NJ Member at Large

Aimee Montgomery- Wilson, CTRS
201-779-5418
amwilson5@gmail.com

PA Member at Large
Aurora Crew, CTRS
484-904-7646
aurorajcrew@gmail.com


We must act now!

Congressman GT Thompson has drafted a sign-on letter in an attempt to clarify to CMS (Medicare/Medicaid) that recreational therapy as a covered service within inpatient rehabilitation facilities and should be written as such in their Policy Manual. Additionally, the letter is asking CMS to count community reintegration as part of the "Three Hour Rule."

Some of you do not work in rehab units and might stop reading this with the belief that "it doesn't affect me." While this might appear to be true, it is most definitely not! Convincing CMS to make these changes will be a huge step toward ensuring our patients receive our services, convincing administrators of our value, and retaining/creating jobs.

Some of you might read the following and think, "I don't know anything about politics or my Representative and thinking about both makes my head spin!" It is actually a very simple and quick process:

1. Read this letter from Congressman Thompson explaining this request (see link, also attached to this email)

2. Visit www.house.gov to find out who your Representative is and their phone number

3. Call their Washington DC office and let them know the following: "My name is _________ and I am a constituent of Representative ________. I am very concerned about ensuring that the residents of Representative's ________ district are being denied access to appropriate rehabilitation services. Representative Glenn Thompson has drafted a sign-on letter which I would like Representative to consider signing on to to make sure his/her constituents receive access to rehabilitation services already covered by Medicare/Medicaid. I would like Representative ________ to contact Representative Glenn Thompson's office at matthew.brennan@mail.house.gov or 225-5121 to get more information about this Clarification That Recreational Therapy is a Covered Service letter."

4. Get the name and contact information of the person you speak with and let them know that you will follow up in a couple weeks to find out if their Representative has had a chance to sign on to this letter

5. Call back to inquire about the status of this action

Bottom line is that you don't have to work in rehab, understand everything about this letter or Congress, but should appreciate the enormity of this as a step forward for our profession! If you would like more information or have specific questions, please contact Thom Skalko at skalkot@ecu.edu.

http://atra.affiniscape.com/associations/10488/files/DOCFPPCMSltr.pdf