The Arc of Indiana & Self-Advocates of Indiana
Disability Policy Issues Questionnaire
District 3
Kelly Thompson – Democrat
Question 1 – Would you support federal legislation to make Home and Community-Based Services a mandatory Medicaid benefit? Why or why not?
Response: Yes. Because Medicaid currently forces seniors and people with disabilities to go without care or get warehoused in nursing homes while home and community-based services stay an optional benefit that states can cut whenever budgets get tight, I support making HCBS a mandatory Medicaid benefit – guaranteeing every person the right to receive care in their own home and community instead of being institutionalized against their wishes.
Question 2 – Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
Do you believe the current SSI resource limits should be increased, indexed for inflation, or otherwise reformed? Why or why not?
Response: Because the SSI asset limit has been frozen at just $2,000 for an individual since 1989 and has lost most of its real value to inflation, trapping recipients in poverty and punishing them for saving even modestly, I believe SSI resource limits must be raised substantially and indexed to inflation going forward so beneficiaries can build basic financial security without losing the benefits upon which they depend.
About SSI
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) provides a modest cash benefit for low-income individuals who are elderly, blind, or have disabilities. While costs for basic necessities have increased over the years, SSI’s asset limits have not kept pace with inflation and have remained largely unchanged since 1989. An individual on SSI generally cannot have more than $2,000 in countable resources at any time. Married couples are only allowed $3,000. Resources that count towards the SSI asset limit include cash, money in bank accounts, stocks and bonds, and certain other assets.
Question 3 – Direct Support Professional (DSP) Crisis
What federal policies would you support to strengthen the Direct Support Professional workforce, including recruitment, retention, compensation, and support for family caregivers?
Response: I would support federal policies that raise Medicaid reimbursement rates tied to DSP wages, establish a national wage floor and career ladder with training and credentialing pathways for DSPs, fund recruitment and retention grants to address the workforce shortage, and expand caregiver support through paid family leave, respite care funding, and increased compensation options for family caregivers providing the same essential care.
About the DSP Crisis
Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) provide essential support that allows individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live, work, and participate in their communities. However, the profession continues to experience chronic workforce shortages driven by low wages, limited benefits, and high turnover. Nationally, DSP turnover exceeds 40% annually, and many providers report vacancy rates that leave critical positions unfilled. These workforce shortages contribute to service disruptions, increased caregiver strain, longer waiting lists for waivers, and reduced access to Home and Community Based Services (HCBS).
Question 4 – Seclusion and Restraint
What would you do to address issues of seclusion and restraint in schools for students with disabilities?
Response: I would support federal legislation to ban the use of seclusion in schools entirely, replacing it with positive behavioral supports, trauma-informed training for educators, adequately staffed special education programs, and mandatory reporting and oversight requirements so students with disabilities are never isolated or restrained as a substitute for. proper care and support.
About Seclusion and Restraint
Seclusion and restraint are crisis intervention practices used in some schools across the nation. Seclusion generally involves involuntarily confining a student alone in a room or area from which the student is physically prevented from leaving. Restraint may involve physical, mechanical, or chemical interventions that restrict a student’s movement.
Students with disabilities are disproportionately subjected to seclusion and restraint practices. Disability advocates have raised concerns regarding safety, trauma, transparency, accountability, and the use of these interventions when less restrictive alternatives may be available.
Question 5 – Housing
What federal policies would you support to expand safe, affordable, accessible, and integrated housing opportunities for people with disabilities?
Response: I would support federal policies that significantly expand funding for Section 811 supportive housing and housing vouchers dedicated to people with disabilities, enforce and strengthen Olmstead and fair housing protections against institutional bias, incentivize the development of accessible and universally designed affordable units, and increase funding to help people transition from institutions into integrated homes and communities of their own choosing.
About Housing
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face a housing crisis, with many contributing factors, such as a serious lack of safe, affordable, accessible and integrated housing, and significant housing-related discrimination. Access to stable housing is essential to community integration, employment, health, and quality of life.
Question 6 – Transportation
What actions would you take to improve the availability, accessibility, reliability, and affordability of transportation options for people with disabilities?
As a congresswoman, I would push to increase federal funding for accessible paratransit and public transit systems, strengthen and enforce ADA compliance requirements for transportation providers, expand rural and community transportation grants so people with disabilities outside major cities aren’t stranded, and support subsidies and incentives that make accessible vehicles, ride-share options, and infrastructure upgrades more affordable and reliable nationwide.
Response: As a congresswoman, I would push to increase federal funding for accessible paratransit and public transit systems, strengthen and enforce ADA compliance requirements for transportation providers, expand rural and community transportation grants so people with disabilities outside major cities aren’t stranded, and support subsidies and incentives that make accessible vehicles, ride-share options, and infrastructure upgrades more affordable and reliable nationwide.
About Transportation
People with IDD lack sufficient access to reliable, accessible, and safe modes of public and private transportation. Every mode of transportation, including air, water, road, rail, and even pedestrian transportation, presents barriers for individuals with IDD. These barriers prevent people with IDD from meaningful participation in everyday activities that promote high-quality community living experiences.
Reliable and accessible transportation is essential for people with disabilities to access employment, education, health care, community activities, and other opportunities. Transportation limitations can significantly restrict independence and community participation.