UPDATE

PWDF Issues Comments on Mental Health Parity to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 

By April Banerjee, Program Manager for Public Awareness and Education

In our Winter 2008 e-newsletter, People With Disabilities Foundation (PWDF) discussed the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health and Addiction Parity Act.  In April 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) promulgated a draft regulation, “Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs: Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act; Application of Mental Health Parity Requirements to Coverage Offered by Medicaid Managed Care Organizations, etc.”  In response, PWDF posted brief comments, urging CMS to shorten the delay in requiring mental health parity for these services, make clear that the full range of mental health and substance use disorder medications must be covered, and require timely disclosure to allow evaluations of parity compliance.  PWDF also asked whether there were similar mental health parity regulations for Medicare.

PWDF Profile

Who We Are

People With Disabilities Foundation is an operating 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California, which focuses on the rights of the mentally and developmentally disabled.

Services

Advocacy: PWDF advocates for Social Security claimant’s disability benefits in eight Bay Area counties. We also provide services in disability rights, on issues regarding returning to work, and in ADA consultations, including areas of employment, health care, and education, among others. There is representation before all levels of federal court and Administrative Law Judges. No one is declined due to their inability to pay, and we offer a sliding scale for attorney’s fees.

Education/Public Awareness: To help eliminate the stigma against people with mental disabilities in society, PWDF’s educational program organizes workshops and public seminars, provides guest speakers with backgrounds in mental health, and produces educational materials such as videos.

Continuing Education Provider: State Bar of California MCLE, California Board of Behavioral Sciences Continuing Education, and Commission of Rehabilitation Counselor Certification.