Just hours to go: Join the MS movement to end MS NOW!

Your gifts are funding an MS Research Revolution — bringing more MS scientists to the field and driving more MS research faster than ever. But it’s still not enough. Every week, 200 more Americans will learn that they have MS. But, with 48 hours left to go, you can help reach the $50,000 goal — funding that will drive research to: STOP MS in its tracks, ensuring the disease can't do any more damage RESTORE what the disease has taken, healing nerves and reversing the symptoms of MS END MS forever, protecting future generations from the uncertainty of MS There are just 48 hours left to reach this important fundraising goal. Every dollar ensures investment in more promising projects — projects that will help uncover the answers and lead to solutions for everyone affected by this disease. Please don't wait — no opportunity can be wasted. NOW is the time to make things happen. So please donate today — help fund the research that will END MS forever. Sincerely, Krista Asteriadis Byers Associate Vice President of Individual Giving National MS Society

A bold step to END MS forever

If the uncertainty of MS continues to affect even one person, that's one too many. MS is unpredictable. It most commonly attacks men and women — right in the prime of life. But your support is the driving force behind research that will ultimately END MS — tomorrow and for generations to come. There are just 6 days left. Time is running out to raise $50,000 — we can't do it without you! Giving a gift today could mean a better understanding of what causes MS, what triggers it, and how it can be prevented forever. Right now your gifts are funding: Massive screening studies to identify genes common among people who have MS Research to identify environmental factors that may trigger MS Studies looking at the immune system to understand how and why it turns against the body's own nerves Any of these studies, or the countless others you've helped fuel, could uncover the secret that will END MS forever. And NOW is the time to join the MS Research Revolution — give today, help raise $50,000 before August 30th to keep the momentum going, and help ensure that no stone is left unturned, no path is left unexplored. Please, donate today and help put an END to MS for good! Sincerely, Krista Asteriadis Byers Associate Vice President of Individual Giving National MS Society

Share the Importance of MS Activism

Advocacy is empowering. Advocacy drives change. Your connections count and your story can make a difference. Advocacy is something everyone can do. You know this because you are an MS Activist. As an MS Activist and an ambassador of activism’s value, we urge you to share this video about the importance of activism through your social media networks—on Facebook, Twitter, and blogs. Others in your network may realize that they too can be an MS Activist. Share this video, along with the message that activism is something that everyone can do and that it has a real world positive impact on people affected by MS. At the state and local levels, MS Activists are working to tackle the high cost of disease modifying therapies, to create and to preserve state income tax credits for accessible home modifications, and to strengthen accessible parking laws. At the federal level, MS Activists have recently helped add an aggressive form of MS to the Social Security Administration’s "Compassionate Allowances Initiative" so that some people with MS can get disability benefits quicker. MS Activists also helped secure an additional $3.8 million to fund MS research through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP), bringing the total amount allocated over five years to MS research through the CDMRP to more than $20 million. Our MS Activist network is now over 70,000 strong and growing every week. Help make it even stronger by sharing this great video that features MS Activists from around the country speaking from the heart and sharing their story about what activism means to them. We are all MS Activists. Together, we will move closer to a world free of MS.

Your chance to RESTORE what's been taken by MS

Imagine a 25-year-old woman living with MS. The disease took her ability to walk, so she has spent the last three years using a wheelchair. Now imagine the day she is able to stand up again — leave her wheelchair behind — and dance with her husband once again. Respond in the next week to help raise $50,000. Funds that make visions like this one a possibility for every single man, woman, and child living with MS. Your support will help RESTORE what MS has taken from so many people. Until recently, there was little belief that the nervous system could be repaired. But your support is funding new rehabilitation strategies and symptom management techniques that may one day reverse the damage caused by MS. Time is running out, and NOW is the time to ensure no opportunity is wasted. Help more than 400,000 people with MS to live their best lives. Join the MS Research Revolution with a generous gift today and help RESTORE what's been lost to MS. Sincerely, Krista Asteriadis Byers Associate Vice President of Individual Giving National MS Society

