic ideals and principles. Judge Sotomayor and her extensive legal work, in the view of social work, appeals to our nation and can provide insight on those issues which divide America and undermine the lives of vulnerable populations. In our system of checks and balances, the Senate has the constitutional role to advise and consent on federal judicial nominations. NASW affirms that Judge Sonia Sotomayor meets the criteria that is appropriately applied to nominees to these positions and should be confirmed.

Take Action Today!

Background

Social work members of Congress, Reps. Barbara Lee, Susan Davis, Ed Towns and Luis Gutierrez are original co-sponsors of the Department of Peace Act H.R. 808. The act would establish a Department of Peace headed by a Secretary of Peace. The mission of the department is to (1) cultivate peace as a national policy objective; and (2) develop policies that promote national and international conflict prevention, nonviolent intervention, mediation, peaceful conflict resolution, and structured conflict mediation.

While previous iterations of the act ran into trouble citing duplication with the State Department responsibilities, the current version was revised to have an emphasis on domestic rather than international conflict.

Action Requested

Contact your member of Congress and ask them to become a cosponsor of H.R. 808 and work towards its passage. If your member of Congress is already a cosponsor we have a letter thanking them for their cosponsorship.

Take Action - Ask Your Senators to Vote for S. 3335 on the Floor

The U.S. Senate may consider legislation to improve insurance coverage for mental health and addiction treatment as early as tomorrow, Tuesday, July 29. Please phone your Senators with the quick message below urging them to support this critical mental health and addictions treatment legislation.

Background:
The Senate leadership has added the mental health parity bill for private insurance negotiated between the House and the Senate to another bill, S. 3335, an unrelated tax extenders package. Please contact your Senators and ask them to vote yes on S. 3335 when it comes to the floor of the Senate.

Action Requested:
NASW members should telephone both of their Senators to urge they pass S. 3335, including the Mental Health Parity Act of 2008 (S. 558). Click on take action above. You will be directed to a page where you can� enter your zip code into a box� to be directed to the phone numbers for your Senators. We are targeting all members of the Senate with the following message:
“I am a constituent, professional social worker and member of the National Association of Social Workers. The Mental Health Parity Act of 2008 (S. 558) will provide critical health care protection for 113 million Americans. Please vote for S. 3335, the tax extenders package, which includes this vital mental health legislation.� The Senate must pass lifesaving mental health and addiction parity legislation included in the bill before the August recess.”

Thank you for supporting this critical piece of NASW’s legislative agenda.

Colleagues,

NASW is pleased to forward this notice regarding an historic milestone for the profession.� The US House Healthy Families and Communities Sub-committee of the Health and Labor Committee will hold a hearing on Tuesday, July 29, 3:00pm EDST, Room 2175 Rayburn House Office Building.� The hearing is entitled, “Caring for the Vulnerable:� The State of Social Work in America.”�

We understand the hearing room can accommodate a large audience, so you are welcome to attend.� The hearing will also be archived on the web at:� http://edlabor.house.gov/committee/hearingsbycommittee.shtml.� You may find the committee website of interest at http://edlabor.house.gov/

We hope you can join us.

Take Action!

A crucial Senate floor vote on Medicare legislation is expected on Sunday, June 29. Email your Senators now, urging them to support “cloture” on HR. 6331. Send the message below to support passage of this important bill for clinical social workers. Simply enter your zip code and send this preformed letter.

Message: I am writing as a constituent, professional social worker, and member of the National Association of Social Workers. I urge you to support passage of the Medicare Bill (HR. 6331) on the floor. This bill includes vital improvements to ensure Medicare beneficiaries have access to high-quality mental health care.

The bill is especially important for the Medicare beneficiaries I serve, as it restores funding for clinical social work payments cut in 2007. This cut has placed the Medicare mental health benefit at risk and addressing it must be a top priority in any Medicare legislation this year. I also am pleased the bill finally treats mental health coverage equally with other medical benefits, providing Medicare coinsurance parity and halting the scheduled 10.6% cut for all outpatient provider payments. Please vote to pass H.R. 6331. It will make a real difference for the beneficiaries I serve.

Background: The Medicare bill, also known as the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, (HR. 6331) includes important provisions for clinical social workers, including a rate increase for clinical social work services cut in 2007. Clinical social worker rates would increase for psychotherapy and related services by 5% ($45 million) for 18 months from July 1, 2008 through December 31, 2009, above the rate given to other medical services. Given strong pressure from the White House to narrow the bill, this is a huge victory for clinical social workers and psychologists who have worked to restore psychotherapy rates in Medicare. Very importantly, this compromise House and Senate bill contains a Medicare coinsurance parity provision, reducing beneficiaries’ copayments by 5% per year from 50% in 2009 to 20% in 2014 - at full parity with medical and surgical benefits. This is a crucial legislative goal long sought by NASW. This year’s Medicare package is designed primarily to halt the scheduled 10.6% cut in all Part B provider payment rates. This compromise bill would postpone the cut for 18 months, beginning July 1, 2008 and increase payments for all providers by 1.1% for 2009, including clinical social workers participating in Part B. In addition to the 1.1% increase in 2009, clinical social workers would receive an increase of 5% (effective July 1, 2008) above those of other providers, if this bill passes. Since the House has already approved HR. 6331, this bill will immediately be sent to the President for consideration. It is unclear whether he would sign it in its present form.

A Piece is Missing: Unfortunately, this compromise bill does not include language sought by NASW permitting clinical social workers to bill separately for services to Medicare Part A nursing home residents (Clinical Social Work Medicare Equity Act, S.1212). This provision was included in an earlier House Medicare package (HR. 3162) and NASW will continue fighting to get this bill enacted next year. For more background on legislative activity, see NASW’s website: NASW recent Medicare alerts.