Tips for a Successful Hill Visit
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Other Documents:
Appointment Letter
Confirmation Letter

• Review materials and information included in this packet.

• Rehearse.
- Refine Your Elevator Talk.
- Prepare for Questions (see following page).

• Dress for Success. Be professional.

• Outline Team Strategy.

• Arrive on Time. Give yourself extra time to compensate for security measures.

• Use Four Magic Hello/Good-byes.
- Smile - Shake Hands
- Make Eye Contact - Say Hello/Goodbye

• Sign the Visitor Book at the reception desk. Maybe even leave a pen that says recreational therapy on it.

• Be positive during your interaction.

• Know the facts about recreational therapy.

• Be honest. If you don’t know an answer, offer to get back to them with the information.

• Listen carefully to what the legislator/staff are telling you.

• Distribute materials to help educate them on recreational therapy.

• Request support of them for recreational therapy causes.

• Collect business cards of the staff you meet with.

• Debrief with the ATRA team.

• Share Information with others.

• Follow-up with a personal thank you note/email.

• Follow through. If you said you would follow up or provide additional information, do so.

• Plan Future Strategies.

ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE!!!!!!!

Not sure how to prepare once you are in DC?

Attend informative sessions!

• Sunday, March 6, 2005
Pre-Conference Institute
P3: Experience “the Hill” and Legislative Process (CEUs: .4)
Take a field trip to Capital Hill! This session will help participants become familiar with Capital Hill, how to locate buildings and Senate and House offices. This session will cover the legislative process and the inner workings of the Federal Government.

• Monday, March 7, 2005 Sessions
G7: ATRA on the Hill: Come See What It’s All About
A12: ATRA Congress Work Session
G13: The Recreational Therapy Medicare Project and
ATRA Congress

• Tuesday, March 8 – Day on the Hill

Things to Remember!

• Allow enough time between hill visits. You will need time to get from one location to another, as well as time to get through security in each building.
• Carry your picture ID (you will need this to get into Senate and House buildings due to enhanced security).
• Carry the least amount of things possible (no metal objects, etc.). Security will look through bags you bring with you.
• Suits or similar professional dress wear are strongly encouraged.
• Check in at the appointment table near the ATRA registration desk once you arrive at the hotel.

Possible Questions – Prepare Your Answer!

During your visit with Senators and Representatives and their staff, you may be asked questions about recreational therapy. Be prepared! Review these questions and have an idea of what you would say if asked each question. Being prepared in advance will help ease tension, allowing you to be relaxed and confident. Your advanced preparation will show!

• What is recreational therapy?

• Where are services delivered?

• What type of services do you provide?

• Who receives these services?

• How does it compare to PT, OT?

• How many recreational therapists are there?

• What type of education is necessary to be a recreational therapist?

• Are these services reimbursable under the current healthcare system?

• How are these services beneficial?

• How are these services cost effective?

• Who monitors these services?

• What are your greatest challenges in providing services?

• What is expected future demand for services?

• What are you asking of me as your legislative representative?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions, a Resource list is provided for you at the end of this document.

Do’s & Don’ts and Talking Points

Do’s

• Do – Review Materials.
• Do – Rehearse with Team.
• Do – Follow up.
• Do – Share Experience.

Don’ts

• Don’t – Make Things Up, always say you will get back to them with the correct information.
• Don’t – Address Personal Issues When Representing ATRA: Stick to the ATRA Issues.

Talking Points

• Fast employment growth is expected in assisted living, outpatient physical and psychiatric rehabilitation and services for persons with disabling conditions.

• Rapidly growing number of older adults is expected to spur job growth in Assisted Living Facilities, Adult Day Care Programs, Skilled Nursing Facilities and Social Security Agencies.

• Continued growth is also expected in Community Residential Facilities, as well as Day Care Programs for individuals with disabling conditions – Occupational Outlook 2002.

Follow-Up Actions

• Debrief with Team
Discuss how the visit went and how to improve for next time.

• Share Critical Information
Share any pertinent information with the public policy team.

• Send Follow-up Letter or Email
Follow-up by sending a thank you for your time letter or email.

• Provide Additional Materials
Contact the public policy team for any additional materials or information needed as follow-up.

• Share Experiences
Write a letter for the ATRA Newsletter or your chapter newsletter, send an email to your chapter or colleagues, present at a local, regional, or national conference about your experience.

• Continue Advocacy
Continue to monitor issues and participate in visits, public policy teams, and action alerts.

Resource List

• www.thomas.loc.gov – Browse Congressional Record issued by date or search through alphabetical index of the publication by topic with hyperlinks to page citations and bill references
• www.access.gpo.gov – Web for the Government Printing Office. Federal Register is the official publication for presidential documents and executive orders as well as notices, rules, and proposed rules from federal agencies and organizations
• www.fedworld.gov – Hyperlinks to important federal government sites on the Web. Search through more than 10,000 government files. Also list of available government jobs
• www.ppsv.com – Powers, Pyles, Sutter & Verville, P.C. (ATRA Legislative Counsel). Wonderful links to other sites. Check out the Washington Wire link for weekly legislative updates
• www.lcweb.loc.gov – Library of Congress – most comprehensive research and resource library in the world
• www.piperinfo.com – Access to hyperlinks to state and local government agencies
• www.vote-smart.org – Nonpartisan political information site where you can check how each member of Congress voted on a particular issue
• www.ssa.gov – Info about Social Security benefits
• www.census.gov – Social, demographic and economic info about the U.S.
• www.ed.gov – Site for U.S. Dept. of Education with great resources/links
• www.hhs.gov Site for U.S. Dept. of Health/Human Services which is the largest grant making agency in the federal government. Info on Medicare and Medicaid. Links to other government health and medicine resources
• www.dol.gov – Site for U.S. Dept. of Labor – Check out the info on Recreational Therapy!
• www.presidentmatch.com – Service of AOL and CBS News which provides you the opportunity to select the candidate most closely associated with your beliefs/opinions. Can also check out www.selectsmart.com for similar candidate selector
• www.senate.gov – Includes Directory of Senators along with phone, email, and mail contacts. Info on legislative activities, details on the legislative process, glossary of Senate terms and virtual tour of the Capital
• www.house.gov – Includes Directory of the House of Representatives
• www.whitehouse.gov – Email the President and/or Vice-President
• www.health.gov/healthypeople - Healthy People 2010 info
• www.lawdesk.com/LegilsativeResources - The legal professional’s e-law desk reference. A wealth of links to site where you can learn about current bills, how laws are enacted, locating local/state/federal politicians, etc.
• www.govspost.com Excellent government/civic links and government search engines
• www.fedstats.gov – Access to statistical information from more than 70 agencies in federal government
• www.hhnmag.com – Hospitals & Health Networks magazine on line from the American Hospital Association
• www.modernhealthcare.com – Modern Healthcare
• www.nejm.org – The New England Journal of Medicine
• www.hfma.org – Healthcare Financial Management Association site
• www.ahcpr.gov – Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality whish provides information on research activities, quality measurement, utilization, etc.
• www.nih.gov – World’s foremost biomedical research centers and the U.S. focal point for biomedical research
• www.aha.org – American Hospital Association website
• www.ama-assn.org – American Medical Association website
• www.cms.gov – Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
• www.carf.org – The Rehabilitation Accreditation Commission
• www.jcaho.org – Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations