COVID-19 Advocacy

NASW continues to advocate for social workers and the people they serve throughout the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Comments and Statements

• NASW sends joint letter to Department of Labor Secretary to ask him to help ensure that tens of millions of Americans covered by self-insured plans have access to much-needed mental and behavioral health services during this unprecedented crisis (8/31/2020)
• NASW sends letter to ASWB expressing concern about the inability of social work graduates to take the Licensing Exam and get licensed during the COVID-19 pandemic in a timely and safe manner (8/11/2020)
• NASW signs joint letter to Governors urging sustaining telehealth beyond the COVID-19 pandemic (6/2/2020)
• NASW signs joint letter to State Insurance Commissioners urging sustaining telehealth beyond the COVID-19 pandemic (6/2/2020)
• NASW submits comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services urging the agency to allow provision of medical social services via telehealth in home health agencies during the COVID-19 public health emergency (6/1/2020)
• NASW signs joint letter to Senator Durbin and Representative Schakowsky thanking them for introducing the Health Heroes 2020 Act (5/26/2020)
• NASW sends letter to Congressional Leaders seeking COVID-19 Relief for Social Workers and Underserved Communities (4/27/2020)
• NASW and the American Psychological Association (APA) send joint letter to Congress urging reimbursement by Medicare for audio-only telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic (3/19/2020)

Sign on Letters

• NASW joins NASISP letter of support for the Keeping our Pact and Save Educators Jobs Acts (2/9/2021)
• NASW signs on to Child Nutrition Forum/National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity (NANA) Joint Sign-On Statement for COVID-19 Recovery Priorities (2/5/2021)
• NASW signs on to letter requesting Congress to enact no less than President Biden's American Rescue Plan (2/4/2021)
• NASW signs on to Consensus Principles on Telehealth Across State Lines (1/2021)
• NASW signs on to letter to the Department of Health and Human Services requesting Access to Covid-19 Vaccine for Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Providers and Consumers (12/18/2020)
• NASW signs on to letter urging Congress to enact legislation before the end of the year that includes a technical correction addressing the tax treatment of loan forgiveness under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) (12/3/2020)
• NASW signs letter encouraging the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to move forward with the telemedicine special registration process that would enable clinicians, Community Mental Health Centers and addiction treatment facilities to prescribe MAT to patients with OUD employing telemedicine technology. (10/26/2020)
• NASW signs onto MHLG letters asking Governors to enact executive orders on coverage for tele-mental health services through the end of 2021 (10/20/2020)
  • Alabama
  • Florida
  • Idaho
  • Louisiana
  • North Carolina
  • Pennsylvania
  • South Carolina
  • Wisconsin
  • Wyoming
• NASW signs on to Coalition to Preserve Rehabilitation letter urging CMS to provide Medicare coverage of hearing, speech, swallowing, & cognitive services provided via telehealth during the COVID-19 PHE (10/2/2020)
• NASW signs on to open letter, published as an ad in the  Wall Street Journal, urging federal health care agencies to base decision making regarding COVID-19 on scientific evidence rather than on politics (9/22/2020)
• NASW signs onto MHLG letter thanking the sponsors for introducing the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act (S. 4349) (9/22/2020)
• NASW signs onto letter to USDA regarding extending the waivers which allow for the continued operation of the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Seamless Summer Option (SSO)  (9/21/2020)
• NASW signs on to Big Table Phase IV Revised Letter to Congressional Leaders (8/6/2020)
• NASW signs on to Leadership Council of Aging Organizations letter urging Congress to include the Social Security COVID Correction and Equity Act (H.R. 7499) in next pandemic relief package (8/3/2020)
• NASW signs on to letter Endorsing Protecting Access to Post-COVID-19 Telehealth Act (H.R. 7663) (8/3/2020)
• NASW signs on to Leadership Council of Aging Organizations letter urging Congress to pass legislation that would improve Internet and broadband access for older adults (7/30/2020)
• NASW signs on to letter in response to the Safely Back to School and Back to Work Act (7/28/2020)
• NASW signs on to letter urging Congressional leaders to include the Pandemic TANF Assistance Act in the next COVID-19 relief package (7/20/2020)
• NASW signs on to LCCR letter asking Senators to follow principles for COVID-19 legislation (7/20/2020)
• NASW signs on to Leadership Council of Aging Organizations letter urging Congress to include provisions requiring the federal government to pay COBRA premiums for workers unemployed or underemployed because of the pandemic in the next COVID-19 stimulus package  (7/9/2020)
• NASW signs on to open letter urging House and Senate appropriators to support fiscal year 2021 funding for the Lifespan Respite Care Program (7/2/2020)
