Letter Template

How to Use the Template

• Replace bracketed sections (e.g., [Your Name]) with your own details.
• In places that say [In 2–3 sentences, describe…], write your personal connection, concerns, or experiences.
• You can choose a formal or personal tone — authenticity matters more than perfection.

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Letter Template: Protect the HCBS Settings Rule

[Your Name]

[Your Mailing Address]

[City, State ZIP Code]

[Your Email Address]

[Your Phone Number (optional)]

[Date]

[Recipient Name]

[Recipient Title]

[Office / Agency / District]

[Address]

Dear [Title and Last Name],

I am writing to urge you to protect the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Settings Rule and to oppose any efforts to weaken or undermine it.

The HCBS Settings Rule, issued in 2014 by the Administration on Community Living, was designed to ensure that disabled individuals receiving Medicaid-funded home and community-based services have full access to community life, autonomy, and self-determination. This rule protects fundamental rights including:

• access to the broader community and opportunities for integrated, competitive employment;
• the ability to make meaningful choices about daily life;
• being treated with respect and dignity;
• privacy and control over one’s environment;
• direction of one’s own person-centered planning;
• the right to receive services in non-institutional settings and select among real options; and
• encouragement to exercise initiative, autonomy, and independence.

I am deeply concerned that current efforts to weaken this rule would roll back these essential protections. Weakening or narrowing the HCBS Settings Rule would open the door to funding “community-based” programs that function as mini-institutions: institutions in all but name. This would severely limit autonomy, choice, and inclusion for millions of disabled people across the United States.

[In 2–4 sentences, describe why this issue matters to you personally. You might mention:

• your own disability or support needs,
• experiences with home and community-based services,
• barriers you’ve faced in institutions or quasi-institutional settings,
• why autonomy and community living are essential to you or someone you love.]

Some argue that the HCBS Settings Rule does not benefit all autistic or disabled people. I strongly disagree. All disabled people — including autistic people with the highest support needs — deserve community inclusion, individual choice, and respect for their dignity. Protecting the rule ensures that no one is forced into segregated or restrictive settings because of assumptions about their capacities.

Weakening the HCBS Settings Rule would be a profound step backward for civil rights. Upholding it is essential to preserving freedom, safety, and meaningful community participation for disabled people across the country.

I respectfully ask that you:

1. Publicly oppose any efforts to weaken the HCBS Settings Rule;
2. Support policies and funding that strengthen community living and self-determination;
3. Ensure that disabled people’s voices — especially those directly affected — are included in any discussions or decisions about the rule.

Thank you for your time and for your commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of disabled people.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]  

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