Law Mandates National Disability Services Clearinghouse

The federal government will soon be required to implement a tool to help people with developmental disabilities access services in their communities.

President Joe Biden signed the Think Differently Database Act earlier this month. The law requires the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to establish a clearinghouse of federal and state information and resources for people with disabilities, their caregivers, and families.

The website should include details about long-term support services available through Medicaid, as well as information about medical care, mental health care, and more.

The law requires that resources in the database be searchable by ZIP code, according to lawmakers who spearheaded the measure.

“Currently, many people with disabilities, families and caregivers do not know what services are available to them. “My bipartisan bill helps solve this by creating a first-of-its-kind national website with federal and state resources for people with disabilities,” said former Rep. Marc Molinaro, R.N.Y., when introducing the measure. in 2023. “ This site will be a one-stop shop for locating resources that support and empower people with disabilities. “This action represents an important first step for the federal government to begin delivering on its promise to support people with disabilities.”

The Department of Health and Human Services has three years to make the clearinghouse a reality.

In addition to requiring the disability resources database, Biden also recently signed a law requiring the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress on assistance to people with disabilities in major disasters, as well such as measures to improve accessibility at Amtrak stations. and in federal buildings.