CALL YOUR U.S. REPRESENTATIVE TO ASK FOR SUPPORT OF H.R. 628

As you may know, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has made several changes over the past year that have threatened patient access to Speech Generating Devices (SGDs) and SGD-related eye tracking accessories. We are excited to announce that, through the strong leadership of Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers from the State of Washington and Senator David Vitter from Louisiana, The Steve Gleason Act of 2015 was introduced to help correct the course of Medicare policy related to SGDs.

The legislation has already been endorsed by:

• Tobii Dynavox
• Team FrateTrain (Pete Frates' advocacy organization)
• ALS Association
• American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA)
• The Center for Medicare Advocacy
• American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
• United Spinal Association
• Team Gleason (Steve Gleason's advocacy organization)

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP:

1. Contact your Representative and ask him or her to co-sponsor bill H.R. 628 To find your local Representative: http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/
2. If one or more of your members of Congress is on the following list, please write and thank them for their sponsorship and leadership on The Steve Gleason Act of 2015:

Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Washington State)https://mcmorrisforms.house.gov/write-to-cathy1

Senator David Vitter (Louisiana) http://www.vitter.senate.gov/contact/email-senator-vitter

Senator Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota)http://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/email-amy

Senator Angus King (Maine) http://www.king.senate.gov/contact

Representative Erik Paulsen (Minnesota) https://paulsenforms.house.gov/contact-me

Representative Steve Scalise (Louisiana) https://scaliseforms.house.gov/contact/

When you contact your members of Congress let them know about your support and ask them to co-sponsor H.R. 628 (The Steve Gleason Act of 2015) because you believe it will help protect Medicare beneficiary access to the communications technologies. The bill aims to do this by achieving two goals: (1) removing SGDs from the DME payment category of “Capped Rental” and placing it in the “Routinely Purchased” category; and (2) by clarifying statutory language to make clear that Medicare covers eye tracking technology for those patients who need eye tracking in order to use their SGD. It is important to support this bill to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries will be able to continue to communicate with their families and caregivers, participate in society, and contribute to their own care.

Please visit www.tobiidynavox.com/SteveGleasonAct to learn more.

Thank you!

Fredrik Ruben

President at Tobii Dynavox