Take Action

National Call-In Day for Money Follows the Person

December 13, 2019

The future of the Money Follows the Person (MFP) program is again at risk!  Short-term MFP funding ends at the end of December.  But, for the first time, some Members of Congress have indicated support for permanently continuing MFP! We need your advocacy to help make this happen.

Join our National Call-In Day on December 16 and urge your Members of Congress to permanently reauthorize MFP.  Read this fact sheet to learn more about MFP.

Here’s how: 

1. Call the Capitol Switchboard at: (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to your Representative or your Senators.

   • You can find out who your Senators are by going here:  https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?OrderBy=state&Sort=ASC.   To learn who your Representative is, go here:  https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

2. When you are connected to your Representative or Senator, ask him or her to pass a permanent reauthorization of the Money Follows the Person program. You can use the script or talking points below if they are helpful.

3. Repeat until you’ve called your Representative and your two Senators. 

Script

Hello, my name is ____________.  I am a constituent of Representative/Senator ____________ and I live in TOWN, STATE.  I’m calling to ask Representative/Senator _________ to pass a permanent reauthorization of the Money Follows the Person program - MFP.  MFP is a win-win for long-term care consumers and states. MFP helps individuals with disabilities and seniors who want to return to the community leave institutions, including nursing homes. It also helps states save money because community care costs less. I hope Representative/Senator _____________ will act to make this program permanent.

Talking points 

• The Money Follows the Person program, which brings long-term care consumers back home to their communities, will run out of money at the end of December.

• MFP improves the quality of life of individuals while saving Medicaid money for states and the federal government.

• Without additional funding, states could scale back or stop their programs, potentially withdrawing long-term care services from people who need it. Permanent funding would allow the program to continue to help older adults and persons with disabilities who wish to leave nursing homes, and states would know they could rely on federal funding.

• Talk about why this is important for you or someone you know, and your state.