The National Limb Loss Resource Center has been helping amputees since 1997. Operated by the Amputee Coalition and funded by a federal grant, the NLLRC connects amputees with peer support, healthcare navigators, medical and scientific information, and other resources. Over the years, it has helped tens of thousands of people rise to the challenges of limb loss.
But a new draft budget from the Department of Health and Human Services proposes to eliminate the NLLRC entirely, while sharply reducing funding for other important amputee-serving programs such as the Centers for Independent Living. These potential cuts would come in addition to the inevitable decrease in Medicaid benefits (which we’ve addressed here and here), the drug-price spikes that will occur if/when tariffs are imposed on pharmaceuticals, and the reductions in medical research funding that have been proposed or already implemented.
It’s a lot to keep track of; we’re doing our best.
Because it zeroes out the NLLRC, the draft HHS budget includes the most direct threat to spending that’s earmarked specifically for amputees. The good news is that it’s only a draft. The final, legally binding spending levels will be set by Congress, and it’s not clear that a majority is willing to support drastic cuts to programs that serve vulnerable populations. To ensure that lawmakers understand the stakes, the Amputee Coalition has begun collecting stories from amputees who have relied on the NLLRC and can articulate the program’s benefits. Add your voice to the chorus at the AC’s website.
What Amputee-serving Programs Face Cuts in the HHS Budget?
The NLLRC is just one amputee-serving program that’s threatened with drastic funding cuts. The American Association of People With Disabilities (AAPD) published a useful summary of programs for people with disabilities that will be eliminated, reduced, or reorganized under the draft HHS proposal. In addition to the NLLRC, they include multiple programs affiliated with the Centers for Independent Living (CILs), a network of more than 350 community-based organizations. CILs help people with limb loss and other disabilities live self-sufficiently. They connect clients with housing, jobs, education, transportation, healthcare, assistive technology, cash benefits, legal advocacy, and a range of other services. CIL services that would be eliminated under the new HHS budget include the National Institute on Disability, Aging and Disability resource centers, and voting access for people with disabilities.
The draft HHS budget also eliminates a cluster of disability-adjacent agencies that serve many members of the limb-loss community. These include the Health Resources and Services Administration, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality, Medicare Hearings and Appeals.
The draft budget may still change before HHS submits its official request to Congress in a few weeks. And, to reiterate, Congress doesn’t have to use HHS’s numbers at all; they can appropriate funds for programs that HHS would prefer to discontinue. But the draft budget sends a clear message, AAPD concludes: The current leadership in DC “seeks to eliminate vast amounts of infrastructure and key programs to support disabled people, children, and older adults. The draft proposal would significantly reduce access to health equity services….it could substantially impact the future of healthcare, independent living, community integration, and disability rights in the United States.”
If you care about preserving the National Limb Loss Resource Center, share your story at the AC’s site. And stay tuned for future calls to action.
