HB 822

I AM Pop-Up Session: Monday, February 12th from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM

“WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES WISHING TO WORK AND LOVE”

CALLING ON ALL DISABILITY ADVOCATES! Come learn about this bill and advocacy strategies.

Join disability advocates Joshua Basile and Janice Jackson as they discuss needed changes to the “Employed Individuals with Disabilities” (EID) program.

They both live with significant disabilities and want to educate the community on this time-sensitive bill impacting Employed Individuals with Disabilities wishing to marry and those who are forced to retire at age 65.

Their futures are either on hold or will be flipped upside down without this bill passing. This is true for thousands of other Marylanders with disabilities wishing to work and love just like everyone else.

They are trying to codify:

• Removal of income limit
• Removal of the age 65 limit
• Removal of rules punishing marriage
• Independence accounts for financial planning
• Streamline enrollment

Janice Jackson – “I am 64 years old and have a spinal cord injury (SCI). I have been enrolled in Maryland’s Employed Individuals with Disabilities (EID) program since its inception. I rely on EID to maintain my Medicaid and caregiving while employed. Without EID, I would be forced to quit my job. EID has a provision terminating eligibility for those 65 and above. I am turning 65 in December, and I am so scared.”

Josh Basile – “I am 38 years old and have an SCI. I have been enrolled in EID since passing the bar and becoming a lawyer almost a decade ago. Current EID rules punish anyone who wishes to get married. I have a beautiful 2 and 6-year-old. I want nothing more than to be able to get married to the woman I love.”

Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqceGrpzMjHdw2GeyAmzn8-RYj2iPxwp5W

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.