Community Choice Act

The Community Choice Act of 2009 is the current version of a legislative effort by disabled people and their allies as well as Senate and House co-sponsors to ensure that people eligible for care in a nursing home are also able to receive attendant care in their own home, under a movement known as community-assisted living, or independent living, in which people with disabilities or the elderly live in their own homes with community "supports".

The American Medical Association supported the bill in 2007, as did then Senator Barack Obama. As President, there was a strong statement of support on the White House website. It was re-worded to remove mention of the "Community Choice Act" shortly after a meeting with ADAPT, contrary to their wishes.

One can find a separate legislative effort in the healthcare reform bill of 2009 in the House commonly confused with the Community Choice Act. The Class Act would allow more disabled people to receive social security benefits if they paid into it for 5 years, shorter than an able-bodied person must pay in, but still doing nothing to address the need for personal care attendant protection so that people do not need as much medical attention and do not need nursing home services.

Sources and further reading

• A site advocating passage of the Community Choice Act and Class Act
• National Council for Independent Living (page on legislative status as of 2008, reports on cost-effectiveness, and statements by Obama and the AMA)
• ADAPT, another organization behind the legislative effort