Health & Disability Advocates

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INNOVATIVE PROGRAM & POLICY WORK

HDA protects and promotes the rights of children, youth and adults with disabilities, and low-income older adults. Our work insures that individuals access the range of services, supports and opportunities they need to lead fulfilling lives, reach their self-determined goals and obtain financial and health security.

For many individuals and families, navigating complicated state and federal public benefits programs can be extremely frustrating and demoralizing. At HDA, our advocacy helps individuals, community-based providers and advocates navigate the complicated state and federal benefits systems and receive appropriate services and supports. We also identify systemic barriers to eligibility and enrollment and develop policy solutions to eliminate those barriers.

To develop effective programs and promote sound policy solutions, we use the following methods:

• Individual Advocacy for Vulnerable Populations: solves individual concerns and informs broad policy development for public benefits programs;
• Coalition Building: facilitates information sharing and garners support for advocacy efforts;
• Administrative Advocacy: promotes change in state agency policy and program administration; and
• Applied Knowledge: uses extensive research and analysis of public health programs, underlying statutes, regulations, and program rules to inform policy development.

HDA is nationally renowned for our expertise on public benefits programs. That expertise is built upon many years of experience with clients, case managers, and state agency staff. HDA is well acquainted with the inner workings of the state and federal public benefit programs and has worked hard to develop the relationships of trust and respect with state policymakers that help us advocate for and win systems change.

For more information about innovative program and policy work at HDA, follow the links on the left-hand side of the page to read about specific projects currently underway at HDA. To view current resource materials available from HDA, click here to go to the site’s Materials Library and search our online database.