Archived Advocacy Alerts
Advocating For The Rehabilitation Profession Since 1949Archeved Advocacy Alerts
The Social Security Administration is currently at its lowest staffing levels in 50 years while taking care of more Americans than ever. The Trump administration plans to close many Social Security offices. It also states that SSA staffing levels are “bloated” and has announced a 12% staffing cut.
In addition, SSA has proposed plans to reduce telephonic applications, currently the most common route for SSDI and SSA retirement applicants, by requiring identity verification to be done in person or by a complicated on-line process. SSA's internal memos indicate that ending phone application identity verification will increase in-person office visits by 75,000 to 85,000 a week.
The current average wait time for the SSDI application process is 240 days (SSA data). Economist David Weaver projects that in two years there will be a staggering backlog of 2.5 Million SSDI applicants, and this prior to the Trump administration cuts, that will make this number much higher. This backlog would include hearings for appeals. There is no way to automate or use AI for in person requirements.
With current wait times, a small but significant number of SSDI applicants die prior to being determined eligible. Given the Administration’s plans, deaths, poverty and homelessness will increase, based on SSA’s own research conducted in 2022. These plans will strike marginalized communities particularly hard.
(*Thanks to IARP for their partnership and assistance in drafting this Alert.)
We ask members and friends of the National Rehabilitation Association to contact their US Senators and US Representatives with the message below. You may tailor the message to reflect your own experience. Contact your US Representative at Find Your Representative and your US Senators at Contacting U.S. Senators. Complete their contact forms and drop the message into their contact formats. Modify or personalize as appropriate. Please act today.
Subject: Urgent: Protect Social Security Disability Access for Your Constituents
Dear [Member of Congress], As a constituent, I am deeply concerned about the Social Security Administration's (SSA) plans to close offices, reduce staff, and eliminate phone applications for disability benefits. SSA itself has acknowledged that ending phone applications identity verification will increase weekly in-person office visits by 75,000 to 85,000-while simultaneously reducing the capacity to serve those in need.
With fewer offices, staff, and pathways to submit applications, individuals in our community will face significant delays in applying for and receiving disability benefits. Current delays are already 240 days. The SSA Plans will lead to increased backlogs and limit appeal hearings.
I urge you to oppose any changes that would make it more difficult for people to apply for Social Security benefits.
Thank you for your leadership and attention to this critical issue.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[Your Contact Information]
Seventeen states are seeking to invalidate one of the nation’s key disability rights laws, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
The lawsuit, first brought by Texas calls for an end to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. This law prohibits discrimination on the basis of a disability in education, public access, and public services of any entity that receives federal funds and is one of the pillars of the Americans with Disability Act.
The suit was filed in response to an updated Section 504 regulations that was finalized by the Biden administration last year. With the litigation, the states seek to make their challenge the states ask the court to “declare Section 504, 29 U.S.C. § 794, unconstitutional” in its entirety.
We ask members who are residents of the 17 states to urge their state’s Attorney Generals to withdraw from the lawsuit, called Texas v. Becerra. To read more, including the states filing the suit, please see the information provided by the Center for Public Representation here.
Take action today. Plans are afoot to dismantle, eliminate, and/ or defund the US Department of Education. Such plans, if carried out, will have devastating effects on youth and adults with disabilities and on those who serve them. Contact your US Representative at Find Your Representative and your US Senators at Contacting U.S. Senators. Complete their contact forms and drop the message into their contact formats. Modify or personalize as appropriate. Please act today.
Subject: Oppose the Elimination or Defunding of the Department of Education
As your constituent, I urge you to oppose any legislation or executive order that seeks to eliminate or defund the U.S. Department of Education. Such actions would have devastating consequences for individuals with disabilities who rely on the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) and state vocational rehabilitation (VR) programs to secure and maintain employment. The Rehabilitation Services Administration is currently a part of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services Administration within this Department. These offices work closely together to ensure the successful transition of disabled school youth into adult employment. Their coordination is required by both the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Rehabilitation Act (WIOA, Title IV).
State VR programs, funded through RSA grants, provide essential support-including job training, assistive technology, and career counseling to help people with disabilities contribute to the workforce and live independently. Eliminating or reducing this funding would strip away these critical resources, increasing unemployment and economic instability for millions. Eliminating assistance for individuals with disabilities to work increases their dependence upon the government for support. Many, many youth and adults with disabilities in your state and district will be affected.
I urge you to reject any proposals that would dismantle the Department of Education and jeopardize the future of individuals who rely on its assistance in being contributing members of society. This would only increase dependence upon government benefits for support.
Thank you for your leadership on this critical issue.
[Your name and organization]
Important Statement to Members: Remember advocacy boundaries. When you do public policy or legislative advocacy as a member of the National Rehabilitation Association or as a professional who is also a citizen/constituent, you must do so on “your own time and your own dime.” Use your personal time and resources. Do not use work time and employer resources (eg. computers, phones) for legislative contacts unless permitted by your employer.
URGENT: The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on Tue., Feb. 25 on a budget resolution that could dramatically cut programs serving vulnerable populations while increasing the deficit by $2.8 trillion through tax cuts primarily benefiting wealthy Americans. The vote on this consequential budget blueprint could cut federal funding by more than a fourth. The proposal includes devasting cuts to Medicaid ($880 billion), nutrition assistance programs ($230 billion), education/workforce programs ($330 billion) and clean energy programs.
Click here to find your representative and how to contact them.
Since 1925, the National Rehabilitation Association (NRA) has been at the forefront of advocating for the employment of people with disabilities, along with other leading disability based organizations—ensuring people with disabilities have access to opportunities they seek and are fully qualified for, across both public and private sectors. Our work has been rooted in breaking down social, physical, legal, systemic, and attitudinal barriers that have long prevented talented individuals from securing meaningful employment. This commitment extends to disabled veterans, civilians, and those with physical, sensory, and mental conditions—all of whom bring invaluable contributions to our workforce. Despite the gains made in accessing the labor force, people with disabilities still have twice the unemployment rate of non-disabled workers in the face of continued employment discrimination.
Like all Americans, we are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life that occurred on January 29th at Washington D.C.’s Ronald Reagan National Airport. However, we are dismayed by the President’s unfounded remarks seeming to blame FAA workers with disabilities for this accident. There is no evidence that FAA employees with disabilities had any role in this tragedy. As with all federal agencies, the FAA maintains rigorous qualification standards that every candidate must meet, regardless of disability or not. To suggest otherwise is not only misleading but harmful—perpetuating dangerous stereotypes and undermining the dedication of federal employees who, like all workers, are hired for their skills, qualifications, and ability to perform their jobs.
For over a century, every U.S. President—Republican and Democrat alike—has stood in support of employing veterans and civilians with disabilities. This bipartisan commitment has been fundamental to the progress made in ensuring that all Americans have a fair chance at employment. To see this progress threatened by unwarranted rhetoric is both deeply disappointing and unacceptable. We will not allow decades of hard-fought advancement to be diminished by misinformation and discrimination.
We call upon all Americans to stand with us in defending the rights, programs, and services that empower workers with disabilities to thrive in the workplace. We urge continued support for the federal laws that protect and promote the employment of qualified individuals with disabilities, ensuring they can contribute their enormous talents to the American economy. This is not just a matter of justice—it is a matter of economic strength, innovation, and doing what is right.
Let us rise above division and reaffirm our nation’s commitment to accessibility, inclusion, dignity, and opportunity for all Americans with disabilities.
- The National Rehabilitation Association (NRA)