Michigan Occupational Therapy Association

Advocacy Action


Group of People

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it's the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead





MiOTA Advocacy Committee strives to provide comprehensive awareness, education, and support on topics relevant for practice with all Michigan OT‘s and OTA‘s. The committee focuses on both advocacy and legislation activity.

                                                

ADVOCACY

LEGISLATION

  • Actions that support, promote, increase awareness of a cause, issue, individuals, and / or populations
  •  An ongoing process to protect your scope of practice
  • Increases access and utilization of resources
  • Fosters networking among consumers and professionals


  • Identifying a gap or issue within the state policies that impacts the profession & consumer
  • Creating proposed policy changes
  • Collaborating with decision makers to gain support of proposed policy changes
  • Advocacy activity supports legislative actions before, during, and after policy changes to increase awareness and understanding.


MiOTA Advocacy Committee Structure

Advocacy Committee: A group of MiOTA members (OT, OTA, and students) that meet once a month to discuss the advocacy and legislative needs of Michigan. Topics selected to address are from AOTA, our lobbyist, and OT/OTA/students input and reports. The topics are divided among committee members to lead workgroups, create action plan, and share with MiOTA members.

  Public Policy: This subcommittee reviews all questions that are submitted to the MiOTA website which may include the following: scope of practice, licensure, safety, student issues, fieldwork, etc. Members of the committee will reach out to experts in the field for answers to ensure accurate dissemination of information. All questions and answers are kept on record in the MiOTA office and shared publicly under FAQ.

   Reimbursement: This subcommittee reviews current reimbursement issues, manages inquiries from OT/OTA‘s and maintains communication with insurance providers. It reports on any Medicare and Medicaid changes/updates. MiOTA has a designated member who is our BCBS liaison due to the vast number of needs in the state with that provider.

   Friends of OT in MI PAC: This is a voluntary, nonprofit, nonpartisan Political Action Committee of members from the Michigan Occupational Therapy Association to support OT friendly candidates in legislative affairs.


Denise Hoffman - Advocacy Director (advocacy@miota.org)