Four months into the new Congress, AOTA Federal Affairs has been busy building relationships and advocating for occupational therapy (OT). There are 8 new Senators and more than 70 new House members. In fact, 1 in 6 House members are new! These members of Congress are learning the Congressional process and are new to the issues, and quite a few members of Congress are new to OT. The key committees that influence legislation important to the profession will have new members and, in many cases, new leadership. We are working on getting bills from the last Congress reintroduced in the new Congress, which includes legislation related to telehealth, occupational therapy assistants, and recognizing the importance of OT practitioners in the schools. We are also working on brand new legislation to reform how occupational therapy services are paid through the Medicare fee schedule and legislation to make occupational therapy a qualifying service for Medicare home health, among others. You can follow these and other Congressional advocacy efforts on the AOTA website (www.aota.org/advocacy).
Ways You Can Support OT Advocacy
Did you know that AOTA has a Legislative Action Center where you can write to your Federal Elected Officials? After legislation of importance to OT has been introduced, you will find letter templates that you can customize and send to your members of Congress. You can also contact your legislators to introduce yourself, reinforce the importance of OT services, and offer yourself as a resource in your area of expertise by visiting the AOTA website (www.aota.org/takeaction).
You can also help celebrate AOTPAC’s 45th anniversary of keeping OT in the policy spotlight. AOTPAC allows us to elect candidates to Congress who not only understand OT issues and support our legislative goals, but who also help us to build relationships. You can support AOTPAC by participating in activities at AOTA Inspire 2023. Visit the AOTPAC booth and meet AOTPAC Board members and Federal Affairs staff, sign up to attend our AOTPAC night on Saturday evening, or register for our Friday afternoon game activities to relax and have fun with your friends and colleagues by unwinding before the evening begins. You can also donate anytime throughout the year on the AOTA website (www.aota.org/aotpac) by selecting Donate Now. Your contribution now provides us with more opportunities early in this new Congress to have an impact on OT.
Disclaimer: Contributions or gifts to AOTPAC are voluntary, and refusal does not affect a member's rights; and they are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Corporate contributions to AOTPAC are prohibited.
Heather Parsons, MSOT, is AOTA’s Vice President of Federal Affairs.
