Public policy is the system of laws, regulations, action plans and funding priorities adopted by federal and local governing bodies. Advocacy is the process undertaken to provide education for policy makers with the goal of shaping policy for the common good. Consistent with APTA’s 2022-2025 Strategic Plan, the Hand Academy recognizes our professional responsibility to educate policy makers to ensure equal access to our services, fair reimbursement for those services and protect our profession.
Legislation Excepting Orthoses From Reasonable Useful Lifetime Limits
HUE endorsed legislation exempting custom fabricated and custom fit orthoses from the Reasonable Useful Lifetime statute has been reintroduced in both Houses. HR 4475/ S 2329 “The Medicare Orthotics and Prosthetic Patient-Centered Care Act” has been referred to the House Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce Committees and the Senate Finance Committee for further consideration.
Your help is needed to increase the number of legislators cosponsoring these bills! HUE is providing a customizable template letter explaining the legislation and asking legislators for support. The red type should be adjusted based on the specific legislator. Sharing personal stories to support the legislation is more effective, so add or modify the information as needed. Click here to download the letter.
Contact [email protected] for help contacting your legislators.
2026-6-15: Federal student loan update: APTA has actively worked to reverse the newly implemented Department of Education policy reclassifying DPT education programs as non-professional degrees which resulted in limits to federal student loans available to aspiring DPT students. APTA is actively supporting legislation payment under to reclassify the Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree as a “Professional Degree” and briefed Congress on the issue on June 9, 2026. Four separate groups, including nurses and PAs have filed suit to overturn the policy. provided which would allow DPT students greater access to higher government student loan amounts, along with many other initiatives impacting practice and patient access.
APTA supported legislation to stabilize the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, HR 8163: The Provider Reimbursement Stability Act, was unanimously passed out of the House Ways and Means Committee. This legislation would significantly increase the Medicare neutrality threshold, which has not been increased since 1992, require CMS to periodically update practice expense costs based on physician data, and cap the conversion factor changes generated in response to the budget neutrality limits. The bill moves next to the House Rules Committee and then to the Union Calendar where it will be scheduled to be heard in the full House.
More information is available here: APTA Legislation Tracker
APTA and the Private Practice Section have developed payment advocacy tools to help providers address the growing administrative burden due to utilization management practices, the use of AI algorithms for treatment eligibility decisions, denials for long Covid therapy intervention and other barriers to care access. Details are available here: State Payment Advocacy Tools
The APTA Advocacy Network keeps APTA member advocates connected and engaged. Members participate for free and receive special legislative updates and action alerts when we need your voice. https://www.apta.org/advocacy/apta-advocacy-network
Consider donating to the APTA PAC! Your contribution helps staff further APTA’s goals for payment, administrative burden reduction and patient access to our services. PT PAC