AAHD Statement – HHS Restructuring

On March 27th, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) unveiled a proposed restructuring of the agency, which includes the closure of the Administration for Community Living (ACL). This department provides critical funding for independent living centers, which are a major support for disability and aging communities. The restructuring fails to outline a plan for reorganizing ACL, and proposed cuts would likely lead to increased institutionalization for people with disabilities.

AAHD has serious concerns about the HHS reorganization and elimination of ACL. Without the support that ACL provides to advance critical disability research and disability programs and services, we are losing valuable infrastructure that makes our essential mission harder to achieve.  Even if the programs that ACL oversees are moved to other departments, they will not share the same philosophy which ACL did that people with disabilities and older adults thrive more when they are able to live freely and independently or interdependently in the community. That is why we have joined with other disability and aging organizations in opposing this dramatic shift. The list of statements to which AAHD has joined opposing this change are as follows:

We also want to highlight statements made by other disability and public health organizations outlining the many challenges that this proposed restructuring would have on our communities: