ANCOR
@therealancor.bsky.social
Advancing the future of supports and services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
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ANCOR
@therealancor.bsky.social
· Jan 29
HCBS Explainer
YouTube video by ANCOR
youtu.be
Ever wonder why community-based disability services are so vital? Here’s why it’s crucial that we strengthen—not weaken—the Medicaid Home and Community Based Services program.
#disability #disabilityinclusion #ltss #hcbs #medicaid
#disability #disabilityinclusion #ltss #hcbs #medicaid
"Add to [the ongoing workforce crisis] the nearly $1 trillion in funding cuts passed earlier this year in the budget bill, and it’s not hard to understand why people with disabilities are gravely concerned about the future of their services.” www.mcknightshomecare.com/news/survey-...
Survey: Staffing challenges afflict nearly 9 in 10 HCBS providers serving people with disabilities
While the direct care worker staffing situation is improving slowly, the vast majority of providers still report being unable to fill vacancies.
www.mcknightshomecare.com
October 31, 2025 at 4:32 PM
"Add to [the ongoing workforce crisis] the nearly $1 trillion in funding cuts passed earlier this year in the budget bill, and it’s not hard to understand why people with disabilities are gravely concerned about the future of their services.” www.mcknightshomecare.com/news/survey-...
This fall, ANCOR fielded our sixth annual survey of community providers of I/DD services, continuing our effort to better understand how providers navigate long-term shortages of direct support professionals (DSPs). Here’s what we learned: www.ancor.org/resources/th...
October 29, 2025 at 7:18 PM
This fall, ANCOR fielded our sixth annual survey of community providers of I/DD services, continuing our effort to better understand how providers navigate long-term shortages of direct support professionals (DSPs). Here’s what we learned: www.ancor.org/resources/th...
Autism is not a crisis. It does not destroy families. Help us tell federal policymakers to invest in community-based services and ensure people with Autism have access to critical supports to participate in our communities: www.ancor.org/actions/advo...
Advocate for the HCBS Relief Act: Strengthen Community Services | ANCOR
The HCBS Relief Act would provide a 10-percentage-point increase in Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) for HCBS in 2026 and 2027.
www.ancor.org
September 23, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Autism is not a crisis. It does not destroy families. Help us tell federal policymakers to invest in community-based services and ensure people with Autism have access to critical supports to participate in our communities: www.ancor.org/actions/advo...
Reposted by ANCOR
@GovMurphy has declared this week to be #DirectSupportProfessionalsWeek! @NJDHS thanks all DSPs who make a difference in the lives of so many by providing necessary supports that enable them to live, work & enjoy life as independently as possible in their community. #DSPRW2025
September 8, 2025 at 2:38 PM
@GovMurphy has declared this week to be #DirectSupportProfessionalsWeek! @NJDHS thanks all DSPs who make a difference in the lives of so many by providing necessary supports that enable them to live, work & enjoy life as independently as possible in their community. #DSPRW2025
Reposted by ANCOR
It's day one of #DSPRW2025!
We start the week by recognizing our Central Region DSP of the Year, Kait Mearkle!
Her superiors put it best: Kait is invested in #SupportingPeople. She engages in research to help them, and informs them of the consequences of their choices.
Thank you for everything!
We start the week by recognizing our Central Region DSP of the Year, Kait Mearkle!
Her superiors put it best: Kait is invested in #SupportingPeople. She engages in research to help them, and informs them of the consequences of their choices.
Thank you for everything!
September 7, 2025 at 6:00 PM
It's day one of #DSPRW2025!
We start the week by recognizing our Central Region DSP of the Year, Kait Mearkle!
Her superiors put it best: Kait is invested in #SupportingPeople. She engages in research to help them, and informs them of the consequences of their choices.
Thank you for everything!
We start the week by recognizing our Central Region DSP of the Year, Kait Mearkle!
