Advocacy

LSA and other national nonprofit groups have called on Congress to act immediately on legislation that will preserve charitable giving incentives that expired at the end of 2014. There are countless examples of how nonprofit organizations make a difference in your communities every day, and they are supported in large part through charitable giving.

On October 7, Lutheran Services in America Disability Network (LSA-DN) presented Senator Robert Casey, Jr. (D-PA) with a plaque in recognition of his work on behalf of the disability community and his efforts to pass the historic ABLE legislation, an important step to providing more financial independence for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

On July 16, the Senate unanimously passed the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2015 (S. 192). LSA strongly supports this bipartisan measure, which includes modest changes to key Older Americans Act (OAA) programs, updates important definitions, and makes thoughtful adjustments designed to reflect the realities facing current and future seniors. Importantly, S. 192 includes a bipartisan agreement on the legislation’s funding formula. This issue stymied the reauthorization process during the previous Congress, and we are pleased to see it reso

On July 13, Lutheran Services in America (LSA) President and CEO Charlotte Haberaecker represented the LSA network at the 2015 White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA). This invitation only, once-a-decade forum took place at the White House, and brought together nearly 200 aging policy experts, thought leaders, Administration officials, and Members of Congress to discuss the issues that will help shape the landscape for older Americans over the next ten years. LSA is the largest faith-based group serving older adults in the United States, representing close to 200 Lutheran social ministry organizations that provide care for seniors.

Earlier in 2015, the White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA) launched a series of regional forums to provide input and ideas for the 2015 White House Conference on Aging, which will take place on July 13 in Washington, DC. The forums, which are by invitation only, are designed to engage with leaders in the field of aging, older adults, their families, caregivers, and others on key issues affecting older Americans.

LSA was well represented at the White House, Partners in Health: Aligning Clinical Systems, Faith and Community Assets, held on April 15-16 at the Eisenhower Executive Office.

On Monday, March 23, LSA President and CEO Charlotte Haberaecker took part in a White House Conference on Aging listening session focused on Healthy Aging. The meeting was hosted by Julian Castro, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as several key officials from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Assistant Secretary for Aging/Administrator of the Administration for Community Living Kathy Greenlee, and White House Conference on Aging Executive Director Nora Super.

The LSA Disability Network (LSA-DN) will host its second advocacy training event, "Speak Up! Self-Advocate Training" in October at the LSA office on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Effecting policy change through targeted advocacy is a complex process. From launching and implementing a policy initiative to sustaining its success, there are distinct challenges and opportunities at each stage of an effective advocacy campaign.

May 4, 2015 (Washington, D.C.) – Earlier this year, the White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA) launched a series of regional forums to provide input and ideas for the 2015 White House Conference on Aging, which will take place this summer in Washington, DC. The forums are designed to engage with leaders in the field of aging, older Americans, their families, caregivers and others on key issues affecting older Americans.

Three member organizations of the Lutheran Services in America (LSA) network were invited by the White House to attend the most recent regional forum, held in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 27, 2015. Representing the LSA network at the event were Pat Savage, president and CEO of Allegheny Lutheran Social Ministries; Roxanne Jenkins, associate vice president of Older Adult Services at Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota; Bill Serr, president and CEO of Graceworks Lutheran Services; and Judy Budi, vice president of Residential Care, Graceworks Lutheran Services.

Key federal government officials headlined the event, including Julian Castro, secretary of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); Richard Cordray, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; Kathy Greenlee, administrator for the Administration for Community Living and assistant secretary for Aging within the US Department for Health and Human Services (HHS); and Nora Super, executive director of the White House Conference on Aging. State and regional leaders included Kathleen Falk, regional director for HHS Region 5, as well as Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D, OH-9).