While They're Home, Urge Your Senator to Support Disability Rights

As we’ve already noted in previous action alerts, last month, on the 22nd anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was voted favorably out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with a 13-6 bipartisan vote! This international disability treaty affirms the values of the ADA including equality, independence, and dignity. The next step towards treaty ratification is a full vote on the Senate floor and that’s why we’re contacting you once again. Before leaving for August recess, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid issued a statement of support in the Congressional Record encouraging ratification of the CRPD. When the Senate is back in session in September, a bipartisan group of champions will lead the treaty to its final vote on the Senate floor. This bipartisan group of champions includes: Senators McCain (R-AZ), Durbin (D-IL), Kerry (D-MA), Barrasso (R-WY), Harkin (D-IA), Udall (D-NM), Moran (R-KS), and Coons (D-DE). Many of you have already heard about the CRPD and contacted your Senators. We want to thank you for all of your support! We’re asking for your help again in order to get through the final stages of the ratification process. It is now August recess and members of Congress are back home in their states. One or both of your Senators have not yet publically announced their support for the CRPD. Please click here to email your Senator(s) while they are home and ask them to commit to vote yes on the CRPD! You will be prompted to enter your zip code and then an email to send to your Senator(s) will appear. If you happen to be attending a town meeting hosted by your Senator, please ask about support for this treaty. This will hopefully line us up for a strong floor vote once Congress returns in September. Thank you, once again, for your help!

One way to help STOP MS in its tracks

I'll never have to worry about another MS relapse! STOP MS NOW Right now, every 50 minutes, an American is diagnosed with MS. That’s almost 30 people a day! That's why your donation, by August 30, is critical to driving research ever closer to the solution that will STOP MS in its tracks. In fact, gifts from you and compassionate people like you have helped uncover every major breakthrough in MS research for the last 65 years, including: Development of drugs to reduce the recurrence and severity of relapses Identification of the four types of MS lesion patterns for a better understanding of MS NOW is the time to keep this momentum going. Join the MS Research Revolution with a generous gift today and help STOP MS in its tracks. Your support can help raise $50,000 by August 30 — funding that will revolutionize care and treatment options — bringing real solutions to the men, women, and children who are living with MS. Significant progress has been made, but your gift will help uncover critical solutions. Please donate today! Sincerely, Krista Asteriadis Byers Associate Vice President of Individual Giving National MS Society

CogniFitness: Keeping the Mind Moving

The National MS Society, Greater New England Chapter presents CogniFitness: Keeping the Mind Moving Up to 60% of people with MS experience cognitive changes in some form. Come to discuss issues and engage in small group practical activities. Learn exercises and strategies to help focus your attention, improve memory, planning, and problem solving skills. New Hampshire Saturday, September 8th, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Cheshire Medical Center, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene in Keene, NH Presenter: Jan Ray-Thompson, OTR/L Please register by: August 31 Vermont Saturday, September 15th, 10:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Nolin-Murray Conference Center in Springfield, VT Presenter: Brant Oliver, N.P, M.S.N, M.P.H Please register by: September 11 To Register, call 1-800-344-4867 or visit us online. Registration includes materials and a light lunch. Limit one guest per registrant. Space is limited. Advance registration is required. Because MS affects more than just the individual diagnosed, our programs welcome friends and family members unaccompanied by a person with MS. Our programs often fill up quickly. While we fully understand you may need to cancel for various reasons, we ask that you let us know in advance if you cannot attend a program you’ve registered for whenever possible. This will help reduce our costs and enable people who may be on a waiting list to have the opportunity to join the program. National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Greater New England Chapter 101A First Avenue, Suite 6 | Waltham, Mass. 02451-1115 tel: 1 800-344-4867 | fax: 1 781-890-2089 | MSnewengland.org