Her superiors put it best: Kait is invested in #SupportingPeople. She engages in research to help them, and informs them of the consequences of their choices.
Thank you for everything!
Reposted by ANCOR
It’s Direct Support Professional (DSP) Recognition Week! #ILA is proud to recognize this critical part of our workforce who deliver loving support, encouragement, and guidance to the Individuals in our care. #ThankYou for the compassion and dedication that you exhibit every day! #DSPRW2025
September 8, 2025 at 1:02 PM
It’s Direct Support Professional (DSP) Recognition Week! #ILA is proud to recognize this critical part of our workforce who deliver loving support, encouragement, and guidance to the Individuals in our care. #ThankYou for the compassion and dedication that you exhibit every day! #DSPRW2025
Reposted by ANCOR
To us, September is a month of marveling at the incredible work done by our Direct Support Professionals.
Starting tomorrow, we’re celebrating our 7 Valley DSPs of the year during #DSPRW2025!
Join us and our partners at @therealancor.bsky.social, PAR and TPA as we celebrate the passion of our DSPs
Starting tomorrow, we’re celebrating our 7 Valley DSPs of the year during #DSPRW2025!
Join us and our partners at @therealancor.bsky.social, PAR and TPA as we celebrate the passion of our DSPs
September 6, 2025 at 4:00 PM
To us, September is a month of marveling at the incredible work done by our Direct Support Professionals.
Starting tomorrow, we’re celebrating our 7 Valley DSPs of the year during #DSPRW2025!
Join us and our partners at @therealancor.bsky.social, PAR and TPA as we celebrate the passion of our DSPs
Starting tomorrow, we’re celebrating our 7 Valley DSPs of the year during #DSPRW2025!
Join us and our partners at @therealancor.bsky.social, PAR and TPA as we celebrate the passion of our DSPs
Today, as we celebrate the 35th anniversary of the ADA, its promise is in jeopardy following the passage of President Trump’s tax bill, which will cut approximately $1 trillion from Medicaid over the next several years.
Read more from ANCOR CEO Barbara Merrill and the Honorable Tony Coelho in TIME.
Read more from ANCOR CEO Barbara Merrill and the Honorable Tony Coelho in TIME.
Trump’s Medicaid Cuts Put People with Disabilities at Risk
"A nearly $1 trillion cut to Medicaid is not just a budgetary change. It will harm people with disabilities."
time.com
July 26, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Today, as we celebrate the 35th anniversary of the ADA, its promise is in jeopardy following the passage of President Trump’s tax bill, which will cut approximately $1 trillion from Medicaid over the next several years.
Read more from ANCOR CEO Barbara Merrill and the Honorable Tony Coelho in TIME.
Read more from ANCOR CEO Barbara Merrill and the Honorable Tony Coelho in TIME.
For weeks, we hoped the Senate’s reconciliation bill would retreat from the devastating Medicaid cuts passed by the House in H.R. 1. What we got instead was a bill that increased harmful reductions that will devastate services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).
July 1, 2025 at 5:57 PM
For weeks, we hoped the Senate’s reconciliation bill would retreat from the devastating Medicaid cuts passed by the House in H.R. 1. What we got instead was a bill that increased harmful reductions that will devastate services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).
Reposted by ANCOR
Senators hold the opportunity to continue protecting our most vulnerable populations by rejecting any cuts to Medicaid and not putting further stress on a system already in crisis, says Barbara Merrill of @therealancor.bsky.social: www.commondreams.org/opinion/medi...
Medicaid Cuts Put Services for Vulnerable People at Grave Risk | Common Dreams
Medicaid doesn’t just provide healthcare. It is the single largest payer for the community-based services people with intellectual and developmental disabilities need to live, work, and thrive in our ...
www.commondreams.org
May 22, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Senators hold the opportunity to continue protecting our most vulnerable populations by rejecting any cuts to Medicaid and not putting further stress on a system already in crisis, says Barbara Merrill of @therealancor.bsky.social: www.commondreams.org/opinion/medi...
CEO @barbaramerrill.bsky.social writes in @commondreams.org about why #Congress must #SaveMedicaid:
"If lawmakers truly care about boosting economies, they would invest in, not divest from Medicaid, because these services actually play a critical yet often invisible role in state economies."
"If lawmakers truly care about boosting economies, they would invest in, not divest from Medicaid, because these services actually play a critical yet often invisible role in state economies."
Medicaid Cuts Put Services for Vulnerable People at Grave Risk | Common Dreams
Medicaid doesn’t just provide healthcare. It is the single largest payer for the community-based services people with intellectual and developmental disabilities need to live, work, and thrive in our ...
www.commondreams.org
May 22, 2025 at 4:01 PM
CEO @barbaramerrill.bsky.social writes in @commondreams.org about why #Congress must #SaveMedicaid:
"If lawmakers truly care about boosting economies, they would invest in, not divest from Medicaid, because these services actually play a critical yet often invisible role in state economies."
"If lawmakers truly care about boosting economies, they would invest in, not divest from Medicaid, because these services actually play a critical yet often invisible role in state economies."
Thank you, Precious Myers-Brown, for sharing the story of Nirvana and the things #Medicaid empowered her to learn, do and dream at the age of 85! "She has a place on earth, just like every one of us!" #ProtectMedicaid
May 8, 2025 at 12:39 AM
Thank you, Precious Myers-Brown, for sharing the story of Nirvana and the things #Medicaid empowered her to learn, do and dream at the age of 85! "She has a place on earth, just like every one of us!" #ProtectMedicaid
So grateful for leaders like @CarolineMeehan9, Executive Dir for ANCOR member @CPAssociationLA, who tells the story of Wayne, a man from Shreveport who passed away in 2020, and whose life was permanently altered for the better thanks to #Medicaid. Wayne's story reveals why we must #ProtectMedicaid!
May 8, 2025 at 12:15 AM
So grateful for leaders like @CarolineMeehan9, Executive Dir for ANCOR member @CPAssociationLA, who tells the story of Wayne, a man from Shreveport who passed away in 2020, and whose life was permanently altered for the better thanks to #Medicaid. Wayne's story reveals why we must #ProtectMedicaid!
Thank you, @duckworth.senate.gov, for your leadership in helping us to #ProtectMedicaid!
#SaveMedicaid #CareCantWait
#SaveMedicaid #CareCantWait
May 7, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Thank you, @duckworth.senate.gov, for your leadership in helping us to #ProtectMedicaid!
#SaveMedicaid #CareCantWait
#SaveMedicaid #CareCantWait
"I knew that if I ever needed more support, more care, I knew I could rely on Medicaid [...]. We will win again!"
-- @mariatown.bsky.social from @aapd-disability.bsky.social
#ProtectMedicaid #SaveMedicaid #CareCantWait
-- @mariatown.bsky.social from @aapd-disability.bsky.social
#ProtectMedicaid #SaveMedicaid #CareCantWait
May 7, 2025 at 5:57 PM
"I knew that if I ever needed more support, more care, I knew I could rely on Medicaid [...]. We will win again!"
-- @mariatown.bsky.social from @aapd-disability.bsky.social
#ProtectMedicaid #SaveMedicaid #CareCantWait
-- @mariatown.bsky.social from @aapd-disability.bsky.social
#ProtectMedicaid #SaveMedicaid #CareCantWait
Reposted by ANCOR
LIVESTREAM NOW! Medicaid is critical to the well-being of older adults, disabled people, family caregivers, care workers, and families in EVERY community and district. That’s why we’re joining @caringacrossgen in DC for a 24-hour #ProtectMedicaid vigil. Tune in: youtube.com/live/tBo00pL...
