In October 2008 President George W Bush signed the federal Mental Health Addiction Treatment Parity Act into law. This major victory for recovery advocates requires insurers to cover addiction treatment in the same manner as they do other medical conditions ending years of discriminatory practice that prevented many in need from accessing sorely needed services.  We are proud to have been a driving force in New York having assembled a Parity group of more then 20 organizations who worked together with other local, state and federal stakeholders to help make parity a reality. This team approach reinforces what we can accomplish by working together with other groups and all levels of government.

LIRA worked feverishly for over three years in support of Timothy’s Law and despite our relentless efforts a compromise was reached which excluded coverage for addiction treatment.  While we are pleased that progress was made and those with mental health issues, including MICA (dual diagnosis) have gained additional coverage, we will continue to do battle to gain equality for chemically dependent people.

Timothy's Law is named after Timothy O'Clair, a Schenectady boy who completed suicide in 2001,

This website was designed as a tool to help spread the word about Timothy's Law, and to aid the O'Clairs in their quest to pass this life-saving measure. Please take a few minutes to peruse this resource; sign up for Timothy's Team, which will provide you with occasional updates about the status of Timothy's Law and activities you can undertake to help strengthen this law.

           
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Friday September 30th 2016 for Rock N Recovery VIII