AOTA advocacy in the new congress and administration

At the start of every new Congress and presidential administration, the job of the AOTA Federal Affairs Team is to understand their priorities and identify possible opportunities and challenges for the occupational therapy profession.  

A Non-Partisan Approach to Issues, A Bi-Partisan Approach to Advocacy 

When determining AOTA’s federal advocacy agenda, we use a non-partisan approach, meaning that our issues are not aligned with a particular party. We consider factors such as a policy’s impact on the occupational therapy profession and access to services, the full scope of occupational therapy practice as outlined in the official documents approved by the Representative Assembly, and the strategic priorities approved by the AOTA Board of Directors.  

When advocating for these non-partisan issues before Congress, we use a bi-partisan approach. The job of the AOTA Federal Affairs team is to build relationships with democrats, republicans, and independents. We work with federal agencies, whether there is a republican President or a democratic President, as these agencies hold tremendous power for whether clients have access to occupational therapy services. For success in Congress, it is crucial that we have champions on both sides of the political aisle. Even when political in-fighting is at its worst, Members of Congress expect there to be a democratic and a republican legislation lead.