APA Advocacy Washington Update

APA Advocacy Washington Update is a newsletter that highlights how APA is working to advance the discipline and practice of psychology on Capitol Hill and beyond. Learn more about APA's advocacy priorities for 2020.
January 11, 2021
- Securing major wins in fiscal year 2021 omnibus spending bill
- Advancing Medicare telemental health
- Advocating for psychology in COVID-19 relief bill
January 8, 2021
- Advising National Institute of Mental Health on mental health disparities research
- Two steps forward on cannabis research
- APA provides comments to Maternal and Child Health Bureau Strategic Plan
January 7, 2021
Articles from 2020
December 2020
December 17, 2020
December 14, 2020
- Calling on Biden administration to address Title IX and sexual misconduct in education
- APA informs efforts to advance services for children and families with special health care needs
- APA successfully advances priorities in two major military and veterans bills
- APA joins the Coalition for National Science Funding in making key policy recommendations to the Biden transition team
- APA and scientific, public health communities urge President-elect Biden to prioritize NIH research and funding
December 10, 2020
- APA comments on the draft NIH-wide COVID-19 strategic plan
- APA joins research community in urging congress to reach an agreement on FY 2021 funding and emergency COVID-19 relief
- Commemorating 50 years of alcohol research at the National Institute of Health
December 8, 2020
December 4, 2020
November 2020
Nov. 17, 2020
- APA invites applications for its 2021-22 Congressional and Executive Branch Science fellowships
- Psychological Science Agenda spotlights Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable, director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
- APA advocated successfully for appropriations language in support of research with animals
- Opposing changes to work visas for foreign psychologists
- Psychological science informs APA response to Department of Labor request for information
- APA and PREVENTS Task Force team up to provide suicide prevention webinars
Nov. 13, 2020
Nov. 2, 2020
- APA fights to reverse Texas rule that would allow social workers to turn away patients who are LGBTQ or have a disability
- Calling for an end to unnecessary privatization of COVID-19 data reporting protocols
- APA-supported mental health and suicide prevention bills signed into law
- Prioritizing COVID-19 vaccine distribution
- Psychologists receive grants to conduct research on gun violence
- APA joins diverse coalition pushing to end hunger among service members
- Opposing proposed limits to length of study for international students
October 2020
Oct. 19, 2020
- APA-supported bipartisan National Veterans Suicide Prevention Day resolution agreed to in Senate
- APA psychologist members offer webinar to support mental health during Domestic Violence Awareness Month
- APA and state psychological associations engage in record-breaking effort to protect Medicare reimbursements and policies affecting psychologists
- APA calls upon the Department of Defense and Congress to address obstacles to mental health care access for military service members and their families
- Advocating for congressional action on student loan burden on psychologists during 2020 Digital Hill Day and Advocacy Summit
- APA helps drive recognition of World Mental Health Day in the House of Representatives
Oct. 16, 2020
- APA welcomes new congressional policy fellows
- APA supports congressional briefing highlighting NIDDK’s commitment to health disparities research
- Federal research leaders spotlighted in 'Psychological Science Agenda'
- APA joins coalition letter urging CMS to make Medicare telemental health services permanent
Oct. 6, 2020
- APA joins forces to launch a Friends of National Institute of Mental Health coalition
- Congress funds government through Dec. 11, averting shutdown
- APA-supported bill on improving care for incarcerated pregnant women passes House
- House passes veterans mental health care bills
- Expressing opposition to proposed changes to visas for international students
September 2020
Sept. 28, 2020
- Supporting national firearms safe storage campaign
- Expanding broadband access to support telehealth, education, and equity
Sept. 22, 2020
- Broad coalition endorses independent practice for Medicare psychologists in all settings
- Responding to Congressional inquiries following testimony before House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee
Sept. 21, 2020
- Research relief for federal science agencies
- APA priorities included in house veterans’ affairs committee legislative hearing
- Scientific community rallies for continued investment in NIH
Sept. 17, 2020
Sept. 4, 2020
- Promoting telehealth services coverage in private-sector plans
- APA recognizes veterans and service members during suicide prevention month
- Advising the National Institutes of Health on rigor and reproducibility in research with nonhuman animals
