APA Advocacy Washington Update

February 24, 2021

• Congress reintroduces the RISE Act to provide relief to institutions of higher education, research institutions, and researchers
• Advancing behavioral science in the COVID response
• APA urges congressional leadership to advance policies providing equitable access to health care in rural America
• Collaborating with HRSA to meet mental health needs

February 17, 2021

• Supporting efforts to address learning loss and ensure positive school environments

February 10, 2021

• APA continues to fight for care for veterans with mental health conditions who were inappropriately separated from military service
• APA fights for telehealth and prescribing authority in comments to the Department of Veterans Affairs
• Empowering members to advocate for issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community
• Urging fast action on COVID-19 priorities in the 117th Congress
• Urging Congress to extend Medicare sequester moratorium
• APA endorses critical bill to fight maternal health disparities
• APA, educational research community request an increase in funding to conduct “school pulse” research
• As Biden focuses on science, psychologists look to shape administration’s agenda

January 25, 2021

• Supporting administrative actions taken by newly-inaugurated Biden administration
• Advising the National Institute of Mental Health on new research directions to prevent Black youth suicide
• Urging Biden-Harris administration to make tele-behavioral health steps in first 100 days

January 15, 2021

• Promoting prevention of gun violence with Biden transition team

January 11, 2021

• Securing HRSA funding for integrated substance use disorder training
• 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

• Educating incoming Biden administration on policies and strategies that prevent suicide by firearms
• Highlighting gaps in state plans to ensure equitable distribution of COVID-19 resources

December 17, 2020

• Reducing rising rates of suicides among farmers and ranchers in rural America

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

• Calling on the incoming Biden administration to address student loan debt

December 4, 2020

• Urging Congress to increase funding for remote learning

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

• Bolstering the education workforce impacted by COVID-19

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

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

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

• APA pushes for improved access to benefits for former service members with mental health conditions

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

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 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 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 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 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 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.

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. 

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.