• NASW signs on to letter urging Congressional leaders to address the needs of our most vulnerable communities being hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic in increasing COVID-19 testing (6/29/2020)
• NASW signs onto multi-stakeholder telehealth letter to Congress, signed by 340 organizations from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia (6/29/2020)
• NASW signs on to open letter urging the House Ways and Means Committee to reject liability immunity for long-term care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic (6/24/2020)
• NASW signs on to letter to Congressional leaders asking them to waive the budget neutrality requirements for the finalized evaluation and management (E/M) code proposal (6/18/2020)
• NASW signs on to open letter urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to maintain Medicare enrollment policies throughout the COVID-19 public health emergency (6/17/2020)
• NASW signs on to the COVID-19 Mental Health Research Act (H.R. 6645). H.R. 6645, supporting research on the mental health consequences of SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19. (6/10/2020)
• NASW signs on to open letter urging Senate leadership to oppose granting immunity for nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic (5/28/2020)
• NASW signs on to open letter strenuously objecting to the administration's exploitation of the COVID-19 pandemic as a pretext to implement indefinite, illegal and life-threatening restrictions on humanitarian protections at the southern U.S. border (5/27/2020)
• NASW signs on to MHLG letter to CMS Administrator Verma urging that new telehealth policies be made permanent (5/22/2020)
• NASW signs on to MHLG Support Letter for the bipartisan Health Care Protection Act (H.R. 6810) (5/21/2020)
• NASW signs on to Leadership Council of Aging Organizations letter urging Congress to increase federal funds for Medicaid during the COVID-19 pandemic (5/20/2020)
• NASW signs on to Compassion & Choices letter to HHS to oppose CMS waiver of the Advance Directive regulation (5/20/2020)
• NASW signs onto letter to Congressional leaders urging them to include The Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2020 (H.R. 6561) in any further iterations of legislation to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic (5/18/2020)
• NASW signs onto letter to Congressional leaders supporting the Essential Worker Pandemic Compensation Act of 2020 (5/15/2020)
• NASW signs on to open letter urging Congress to provide immediate funding to prevent the default of the U.S. Postal Service, which has been critical for many populations during the COVID-19 pandemic (5/14/2020)
• NASW signs on to open letters urging the House and the Senate to oppose proposals to cut, defer, or suspend Medicare and Social Security payroll taxes in the next COVID-19 relief bill (5/14/2020 & 5/29/20)
• NASW signs onto NELP letter with 224 groups to the DOL urging revised guidance on returning to suitable work (5/12/2020)
• NASW signs on to MHLG letter urging Congress to include policies and funding for suicide prevention and youth mental health in the next COVID-19 package (5/11/2020)
• NASW signs on to open letter urging the Senate Judiciary Committee to oppose granting immunity for nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic (5/11/2020)
• NASW signs American Academy of Pediatrics letter asking Congress to protect and strengthen Medicaid & (5/11/2020)
• NASW signs onto MHLG letter expressing support for the Health Care at Home Act, H.R. 6644 (5/11/2020)
• NASW signs on to letter urging the Department of Justice and 18 Republican state attorneys general to withdraw the lawsuit that would invalidate the Affordable Care Act (5/6/2020)
• NASW signs onto letter to the HRSA Administrator regarding implementation of the Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders Workforce Training Demonstration (5/6/2020)
• NASW signs letter to HHS with Trust for America’s Health, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, and 250 organizations urging collection and reporting of detailed demographic data about COVID-19 patients (5/4/2020)
• NASW signs letter to Congressional leaders with over 250 organizations urging collection and reporting of detailed demographic data about COVID-19 patients to address health disparities (5/4/2020)
• NASW signs on to open letter urging Congress to take action on behalf of older adults, particularly older adults of color with low incomes, during the COVID-19 pandemic (4/30/2020)
• NASW signs onto open letter to Congress urging passage of the COVID-19 Every Worker Protection Act of 2020 (4/29/2020)
• NASW signs on to open letter urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to implement federal policy changes on behalf of nursing home residents during the COVID-19 pandemic (4/28/2020)
• NASW signs on to Leadership Council of Aging Organizations letter supporting the Advancing Connectivity during the Coronavirus to Ensure Support for Seniors Act (ACCESS Act, S. 3517/H.R. 6487) (4/24/2020)
• NASW joins Families USA and over 400 organizations in letter to Congress to share policy priorities to protect health during the COVID-19 pandemic (4/23/2020)
• NASW joins MHLG letter to House and Senate leadership urging the creation of a federal COBRA subsidy program for Americans who have lost health insurance coverage (4/23/2020)
