Advocacy News
January 22, 2008: On January 22, 2008 NYC Councilmember Jimmy Vacca visited the Lighthouse headquarters in Manhattan. As Chairman of the Senior Centers Subcommittee, Vacca has been an enthusiastic supporter of fighting for seniors with vision loss and raising awareness for the Medicare Low-Vision Demonstration Project. Through the help of Vacca's advocacy, Lighthouse has been able to demonstrate the gravity of vision loss, along with the benefits of the visual rehabilitation programs covered by Medicare through the Demonstration Project, to residents of Senior Centers who are most at risk for developing vision impairments.
September 20th 2007 -- The United States Government released the design for the new $5 bill. The bill, which will be released into circulation in early 2008, includes a feature meant to make the bill more distinguishable to individuals with visual impairments: on the back of the bill, in the lower right corner, the numeral "5" will be enlarged and printed in a high-contrast purple ink.
September 2007 - The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced expansions of coverage for the Medicare Low-Vision Rehabilitation Demonstration Project.
The Demonstration Project is extending service area in the New York City and Atlanta Metropolitan areas. Residents of 8 more New York counties (Westchester, Nassau, Putnam, Dutchess, Orange Sullivan, Ulster, and Suffolk) will now be eligible for services, in addition to New York City residents who were currently entitled to participate. Additionally, CMS revised a rule to increase the number of hours of services a patient may receive from a maximum of 9 hours to 12 hours per calendar year.
For the past year and a half, Lighthouse International has been advocating for these programmatic changes to improve the services provided to older individuals through the Low-Vision Rehabilitation Demonstration Project.
September 25th 2007 -- Dr. Tara Cortes, CEO and President of Lighthouse International, testified before a joint New York State Assembly committee hearing on Governor Spitzer's proposed Office for the Blind. The hearing was convened by the Assembly Task Force on People with Disabilities, Assembly Committee on Health, Assembly Committee on Children and Families, Assembly Committee on Education. To read Dr. Cortes' Testimony, click here .
July 31st 2007 -- New York City Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum visited the Lighthouse today to take a tour of the facilities and to view firsthand the exceptional services provided by our staff. Public Advocate Gotbaum has offered the support of her office to help promote the Medicare Low-Vision Rehabilitation Demonstration Project to eligible New York seniors. You can see pictures and read more about the visit, here.
July 18th 2007 -- Governor Eliot Spitzer appointed Dr. Tara Cortes, CEO and President of Lighthouse International, as a Member of the Executive Board of the New York State Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped. Dr. Cortes will serve on the Executive Board for a three year term. It is the responsibility of the Executive Board to review the state-provided services and programs for blind and visually impaired individuals, identify any problems and recommend improvements to Director in order to improve the quality of the services.
July 9th, 2007 -- Government regulators in England and Wales (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) recently issued preliminary recommendations that will deny proven treatments to 80% of patients with wet AMD. In response, Lighthouse International joined the AMD Alliance, Royal National Institute for the Blind, and thousands of organizations and individuals in declaring their concerns for the plan. To read Lighthouse's response, click here.
June 21st 2007 -- Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska introduces "The VA Vision Scholars Act" (S 1672) in the United States Senate. The bill will establish a scholarship program for students seeking a degree or certificate in the areas of visual impairment and orientation and mobility. You can learn more about the bill here.
June 20th 2007 -- The New York State Senate passes legislation enacting a senior visions program to provide services for elderly New Yorkers experiencing vision loss. The New York Assembly had previously passed a version of the bill. You can learn more about the bill here. Read Lighthouse's memorandum in support of this bill.
April 18th 2007 -- Representative Pete Stark of California introduces the Catherine Skivers Currency for All Act (HR 1931) in the House of Representatives. The bill will require the Federal government to make paper currency accessible for individuals with vision loss. You can learn more about the bill here.
April 16th 2007 -- Senators Kit Bond of Missouri and Chris Dodd of Connecticut introduce the Vision Care for Kids Act of 2007 (S 1117) in the United States Senate. The legislation creates grant programs for the states to provide vision care for children. You can learn more about the bill here.
April 2nd 2007 -- The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid decide against including low vision devices under Medicare insurance coverage. You can read Lighthouse International's reaction, urging the appeal of this ruling here.
March 29th 2007 -- Representative Edolphus Towns of Brooklyn introduces the Medicare Access to Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Services Improvement Act of 2007 (HR 1846) in the House of Representatives. The bill aims to improve access for the elderly to physical medicine and rehabilitative services under Part B of the Medicare Program. You can learn more about the bill here.
March 2007 -- The Medicare Demonstration Project on coverage for rehabilitative services, for which Lighthouse International is a participant, completes its first year out of five. The demo is being conducted in six sites across the country, with one of them being New York City. Read more about the Medicare Demonstration Project.