- Supporting state psychology association engagement with members of Congress in local advocacy
- Advocating for student debt relief
- Supporting prompt access to Medicaid for inmates reentering society
- Ensuring that investigations of campus sexual misconduct are reflective of psychological science
August 2020
Aug. 26, 2020
- CMS proposes Medicare payment cuts to psychologists’ services
- APA calls for comprehensive policy changes to end the US racism pandemic
- Urging the incorporation of behavioral research in strategies for COVID-19 vaccine success
- Briefing the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on the mental health needs of Latinx children
- Supporting legislation to strengthen health care systems research agency
- Monitoring non-discrimination in health care regulations
Aug. 11, 2020
- Working collaboratively to support behavioral and psychological research
- Supporting the behavioral health of K-12 students
- APA pushes Facebook to eliminate hate speech
- Supporting expanded access to health care for older minority adults in the COVID-19 pandemic
- Shaping the national drug abuse research plan
- APA urges continued focus on veterans mental health as major bill unanimously passes US Senate
- Kennedy Forum supports Medicare physician definition bill
Aug. 7, 2020
- Supporting critical education and student mental health programs with increases in House funding bill
- Securing increased funding for psychology workforce training programs
- Supporting K-12 students in response to COVID-19
- Ensuring that psychologists in public service receive full student loan benefits through the pandemic
July 2020
July 29, 2020
- Protecting confidential records of immigrant children’s mental health sessions
- APA-supported bills advance in key House committee’s first ever virtual votes
- Actively supporting DACA recipients and psychologists
- Training women leaders in psychology on effective advocacy
- Providing research and support for House resolution addressing mental health disparities
July 15, 2020
- APA supports permanent expansion of Medicare coverage of mental health services furnished via telehealth
- APA voices opposition to policy targeting international students
- APA urges Congress to invest substantially in mental and behavioral health in the next COVID-19 relief legislation
- Advocating for psychology students and borrowers impacted by COVID-19
- Working to support American Indians and Alaska Natives
July 1, 2020
- APA leadership testifies before House subcommittee on solutions to expand behavioral health access and research
- Providing psychological expertise to US Senate hearing on policing
- Working to protect psychologists from Medicare payment cuts
- Alleviating social isolation and loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic
- APA ensures psychologists have access to PPE through Amazon
- Advancing research on cannabis: Dose response and growing concerns
June 2020
June 17, 2020 (PDF, 644KB)
- Write your senators: Boost funding to reimburse COVID-related losses to researchers
- Advocating for extended telehealth flexibility
- Submitting congressional testimony on police reforms
- Improving the federal COVID-19 response in communities of color
- Preserving federal non-discrimination in health-care protections
- Supporting mental health block grant-funded crisis care services
- Calling for extension of telehealth services' expansion
- APA member appointed to new commission on safety and quality in nursing homes
June 3, 2020 (PDF, 644KB)
- Using psychology to address inequality.
- Calling for extension of telehealth policies after COVID-19 emergency.
- Cultivating congressional relationships with state psychological associations.
- Bolstering support for students with disabilities in response to COVID-19.
- Responding to the behavioral health crisis caused by the pandemic.
- Supporting nursing home legislation.
May 2020
May 20, 2020 (PDF, 207KB)
- Urging Congress to provide emergency funding for mental health.
- Ensuring telehealth coverage in ERISA health plans during the COVID-19 emergency.
- Advocating for psychology students and borrowers impacted by COVID-19.
- Requesting more support for students and educators.
- Calling for a permanent legislative fix for DACA recipients.
May 6, 2020 (PDF, 443KB)
- Integrated advocacy success: Psychologists can now provide phone-only services.
- Encouraging support for COVID-19-related research.
- Advocating for equity in internet access for students learning from home.
- Mitigating COVID-19-related learning loss with state and local leaders.
- Addressing the heightened risk of child abuse and neglect during COVID-19.
- Bolstering federal support for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
April 2020
April 22, 2020 (PDF, 470KB)
- Requesting better data collection and reporting of COVID-19 health disparities.
- Bringing the social and behavioral science of pandemics to Capitol Hill.
