In Surprise Move, Senate Passes Short-Term MFP Extension

Late Thursday night the Senate passed an expedited short-term extension of the Money Follows the Person demonstration grant, which helps people with disabilities and chronic conditions move into the community. The grants, which expired in 2016, were on a short-term renewal set to expire in September. The bill the Senate passed through the unanimous consent process is H.R. 3253 and renews the grants until the end of the year (December 31, 2019).  With H.R. 3253, the Senate amended legislation passed by the House earlier this summer – the original House legislation would have renewed the bill for 4.5 years.  However, the longer extension faced a more complex policy landscape in the Senate.

Next steps for this bill are to be passed in a pro-forma session in the House next week – while the House is officially off for its annual August recess, U.S. Representatives are still in town and will hopefully pass the short-term legislation, which can then go to the President.

ANCOR leads advocacy efforts for the renewal of the Money Follows the Person program and will continue to seek a long-term extension when Congress resumes its works in the fall.