Legislative Symposium Travel Grant Application

Available Grants

  • Two $400 travel grants for ASCLS Developing Professional Members provided by the ASCLS Developing Professional Forum 
  • Two $750 travel grants for ASCLS Ascending Professional Members provided by the ASCLS Ascending Professionals Forum

How to Apply:

  1. Complete the online form below.  Items with an asterick (*) are required.
  2. Upload both requested documents:
    1. Statement of Purpose Essay:  In an essay of 500 words or less, describe why you would like to attend the 2020 ASCLS Legislative Symposium.  Include any recent or current involvement at the local, state, and national levels of ASCLS.  Document should be uploaded in Microsoft Word format.
    2. Character Reference:  Upload one (1) Professional / Character Reference Letter.  Some examples of professional references include: Program director, Professor, or Supervisor.

Deadline for Submission:  Monday, February 3, 2020

Note: We will NOT ask for missing documents. Only COMPLETED APPLICATIONS will be reviewed.

Guidelines:

To be considered for a travel grant, each applicant must:

  1. Be a current ASCLS member. Your application must coincide with your membership category.
  2. Have registered as a full conference attendee to the 2020 ASCLS Legislative Symposium. 
  3. Not be the ASCLS National Ascending Professionals Forum Chair, Vice-Chair, or Secretary.
  4. Not be the ASCLS National Developing Professional Forum Chair, Vice-Chair, or Secretary.

Preference is given to the following:

  • Members who have a record of active professional/student organization involvement and/or interest in professional activities.
  • Individuals that have been a member for at least 4 months.
  • Applicants who are not receiving funding from any other ASCLS source.  If you are receiving outside funding, please be sure to list this assistance in your Statement of Purpose essay (e.g. – from your state or region society, education program). 

To receive a travel grant, grantees must:

  1. Attend the ASCLS Legislative Symposium
  2. Complete a W-9 form.
  3. Submit a one-page summary of your experiences within 2 weeks of the end of the conference.

NOTE: All recipients will be awarded the funds following the meeting. Grant funds will not be disbursed unless all of the above grant requirements are met by required deadlines. Please consider this information when making travel arrangements.

It is expected that recipients will maintain their ASCLS Membership and provide active service at the local, state or national level after receipt of grant.

Leg Day Travel Grant Application

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Please include home address, city, state & zip code.

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Only necessary if information differs from home address. Please include mailing address, city, state & zip code.

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Please list the name of the laboratory science academic program in which you are enrolled or have graduated from

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Please list the month and year of your graduation (past or future).

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If you are employed, please provide the name of your employer.

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In 500 works or less, please attach a brief statement in Microsoft Word format answering the following questions: Why do you want to attend the 2020 Legislative Symposium? What do you hope to learn/experience from the meeting?

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Please contact one (1) individual who can attest to your character, academic potential and financial needs. Have them complete a letter of recommendation on the School’s/Employer’s letterhead. References may be from a Clinical Laboratory Science Program Director, Program Faculty member, or employer.

Legislative Symposium 2017 Recap

by Linda Goossen, Ph.D., MT(ASCP)
ASCLS Government Affairs Committee Chair

One hundred and thirty clinical laboratory professionals from 43 states met March 20 and 21, 2017 for the 29th Annual Legislative Symposium. This annual event was sponsored by five professional organizations - the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (ASCLS), the Clinical Laboratory Management Association (CLMA), the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), the American Medical Technologists (AMT), and the Association of Genetic Technologists (AGT) - and representatives from each of these groups welcomed the attendees. This annual two-day event first enables attendees to learn about the legislative and regulatory issues at the federal level that impact laboratories, laboratory professionals, and ultimately our patients. Second, attendees become equipped to take the issues to their senators and representatives and thus advocate on behalf of the profession.

Patrick Cooney - ASCLS Legislative liaison, Michael McCarty – AMT Legal Counsel, and Matt Schultz- ASCP Director of Government Affairs spoke about the current congressional environment, which had been heavily impacted by the recent presidential election and new people in leadership positions. Our meetings on Capitol Hill this year focused on three legislative or regulatory issues that currently are impacting clinical laboratories:  (1) oversight of Laboratory Developed Tests (LDTs), (2) Preserving Access to Medicare Act (PAMA) recalculation of the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule, and (3) the Clinical Laboratory Workforce. 