• NASW joins 170 national, state and local LGBTQ+ and allied organizations on a letter to health and policy leaders highlighting the importance of measures to prohibit discrimination in COVID-19 treatment and prevention (4/21/2020)
• NASW joins the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and over 40 interdisciplinary organizations in submitting a letter to Congressional leadership for COVID-19 seeking relief funding which targets at risk individuals incarcerated in the nation's jails and prisons (4/20/2020)
• NASW signs on to open letter urging Congressional leaders to include provisions to fortify the long-term financial stability of physician and non-physician practices across the health care delivery system in the COVID-19 response (4/17/2020)
• NASW signs on to NEA letter urging Congress to include student loan debt cancellation in any future COVID-19 relief package (4/16/2020)
• NASW signs on to open letter urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights to discourage health care rationing based on age or disability during the COVID-19 pandemic (4/16/2020)
• NASW signs on to SSBG Coalition letter urging Congress to increase funding to the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) by $4.1 billion to respond to the growing needs of older people, children and families, and people with disabilities in the midst of COVID-19 (4/15/2020)
• NASW signs on to ASAE letter urging Congress for additional association relief amid the COVID-19 pandemic (4/14/2020)
• NASW signs on to letter to the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regarding: COVID-19 pandemic results in government to ration treatment (4/13/2020)
• NASW signs on to PARCA letter to Congressional leaders requesting relief for non physician providers in the next COVID-19 package (4/13/2020)
• NASW signs on to letter to Congressional leaders demanding $4 billion in election assistance (4/13/2020)
• NASW signs on to letter to Congressional leaders urging them to act immediately to provide crucial support to families facing the stress and disruptions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, by equipping the child welfare system with the tools it needs to handle the crisis (4/10/2020)
• NASW signs on to open letter urging CMS to facilitate enrollment in marketplace plans and Medicare during COVID-19 (4/9/2020)
• NASW signs on to Leadership Council of Aging Organizations letter urging Congress to implement changes on behalf of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic (4/8/2020)
• NASW signs on to letter to OMB requesting extension for poverty measures' comment period in light of COVID-19 (4/8/2020)
• NASW signs on to Leadership Council of Aging Organization letter urging the federal government to provide automatic payments to Supplemental Security Income enrollees and people who receive benefits from the Veterans Administration (4/3/2020)
• NASW signs on to letter to HHS and CMS urging them to immediately expand Medicare coverage of telehealth to allow audio-only communications and waive the current Medicare requirement for audio-video connecting during the COVID-19 public health emergency (4/3/2020)
• NASW signs on to letter to top 10 private health insurance companies urging insurers to waive all patient costs for care associated with COVID-19 (4/1/2020)
• NASW signs on to open letter urging Congress to include paid sick leave for family caregivers of people with disabilities and older adults in the third coronavirus stimulus package (3/27/2020)
• NASW signs on to MHLG letter to Congress urging flexibility in state telebehavioral health coverage (3/25/2020)
• NASW signs on to MHLG letter to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners urging states to temporarily lift restrictions on telebehavioral health (3/25/2020)
• NASW signs on to letter from SSBG Coalition urging Congress to increase funding to the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) by several billion dollars to respond to the growing needs of older people, children and families, and people with disabilities in the midst of COVID-19 (3/22/2020)
• NASW joins 150 national civil and human rights organizations in writing Congressional Leadership requesting $2 Billion to ensure the integrity of the 2020 elections- which could face serious disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic  (3/22/2020)
• NASW signs on to letter with 200+ organizations urging HHS to Create an Emergency COVID-19 Special Enrollment Period on federal and state-based marketplaces  (3/20/2020)
• NASW signs on to letter asking to ensure that personal protection equipment (PPE) is available to all health care systems, facilities, and providers  (3/20/2020)
• In response to COVID-19, NASW joins many organizations to advocate on behalf of survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking  (3/19/2020)
• NASW signs on to Leadership Council of Aging Organizations sign-on letter urging Congress to take steps to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on people with disabilities and older adults  (3/17/2020)
• NASW joins 200 civil and human rights organizations in requesting that federal, state, and local election officials ensure safety and the orderly conduct of the 2020 primary and general elections in light of the current threat posed by COVID-19  (3/17/2020)
• NASW signs on to letter to President Trump urging affordable pricing for coronavirus treatments and future vaccines (3/5/2020)