Happy Thanksgiving to all

The more you practice the art of thankfulness, the more you must be thankful for it. Count your blessings daily. Being thankful opens our eyes to a multitude of blessings that continually surround us. Give cheerfully and accept gratefully, and everyone is blessed. Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!1 Chronicles 16 On October 23, MDHHS issued a press release after they received direction from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to temporarily pause the issuance of November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits due to funding limitations from the ongoing federal shutdown. This nationwide delay affects approximately 42 million SNAP recipients, including roughly 1.4 million Michiganders. State officials warn that even a short-term interruption could significantly impact families that rely on SNAP to purchase groceries and household staples

Nearly a month into the federal shutdown, some organizations aiding people with disabilities are starting to scale back services as the effects begin to mount. The government shut down at the beginning of the month when Congress failed to agree on spending before the start of the new fiscal year, thousands of workers have been furloughed and federal agencies have only operated services deemed essential.

Social Security and Supplemental Security Income payments and funding for Medicaid home and community-based services have continued, but other operations including civil rights investigations at the U.S. Department of Education are at a standstill. Military families have reportedly seen coverage of applied behavior analysis therapy for their children with autism halted and at least one state-run job training program for people with disabilities — the Tennessee Rehabilitation Center-Smyrna — closed its doors as a result of the shutdown.

Now, protection and advocacy organizations — which exist in each state to provide free legal and advocacy services to individuals with disabilities — are feeling the pinch. In what may be the most extreme example, Disability Rights Arkansas said last week that it would stop taking new cases and the organization plans to furlough staff beginning Nov. 1 citing “unprecedented funding challenges” stemming from the shutdown. Limited carryover funds from FY 2025 are now nearly exhausted. Funding for various organization grants are out of money and more will be depleted by mid-November.

Federal funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides food aid and is disproportionately relied on by people with disabilities, is set to run out by the end of the month and new Section 8 housing vouchers will not be issued after November if a deal isn’t reached, This shutdown is especially harmful for the disability community. The longer the shutdown lasts, the more we can expect disruptions in administrative work and delays in services, including the processing of disability benefits applications and Medicaid/Medicare claims. It is crucial for lawmakers to reach a deal to fund the government.

Lastly, I would like to say that I enjoyed the staff & the wonderful people we served at Arkay. It has been truly a blessing for me. Together, we have made many accomplishments over the years. Soon, I will be retiring with many memories since the day I came to Arkay in 2010. I would like to thank the staff, the people we serve, & the Board of Directors for all the goodness shown to me over the year. Blessings,

Kevin McGuckin