Laboratory Developed Tests are defined by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as in vitro diagnostic tests that are designed, manufactured, and used within a single laboratory. In 2014, the FDA released draft guidance to provide enhanced oversight of LDTs. The FDA proposed a three-tier risk-based framework for this oversight. High-risk (class III medical devices) and moderate-risk (class II) LDTs would be subject to premarket review requirements, FDA registration, listing, and reporting requirements. Low-risk LDTs (class I) and LDTs for rare diseases or unmet medical needs would be under FDA enforcement discretion for applicable premarket review and quality systems requirements; they would be required to comply with registration and listing and adverse event reporting within six months of the release of FDA’s final guidance. While FDA received many comments on their proposed guidance, final guidance was never released.

During January 2017, the FDA released a discussion paper on LDTs and announced that, at the request of various stakeholders, it would not issue a final guidance on the oversight of LDTs, and thus allow for further public discussion on an appropriate oversight approach as well as give congressional authorizing committees the opportunity to develop a legislative solution.  ASCLS agreed that LDTs must be regulated to ensure their clinical validity, accuracy, and overall patient safety. While ASCLS agrees with the majority of the FDA’s stance on oversight of LDTs, the Society did have some questions and concerns and, therefore, ASCLS developed a response to the FDA’s discussion paper. The symposium attendees discussed the current status on the oversight of LDTs with their representatives and provided them with a “leave behind” explaining ASCLS reaction to the FDA discussion paper. 

The second issue that we spoke to our representatives about is the Preservng Access to Medicare Act of 2014 (PAMA). Signed into law on April 1, 2014, section 216 of PAMA includes the most extensive revision of the Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule (CLFS) since it was established in 1984. The proposed rule required “applicable” clinical laboratories to report private payor payment rates and the test volume associated with those payment rates for laboratory services reimbursed under the CLFS. 

The proposed rule defines "applicable laboratory" as a laboratory that receives a majority of its Medicare revenue - from the CLFS or the Physician Fee Schedule. In the proposed rule, CMS defined applicable laboratories based on an entity’s IRS Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN). In the final rule – in response to comments from ASCLS and other laboratory-related organizations – CMS modified the definition of an applicable laboratory to be at the National Provider Identifier (NPI) level, rather than the TIN level. CMS stated that this change would allow the inclusion of hospital outreach laboratories; however, that interpretation does not consider that most of those laboratories do not have a separate NPI number. As currently defined, data from virtually all hospital laboratories and physician office laboratories would be excluded. Excluding pricing data from hospitals and smaller laboratories would allow CMS to base industry-wide payment rates on data drawn from large reference laboratories that have significant economies of scale and, typically, much lower payment rates. The result of this bias in reporting will be a significant lowering of the Medicare Fee Schedule as well as private payor rates to a level that the laboratory community fears will result in decreases in in-house testing, new technologies, funding for raises and benefits, and subsequently more tests being sent to reference labs and ultimately the loss of jobs and the bankruptcy of clinical laboratories. 

Under PAMA, CMS can lower the price of individual tests up to 10% in 2018, 2019, and 2020 followed by price cuts of up to 15% in 2021, 2022, and 2023.  Attendees urged that the deadline for data collection and reporting be extended twelve months, to March 31, 2018; that the implementation of the new CLFS be delayed until January 1, 2019; and that the definition of “applicable” lab be changed to mean a facility identified by a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act (CLIA) number, so that true market-based reimbursement rates can be calculated. On March 30, one day before the data submission deadline, CMS announced a 60-day period of enforcement discretion for reporting applicable data under the CLFS, thereby extending the due date for data submission from March 31 to May 30, 2017. 

The third critical issue impacting clinical laboratories is the shortage of clinical laboratory personnel. The demand for the services of clinical laboratory personnel is growing, primarily due to the aging population, the aging of the laboratory workforce, and the expanded access to health care services provided by health care reform. Long-term and pervasive shortages of qualified professionals to fill many clinical laboratory and other allied health positions are expected. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) anticipates needed growth of 12,000 new medical laboratory professionals per year to meet the growing demand. Academic programs currently produce just 5,000 graduates a year, leading to a crisis in the clinical laboratory workforce. 

In September 2016, the VA Office of the Inspector General (OIG) conducted its third determination of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) occupations with the largest staffing shortages. Once again they determined that the largest critical need occupations were Medical Officer, Nurse, Psychologist, Physician Assistant, Physical Therapist, and Medical Technologist.  In light of the current employment outlook for clinical laboratory personnel and other allied health professionals, as documented by the BLS, attendees urged their representatives in Congress to (a) enhance recruitment and retention efforts for medical laboratory personnel within the VHA, (b) authorize and appropriate funding for a program within the Public Health Services Act to ensure training for citizens seeking to enter the clinical laboratory workforce, and (c) authorize the Government Accountability Organization (GAO) to study the shortage of clinical laboratory personnel and make recommendations to Congress. 

