Goodbye Summer — A Fall of Urgent Action and Advocacy is Upon Us
By Barbara Bedney, PhD, MSW
It’s hard to believe that summer is gone and the 2026 midterms are almost here. With control of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives at stake, and with it the future of policies related to immigration, voting rights, health care, food and nutrition programs, LGBTQ2IA+ rights, federal grant programs, student loans, and reproductive rights among others, the consequences of these elections are enormous. NASW is working with coalition partners and our political action committee (PACE) to mobilize voters and protect the programs and policies social workers care about. We hope you will join us in getting out the vote this November. We cannot afford to sit this one out, and events over the summer show us why.
In June, the Department of Education released a revised list of occupations it considers professions for the purpose of higher student loans, and social work was again left off the list. NASW continues to strenuously oppose this position and is working with a coalition urging Congress to enact a permanent legislative solution to this issue. Contact your members of Congress and urge them to advance such legislation. We need your voice!
On a more positive note, NASW is proud to have joined the National Council of Nonprofits, state and local governments, and other nonprofit organizations as a plaintiff in the National Council of Nonprofits et al. v. McMahon et al., which struck down a Department of Education rule that would have restricted access to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. The decision is a victory for the public service workforce and shows the power of our field when we work together.
In July, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the proposed 2027 Physician Fee Schedule. NASW is reviewing the document, and after an exhaustive review—it’s some 1,600 pages long—will submit recommendations to CMS this month on codes, services and reimbursement rates for clinical social workers.
In the meantime, we’ve posted several new Tips and Tools for Social Workers on issues including foster care, private practice, coaching, and the transition from the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH) to DataSpring.
Continuing on a positive note, NASW’s national conference saw 160 social workers attend 186 meetings in the U.S. House and Senate to build support for the Mental Health Access and Provider Support Act (S. 4202/H.R. 8081), which increases CSWs Medicare reimbursement rate from 75% to 85% of the Physician Fee Schedule; the Expanding Seniors Access to Mental Health Services Act (S. 1797/ H.R. 3808), which allows CSWs to bill independently at SNFs; the Hot Food Act of 2025 (S. 1202/ H.R. 2512), which allows SNAP benefits to be used to purchase hot foods; and several other pieces of legislation related to student loans.
Keep up to date with our policy efforts at socialworkers.org/advocacy/policy-updates, and stay engaged with NASW as we move our efforts forward on all of these issues.
Barbara Bedney is chief of programs at NASW.