G-2011-16460

This investment is to support the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities (CTD) in leveraging the momentum built over the past 3 years to pass legislation that establishes a comprehensive adult dental benefit for Texans with disabilities. CTD has been a critical partner and advocate in the push for establishing a Medicaid adult dental benefit in Texas, organizing and deploying their network of member-advocates and engaging in legislative advocacy that has resulted in key milestones since 2018. CTD has been one of the key partners that has led to the legislative mandate to do a cost-analysis of a benefit in 2017, the re-building of a more comprehensive cost-analysis that showed a broader cost-savings, and the legislative mandate to pilot an adult dental benefit for adults with disabilities in 2022. Their most recent advocacy work has resulted in the two largest MCOs in the state agreeing to proactively implement the benefit. With this investment, CTD will play a leadership role going into the 2021 Texas Legislative session in firming up their oral health champions, submitting new companion bills for a comprehensive adult dental benefit, recruiting new co-sponsors, working with the Governor’s office to build support, while working to center the voice of Texans with disabilities. To get this done they will conduct legislative briefings, organize broad participation in testifying at legislative hearings, partnering with Texas Advocates to engage in virtual legislative visits and an Advocacy Day, while implementing their 2021 Raise Your Voice campaign to equip and train disability advocates statewide. This investment is for $110,000 and that primarily goes to staff time as well as a contract with Texas Advocates to support with project implementation.