On March 21, 2017, over 130 clinical laboratory professionals rode the Washington D.C. Metro system to Capitol Hill to tell our senators and representatives who we are, what we do, and to stress how critical our services are to the health of the people we serve. The experience of advocating on behalf of our profession is rewarding. The importance of our five organizations speaking with one voice as we advocate for the laboratory profession and ultimately for our patients cannot be understated.  Our united voice makes a much greater impact than individual voices.

Laboratory Legislative Symposium

ASCLS is proud to work with Clinical Laboratory Management Association (CLMA), American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), Association of Genetic Technologists (AGT), American Medical Technologists (AMT), the National Society for Histotechnology (NSH), and the Philippine Association of Medical Technologists-USA (PAMET-USA) on the Legislative Symposium each year. 

LegDaygraphicThrough this ASCLS tradition that originated in 1989, the members of these organizations meet with their representatives and senators on Capitol Hill as a unified front on behalf of our profession. Each year these leading organizations urge their members and leaders to come to Washington to provide a visible and informed voice, and make our concerns known inside Congress.

Education, Experience, Leadership

The Legislative Symposium provides a great education on the how-tos of lobbying. Attendees are coached on presentation techniques so they can effectively talk to their congressional representatives during their appointments. They are well received in the congressional offices. Attendees return home from Washington with first-hand knowledge of the political system in action and confidence that they make a difference.

The 2021 Legislative Symposium is scheduled for March 15-16 at the Hilton Alexandria Old Town in Alexandria, VA. Each attendee will receive pre-meeting emails describing the issues to be discussed with their congressional representatives as well as extensive information to be left with each office.

Wondering what the Legislative Symposium is like?

Laboratory professionals at all stages of their careers attend the Legislative Symposium. Programming is built to accommodate everyone's experiences, from first-time attendees to those who know all the secret passages to get around The Hill. Here are views of recent Symposiums.

 

General Information

Registration is open to members of ASCLS, ASCP, CLMA, AMT, AGT, NSH, and PAMET-USA.

Early Bird (until 2/12/2021) $290
Regular (until 3/5/2021) $340
Onsite $390

Registration Opens December 1, 2020.

All Symposium events will take place at the Hilton Alexandria Old Town, located in historic Alexandria, Virginia; convenient to King Street shops and restaurants, Reagan National Airport, and the King Street Metro stop (Blue and Yellow Lines). A block of rooms has been set aside for Legislative Symposium attendees until February 18, 2021 or until the room block is sold out. Accommodations are $181 for single or double rooms, plus any additional applicable taxes. 

Sample Agenda

The final agenda and handouts will be available one week prior to the Symposium.

MONDAY, MARCH 15, 2021
 
7:30 am – 8:00 am REGISTRATION AND CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST
 
8:00 am – 8:15 am  Welcome from the Partners
 
8:15 am – 8:30 am Meeting Overview
 
8:30 am – 9:15 am    Overview of the Political Environment in Washington
 
9:15 am – 10:00am  Issue Brief #1
 
10:00 am – 10:15 am  BREAK
 
10:15 am– 11:15 am  Issue Brief #1 Continued
 
11:15 am - 12:00 pm   Issue Brief #2
 
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm    Networking Lunch
 
1:30 pm – 2:15 pm  Preparing for Congressional Visits
  • Review of Issues, Leave Behinds and “Talking Points”
  • Walk Through Feedback on Visits
  • How Congressional Offices Work
  • How Legislative Staff View Your Visit
  • How to Communicate Your Message Effectively
2:15 pm – 3:00 pm Issue Brief #3
 
3:00 pm – 3:45 pm  Advocacy Perspectives Outside the Laboratory Profession
 
3:45 pm – 4:15 pm BREAK
 
4:15 pm – 5:00 pm Congressional Update
 
5:00 pm – 5:30 pm Practicing Your Message/Making a Difference
  • Developing your personal advocacy message
  • Breakouts and Role-Playing
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm  RECEPTION
 
 
TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2021
 
6:30 am – 8:30 am Breakfast
 
8:00 am  Begin traveling to Capitol Hill Appointments (on your own)