- Seeking to prevent disability-based discrimination in coronavirus cases.
- Supporting psychologists in the public service workforce.
- Addressing housing instability and homelessness spurred by COVID-19.
- Proposing ways to enhance the behavioral and social science infrastructure.
April 8, 2020 (PDF, 194KB)
- Urging the administration to allow audio-only telemental health services for Medicare patients.
- Asking states to waive licensing restrictions in the wake of COVID-19.
- Guiding states and health providers on avoiding disability-based discrimination.
- Supporting students with disabilities.
- Shaping the NIH Strategic Plan Framework.
April 1, 2020 (PDF, 204KB)
- Advocating for psychologists, students and the public in third COVID-19 stimulus package.
- CMS further expands psychologists’ ability to provide telehealth.
- Calling on all states to lift restrictions on telehealth services.
- Gaining senator support for Medicare audio-only telehealth coverage.
March 2020
March 24, 2020 (PDF, 424KB)
- Calling for priority behavioral health measures in COVID-19 bill.
- Protecting seniors and individuals with disabilities during COVID-19.
- Advocating for psychology students, campus safety and student mental health during the COVID-19 crisis.
March 18, 2020 (PDF, 416KB)
- Ensuring Medicare patients have access to telehealth during COVID-19 emergency.
- Rallying Congressional support to fully fund critical state block grant for schools.
- Advocating for APA priorities at the National Science Foundation and Department of Justice.
March 2-6, 2020 (PDF, 656KB)
- Working with Capitol Hill to expand access to psychological services and training.
- Supporting immigrants' mental health with new legislation.
- Expanding access to intensive behavioral therapy for obesity care.
- Supporting NIH's ability to fund more science.
- Working with veterans on safe firearms storage.
February 2020
Feb. 24-28, 2020 (PDF, 247KB)
- In response to coronavirus, reducing barriers to telehealth services.
- Calling for oversight hearings to protect immigrant children.
- Supporting the essential role of research in improving teaching and learning.
- Advocating for APA’s fiscal year 2021 appropriations priorities.
Feb. 16-20, 2020 (PDF, 337KB)
- Calling for immediate halt to sharing confidential psychotherapy notes.
- Raising concerns about possible religious discrimination in care.
- Seeking to improve mental health care and discipline in schools.
Feb. 10-14, 2020 (PDF, 310KB)
- A new advocacy network to mobilize psychologists.
- Urging Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services not to impose major Medicare cuts in 2021.
- Calling for an immediate halt to sharing immigrant youths' confidential psychotherapy notes with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
- Putting the president’s fiscal year 2021 budget in perspective.
- Bringing psychology to new substance use disorder advisory committee.
Feb. 3-7, 2020 (PDF, 337KB)
- Advising Congress on the mental health issues associated with climate change.
- Speaking out against Medicare’s proposed cuts in reimbursement.
- Raising awareness about pediatric mental health.
- Supporting Medicare coverage of services for eating disorders.
January 2020
Jan. 27-31, 2020 (PDF, 346KB)
- Working to ease the addiction crisis.
- Raising awareness about traumatic brain injuries in military and veterans.
- Reducing barriers to fentanyl research.
- Speaking out on Supreme Court ruling that could immigrant services.
- Advancing suicide prevention research.
- Advising White House on the research environment.
Jan. 20-24, 2020 (PDF, 369KB)
- Advancing role of psychological pain management.
- Focusing on black youth suicide and mental health.
- Increasing access to whole-person care.
- Improving care for veterans with serious mental illness.
Jan. 13-17, 2020 (359KB)
- Statement on regulatory burden for cannabis researchers.
- Expanding early childhood mental health services.
- Sharing suicide prevention priorities.
- Campaigning to increase access to mental health services.
- Advocating for regulatory changes.
- Welcoming new members of APA Advocacy Coordinating Committee.
Jan. 6-10, 2020 (PDF, 357KB)
- APA's 2020 advocacy priorities.
- Calling for more basic and clinical psychological research.
- Talking with Sen. Gillibrand about health confidentiality.
- Hand-delivering APA report on psychology of immigration to every member of Congress.
- Addressing rural mental health and suicide prevention with Senate committee.