May 7, 2025 at 5:43 PM
LIVESTREAM NOW! Medicaid is critical to the well-being of older adults, disabled people, family caregivers, care workers, and families in EVERY community and district. That’s why we’re joining @caringacrossgen in DC for a 24-hour #ProtectMedicaid vigil. Tune in: youtube.com/live/tBo00pL...
It's a beautiful day to #ProtectMedicaid! Thrilled to join so many amazing partners for a #Medicaid Vigil at the Capitol. Kicking things off with @aijenpoo, @ElenaHung202 and so many other fantastic speakers! #SaveMedicaid
May 7, 2025 at 5:43 PM
It's a beautiful day to #ProtectMedicaid! Thrilled to join so many amazing partners for a #Medicaid Vigil at the Capitol. Kicking things off with @aijenpoo, @ElenaHung202 and so many other fantastic speakers! #SaveMedicaid
Medicaid is not just a line item in a budget – it's a lifeline for millions of people with I/DD and their families. That’s why we’re joining a 24-hour #ProtectMedicaid vigil at the U.S. Capitol this week to share our stories and make our voices heard. Join us: go.caringacross.org/a/dc-medicai...
May 5, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Medicaid is not just a line item in a budget – it's a lifeline for millions of people with I/DD and their families. That’s why we’re joining a 24-hour #ProtectMedicaid vigil at the U.S. Capitol this week to share our stories and make our voices heard. Join us: go.caringacross.org/a/dc-medicai...
ANCOR members across the country champion community, accessibility, and opportunities for people with developmental disabilities every day—not just in March. This year, #DDAwareness Month kicked off a year-round disabilities awareness campaign that reminds everyone that “We’re Here All Year.”
March 31, 2025 at 9:04 PM
ANCOR members across the country champion community, accessibility, and opportunities for people with developmental disabilities every day—not just in March. This year, #DDAwareness Month kicked off a year-round disabilities awareness campaign that reminds everyone that “We’re Here All Year.”
Thank you, @congressmanraja.bsky.social, for advocating against cuts to #Medicaid and for recognizing the life-saving services delivered by Medicaid-funded community providers: youtu.be/0W8-F3HKSE0?...
Congressman Krishnamoorthi Advocates for Medicaid in Illinois Amid Republican Threats to Gut Program
YouTube video by Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi
youtu.be
March 21, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Thank you, @congressmanraja.bsky.social, for advocating against cuts to #Medicaid and for recognizing the life-saving services delivered by Medicaid-funded community providers: youtu.be/0W8-F3HKSE0?...
Reposted by ANCOR
Had a wonderful visit yesterday from Congressman David Min at our Autism Therapy and Disability Services Center in Irvine! He learned firsthand how vital Medicaid and Medi-Cal-funded services are for members of the disability community and Easterseals.
Almost half of California’s adults with disabilities get the treatment they need to thrive through Medicaid. Donald Trump and House Republicans want to take that away.
Today, Shane, a constituent of mine from Irvine joined me to share how access to Medicaid allows him to thrive in our community.
Today, Shane, a constituent of mine from Irvine joined me to share how access to Medicaid allows him to thrive in our community.
March 19, 2025 at 11:26 PM
Had a wonderful visit yesterday from Congressman David Min at our Autism Therapy and Disability Services Center in Irvine! He learned firsthand how vital Medicaid and Medi-Cal-funded services are for members of the disability community and Easterseals.
It's #DDAwareness Month, and ANCOR members understood the assignment: educate *everyone* about the value of #Disability services.
For example, #Colorado member Tara Kiene's column in the @durangoherald.bsky.social shows the harmful effect of cuts to #Medicaid.
For example, #Colorado member Tara Kiene's column in the @durangoherald.bsky.social shows the harmful effect of cuts to #Medicaid.
Cuts to Medicaid would affect millions of people
Congress is poised to cut Medicaid.
