The call script below is for 2024 advocacy efforts and was last updated on Feb 21, 2024. You may want to print this out and add your information (including a little bit about how AMD affects you).
To find the phone numbers for your representatives, click here.
Hello, [representative’s name]!
My name is [your name], and I’m a constituent from [city, state name] whose life is impacted by macular degeneration. I’m calling to ask for your attention to this growing epidemic and its impact on the daily lives of your constituents, like me.
I’ll keep it brief.
Members of the macular degeneration community will be in DC on February 29 for Access in Sight Day. There will be a Congressional Briefing at noon in Rayburn Room 2045. I request that at least one member of your staff attend the Congressional Briefing, Macular Degeneration: Research, Treatments, and Community Needs, to get up to date on the state of macular degeneration in the U.S. Your office’s attendance will be recognized and shared with the AMD community!
Further actions I respectfully request, in summary, are:
- I urge you to prioritize investment in vision research by including FY24 funding for NIH at no less than $50.924Ban increase of $3.5B over FY23. This includes robust support for the National Eye Institute at $975M, an increase of $78.M.
- In the Senate, please support S. 842 and in the House H.R. 33, the Medicare and Medicaid Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2023, which would expand Medicare coverage for low vision assistive devices and services.
- Support funding for the ongoing collection of national eye health data, through the CDC, at $2.5M.
- At the state level, I urge your support to improve guidelines necessary for volunteer-driver transportation services to survive. Currently, these services are charged high insurance premiums at the same rate as for-profit services like Uber and Lyft.
Thank you for your time and hard work, [representative’s name].