Advocacy

PRA helps educate the Administration, Members of Congress and governmental agencies on the concepts of recovery, the benefits of community integration, and the principles of psychiatric rehabilitation to ensure federal laws, regulations, and funding support recovery-oriented practices, eliminate discrimination and stigma, and improve the delivery of mental health services.

PRA has played an important role in the American with Disabilities Act, the Ticket to Work program, SAMHSA reauthorization, the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, and health care reform legislation. PRA members can help advance PRA’s legislative agenda by responding to action alerts and contacting their Members of Congress on important issues.

PRA Public Policy initiatives are focused on representing the recovery workforce, with a key focus on supporting workforce expansion and training.

Impact-Focused Advocacy

• State Advocacy: In conjunction with Chapters, advocate for state acceptance and embrace of CPRP and related PRA credentials
• Federal Advocacy: Advocate and comment where we can actually deliver impact and make a substantive difference based on our mission

Year-Round Public Policy Activities

• Public Policy Committee: Regular Meetings to discuss key issues and develop “tool kits” and similar materials to share with members on key policy issues including engaging with states on Medicaid and Exchange development. If you are interested in participating on the committee, please contact PRA.
• Annual Conference: Sessions expected from policy experts on what to expect from DC and the states as well as practitioners putting the latest policies, such as care integration, into practice.
• Hill Day: PRA will partner with National Council, Mental Health America, and others to build a successful Washington, DC Hill Day.  
• Member Communication: Regular updates on policy in PRA’s newsletters, PsyR Connection and Recovery Update. 

Past Activity

• CMS Announces Demonstration to Study Relationship Between Social Needs and Beneficiary Health, Costs (January 19, 2016)
• Current SAMHSA Grant Opportunities (January 15, 2016)
• House Judiciary to Consider Mental Health Bill Focused on Criminal Justice, Guns on January 12 (January 9, 2016, Updated on January 12, 2016)
• President Takes on Guns, Mental Health (January 6, 2016)
• Mental Health Legislation on Congressional To-Do List for 2016 (December 15, 2015)
• 1557 NPRM (RIN 0945-AA02) Nondiscrimination in Health Programs and Activities (November 9, 2015)
• Public Policy Alert: House Subcommittee Approves Amended Murphy Bill (November 5, 2015)
• Senator Cornyn Introduces Mental Health Bill Focused on Criminal Justice, Guns (PsyR Connections 2015, Issue 2)
• Comprehensive Mental Health Legislation Introduced in the Senate (PsyR Connections 2015, Issue 2, August 2015)
• PRA Weighs in on New “Murphy Bill” (PsyR Connections 2015, Issue 2, August 2015)
• PRA Statement on “The Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2015” (June 30, 2015)
• Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association Opposes Federal Expansion of Involuntary Treatment of Mental Illness, the “Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2013” (March 6, 2015)