ACA News

MedPAC Meeting

On November 9, 2020, MedPAC held a public meeting on the expansion of telehealth in Medicare.

State Affairs: Interstate Compact Updates

The Interstate Compact for Licensure (?Counseling Compact?) is nearing completion. The process has been largely successful, and we are looking to 2021 for introduction to state legislatures.

Newly Signed Bill Creates Pathway for More Counselors in the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs

On October 23rd, ACA shared the news that Senate Bill 785 (S.785), The Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019, was signed into law. This law will provide veterans improved assistance as they transition from the ...

Suicide Prevention Policy During COVID and Beyond

A recent study measuring the impact of COVID-19 on mental health in America found that Americans were reporting a rate of depression three times higher than what was reported in 2019. Awareness of the social determinants of suicide and suicide ...

Counselors Are Voting in 2020

Election Day 2020 will be here in the blink of an eye. Are you registered to vote? Does ACA support candidates? How will you vote during the pandemic?

LGBTQ Rights Watch: Transgender Healthcare

We’ve heard our members’ concerns about the recent anti-LGBTQ healthcare proposal set forth by the Trump Administration and remain dedicated to providing you with leadership on these critical issues. It is certainly true that we find ...

Using Social Media to Advocate

Social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) provides opportunities for legislators to share information about governmental operations and public policy, which supports the fundamental democratic role while also permitting them to ...

ACA Urges Congressional Leaders to Address the Mental Health Impact of COVID-19

The Mental Health Liaison Group, of which ACA is a member, has submitted a letter to both the Energy and Commerce and the Ways and Means committees urging them to address the mental health and addictions impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In ...

The CARES Act Stimulus Payments - Part I: Eligibility

April 21, 2020 During the week of April 13, 2020, Americans began receiving Economic Impact Payments, better known as “stimulus checks,” most of which were deposited directly into their bank accounts. These stimulus checks are one ...

The CARES Act Stimulus Payments - Part II: How Much Should You Expect and More Information

 HOW MUCH WILL I RECEIVE?Individuals whose AGI does not exceed $75,000 will receive $1,200. Head of household filers whose AGI does not exceed $112,500 will also receive $1,200. Married couples filing joint returns whose AGI does not exceed ...

COVID-19 UPDATES FOR STATES

We understand that it has been a long couple of weeks as all of us shift gears in our professional and personal lives in order to address the COVID-19 crisis impacting the entire country. ACA’s Government Affairs and Public Policy team remain ...

You Can Count on ACA to Be Your Voice in Uncertain Times and Beyond

By: Brian D. Banks, Director Government Affairs & Public Policy As I sit in my home office practicing social/physical distancing, I am contemplating what I would like to share with you. This contemplation is not an avoidance of our current ...

2020 Election Update

  (Updated August 28, 2020 at 4:36 p.m. (EDT))   1. 2020 Presidential Candidates  Former Vice President Joe Biden (D-DE). If you know about this former vice president’s personal story, then you won’t be ...

2020 National Career Development Summit

Recently, the American Counseling Association Government Affairs team attended the annual National Career Development Summit (NCDS) this January.  The NCDS, hosted by the Coalition for Career Development (CCD), was held for the purpose of ...

House of Representatives Passes the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2020 (H.R. 2745)

The House passed its appropriations bundle, which was made up of two legislative packages that included all 12 fiscal year 2020 funding bills. The appropriation packages, products of bipartisan negotiation, now head to the Senate for approval. ...

Senate Finance proposal could extend funding for Community Behavioral Health Clinics

The Senate Finance Committee recently proposed to extend and expand the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC) program. If enacted, the legislation would extend funding for the CCBHC program for an additional two years and expand ...

National Suicide Hotline Designation Act (S. 2661) approved by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

Your voices have been heard and the American Counseling Association’s (ACA) Government Relations Team would like to thank the dedicated counselors and advocates that continue to work on behalf of suicide prevention. Today, ACA is happy to report ...

Urgent: Contact the Iowa Licensure Board About New Regulations

The Iowa Board of Behavioral Health is considering changes to its Educational Qualifications for Mental Health Counselors. In the Professional Orientation curriculum, the Board proposes to replace the American Counseling Association with the American ...

Join 700 of Your Colleagues On Capitol Hill in September

Here’s your chance to advocate for counseling, mental health, and Medicare reimbursement in Washington, DC!  The American Counseling Association is teaming up with the National Council for Behavioral Health for their Hill Day – which ...

Advocating for Medicare Reimbursement: Professional Counselors Take on DC

More than 100 members of the American Counseling Association scaled Capitol Hill last week in 96-degree heat to advocate for legislation that would enable licensed professional counselors to be reimbursed by Medicare. The counselor advocates came from ...