Search Frequenty Asked Questions

On June 18, 2001, President Bush signed Executive Order No. 13217 on Community-Based Alternatives for Individuals with Disabilities. As one step in carrying out the Order, the Departments of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, the Department of Labor, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Social Security Administration are tasked with evaluating the policies, programs, statues, and regulations of their respective agencies to determine whether any should be revised or modified to improve the availability of community-based services for qualified individuals with disabilities. The results of the evaluation must be reported through the Department of Health and Human Services, to the President by October 16, 2001. (Delayed until December, 2001)

Essential to the review of the federal programs is the involvement of consumers, advocacy organizations, providers, and relevant agency representatives. "We can make real progress only if we first listen to the people who know the barriers better than anyone else could," as stated by DHHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson during his July 25 speech celebrating the eleven year anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

There were three primary ways to provide input:

• Written Comment Period Ended August 27, 2001.
• Toll Free Teleconference Session Transcript - August 15, 2001.
• National Listening Session - September 5, 2001

The National Listening Session was held on September 5, 2001. As John Brock said in his testimony " It is time to talk with the people we have been talking about." and that is what we did that day. Approximately 210 participants came from the District of Columbia and 34 States all over the country. In addition, well over 60 Federal representatives were listeners.

Approximately 90 participants provided testimony. They presented comments from diverse stakeholder perspectives (e.g. consumers and their family members, providers and provider organizations, governmental entities, advocacy organizations, researchers and a service employee union). Those testifying represented people with a range of disabilities (e.g. aging, mental health, substance abuse, developmental disabilities, including mental retardation, autism, fetal alcohol syndrome, acquired brain injury, physical disabilities including spinal injuries, post-polio syndrome, cerebral palsy, deafness, blindness, etc. ). We received comments and recommendations on a broad spectrum of topics (e.g. transportation, education, Medicaid, Medicare, housing, cultural competency, civil rights, legal issues, employment, consumer choice, consumer-directed care, family support, social security, provider capacity, tribal issues, workforce shortage, racial and cultural minorities, etc.).

The Federal Listeners at the meeting represented at least 10 Federal Departments or Agencies, as well as the White House. These included The Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, the Social Security Administration, the Office of Personnel Management, the Department of Transportation, the Veterans Administration, and the Small Business Administration. The Department of Health and Human Services had representatives from the Administration for Children and Families, the Administration on Aging, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Food and Drug Administration, the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Indian Health Service, the National Institutes of Health, the Office for Civil Rights, the Office of the General Counsel, the Office of the Inspector General, the Office of Public Health and Science, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

To view the transcript of the proceedings, click on the appropriate file below. Since the transcript is 300 pages, we broke it into 5 files.

Welcome by Deputy Secretary Allen and other Federal Staff - Pages 1-29 - PDF (361KB)

AM Testimony - Pages 29-96 - PDF (723KB)

Noon Open Microphone Testimony - Pages 96-163 - PDF (716KB)

PM Testimony - Pages 163-251 - PDF (913KB)

PM Open Microphone Testimony and Closing Remarks by Secretary Thompson - Pages 251-302 - PDF (571KB)

For more information about the September 5 Listening Session, e-mail Kathy Rama at krama@cms.hhs.gov or call (410) 786-6659.