The reasons abound, but most legislators who support the cuts cite reducing federal spending, unwinding the Affordable Care Act, and even some questionable claims a...
www.durangoherald.com
March 17, 2025 at 2:11 PM
It's #DDAwareness Month, and ANCOR members understood the assignment: educate *everyone* about the value of #Disability services.
For example, #Colorado member Tara Kiene's column in the @durangoherald.bsky.social shows the harmful effect of cuts to #Medicaid.
For example, #Colorado member Tara Kiene's column in the @durangoherald.bsky.social shows the harmful effect of cuts to #Medicaid.
📢 LEND YOUR VOICE! 📢
As #DDAwareness Month rolls on, we're as committed as ever to creating a world where people w/ developmental disabilities have the options + resources they need to thrive. Please take two minutes or less today to lend your voice to our collective effort to #SaveMedicaid!
As #DDAwareness Month rolls on, we're as committed as ever to creating a world where people w/ developmental disabilities have the options + resources they need to thrive. Please take two minutes or less today to lend your voice to our collective effort to #SaveMedicaid!
Preserve I/DD Services—Tell Congress Protect Medicaid! | ANCOR
The House of Representatives recently passed a budget framework calling for cuts of at least $880 billion—cuts that would likely target Medicaid. Tell Congress: Protect Medicaid and reject these harm...
www.ancor.org
March 10, 2025 at 7:46 PM
📢 LEND YOUR VOICE! 📢
As #DDAwareness Month rolls on, we're as committed as ever to creating a world where people w/ developmental disabilities have the options + resources they need to thrive. Please take two minutes or less today to lend your voice to our collective effort to #SaveMedicaid!
As #DDAwareness Month rolls on, we're as committed as ever to creating a world where people w/ developmental disabilities have the options + resources they need to thrive. Please take two minutes or less today to lend your voice to our collective effort to #SaveMedicaid!
"Medicaid can’t be seen merely as a line item in the federal budget — it’s a lifeline for our most vulnerable neighbors and their families."
Grateful for leaders like Shawn White and his colleagues at PathPoint for sounding the alarm that we must #SaveMedicaid!
Grateful for leaders like Shawn White and his colleagues at PathPoint for sounding the alarm that we must #SaveMedicaid!
Community Voices: Protecting Medicaid's promise for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities
In California, more than 500,000 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) rely on Medicaid-funded services for their long-term care and support needs. These are our neighbors, ou...
www.bakersfield.com
March 6, 2025 at 7:33 PM
"Medicaid can’t be seen merely as a line item in the federal budget — it’s a lifeline for our most vulnerable neighbors and their families."
Grateful for leaders like Shawn White and his colleagues at PathPoint for sounding the alarm that we must #SaveMedicaid!
Grateful for leaders like Shawn White and his colleagues at PathPoint for sounding the alarm that we must #SaveMedicaid!
“When I think about my life before I became a DSP, I see myself as an entirely different person. I was painfully shy, had no confidence, and no idea where to go next in life.”
#Idaho advocate Thea Fuhs' inspiring words remind us why we must #SaveMedicaid. Thank you, Thea, for sharing your story!
#Idaho advocate Thea Fuhs' inspiring words remind us why we must #SaveMedicaid. Thank you, Thea, for sharing your story!
A Purpose Greater Than Yourself: Finding Her Voice Through Direct Support | ANCOR
Anyone who knows Thea Fuhs would describe her as confident and outgoing—someone who stands up for those who can’t always advocate for themselves. But that wasn’t always the case.
www.ancor.org
March 5, 2025 at 3:25 PM
“When I think about my life before I became a DSP, I see myself as an entirely different person. I was painfully shy, had no confidence, and no idea where to go next in life.”
#Idaho advocate Thea Fuhs' inspiring words remind us why we must #SaveMedicaid. Thank you, Thea, for sharing your story!
#Idaho advocate Thea Fuhs' inspiring words remind us why we must #SaveMedicaid. Thank you, Thea, for sharing your story!