Final FY 2010 Congressional Spending for Education
1.28.2010
On December 16, 2009, the President signed into law a fiscal year 2010 spending bill, funding many federal agencies including the U.S. Department of Education (ED). The bill flat-funded many programs authorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA, aka ‘No Child Left Behind’) at FY 2009 levels, with modest changes to others.
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House Bills Support School Counseling Services
1.27.2010
Members of Congress have introduced several key bills that would advance the counseling profession within schools. Lawmakers will likely attempt to insert their bills into the renewed, or reauthorized, version of the main federal law on K-12 education, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, also known as No Child Left Behind (ESEA/NCLB), when it is taken up by Congress in 2010.
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ESEA Recommendations Advance School Counseling
1.22.2010
ACA has been highly engaged with the Obama administration and Congress, pushing for reauthorization of the main federal education law, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Specifically, ACA advocates changes to strengthen the all important but frequently forgotten third leg of the education stool: school counselors and related student support programs and services that are necessary for all children to succeed. See ACA's ESEA recommendations and introductory letter, both sent to U.S. Education Assistant Deputy Secretary Kevin Jennings just before the 2009 holidays.
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Medicare Coverage of Licensed Professional Counselors
3.27.2009
Legislation has been introduced in both the House of Senate to establish Medicare coverage of licensed professional counselors and marriage and family therapists. These bills would significantly improve Medicare beneficiaries’ access to outpatient mental health care, in a very cost-effective manner.
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Progress on Implementation of New Veterans Affairs Law
3.20.2009
In February, the Under Secretary for Health of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) approved the creation of a new occupational category or categories for the hiring of licensed professional counselors and marriage and family therapists by the VA. The decision is a major step in the implementation of PL 109-461, which was signed into law in December 2006.
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Access to Counseling in Department of Defense’s TRICARE Health Services Program
2.2.2009
In January of 2008, President Bush signed H.R. 4986, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008. The enacted legislation requires Department of Defense to issue regulations outlining training credentials that would allow LPCs to practice independently under the TRICARE program.
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Parity of Insurance Coverage for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment
10.23.2008
On October 3rd, 2008 Congress and the president enacted an historic law requiring most private sector health plans to establish parity of insurance coverage for mental health and addictive disorder treatments. Enactment of the law is a victory for the American Counseling Association and other mental health and addictive disorder advocacy organizations, which have been working toward this goal for over a decade.
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