Federal Focus - August 2012

Disability Rights Treaty Sent to Senate for Vote On July 26, 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)--a landmark civil rights law that ensures equal rights for people with disabilities in the community and in employment. This year, on the ADA's 22nd anniversary, another monumental step was taken to recognize the rights of people with disabilities--the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) with bipartisan support. The CRPD is a treaty that describes the obligations of ratifying countries to promote, protect, fulfill, and ensure the rights of persons with disabilities. The treaty embodies the American ideals that formed the basis of the ADA--empowering persons with disabilities to be independent and productive citizens. The United States signed the CRPD in 2009, but in order for it to have the force of law, the U.S. Senate must ratify it by a two thirds vote. Over the past few months, MS activists have helped move this treaty forward. The Senate Committee held a hearing on it in mid-July and just last week, voted it out of Committee. The CRPD was subsequently sent to the Senate “floor,” where Senators may vote on it at any point. In the past week alone, MS activists have sent over 3,100 emails to their U.S. Senators urging them to vote on the CRPD as soon as possible. We will keep everyone informed with the hope that the Senate ratifies this important treaty soon! House Approves MS Research Funding, but Further Action on Appropriations Likely Stalled In mid-July, the House of Representatives passed its funding bill for the Department of Defense for fiscal year 2013. Each year, MS activists urge their members of Congress to include funding for MS research in the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) in this bill. Over the past five years, over $20 million of CDMRP funding has supported high-risk, high-reward MS research. The bill that passed the House this year included $5 million for MS research—an increase over last year’s $3.8 million. It is likely that we will not have final funding levels for this priority or others like funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Lifespan Respite Care Program that supports family caregivers for quite some time. Earlier this week, Congressional leadership announced that they had reached a deal to keep funding the government past the beginning of the fiscal year (October 1) and until March 2013. This will delay final funding level decisions until after the election, when the new Congress begins. MS activists will still be meeting with their lawmakers about our funding priorities while members of Congress are home over August recess—to remind them of the importance of support for the MS community. Two New Health Provisions in Effect Preventive Care: As of August 1, 2012, all new health insurance plans are required to provide women with coverage of eight preventive health benefits including well-woman visits and diabetes screening for pregnant women with no copay or deductible. These additional benefits build on the list of vital screenings and tests that health plans must cover for all plan enrollees as a requirement of the Affordable Care Act at no cost to the patient. Because the additional women’s preventive health benefits apply only to plans issued on or after August 1st, most women will have to wait until their policy is renewed to see them. The renewal date is typically the first day of January in employer-based insurance plans. Insurance Rebates: August 1st was also the deadline for health insurers to issue rebates to policyholders for premiums they paid in 2011 that were higher than the new standards that require insurers to spend a set percentage of premiums directly on care. For small group plans, insurers must spend 80% and for large groups, plans must spend at least 85% of premium dollars on medical care. Any premium amounts they charge above that must be rebated back to their customers. In the last several months alone, over $1 billion has been rebated back to approximately 12 million policyholders across the country.

Action Needed Within 36 Hours: Urge Senate to Vote for Disability Rights

Twenty-two years ago, on July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush. The ADA is a landmark civil rights law that ensures equal rights for people with disabilities in the community and in employment. This year, on the ADA's anniversary, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was voted favorably out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with bipartisan support and sent to the Senate floor! Click here to push the CRPD through the final step! For those of you who have a Senator on the Foreign Relations Committee, you’ve already heard all about the CRPD and we want to thank you for all of the emails you sent – they helped make the difference! Now the CRPD is entering its final stage and we need MS Activists in all 50 states to help push for a vote in the U.S. Senate. In order to have the force of law, the U.S. Senate must ratify the CRPD by a two thirds majority vote. Ratification of this crucial treaty ensures that people with disabilities, including people living with MS, have equal rights and extends disability rights globally. We believe there is still time for floor action this week before the August recess (which starts on August 3). In order for a vote to happen this quickly, we need to make sure that every Senator hears from constituents in support for ratification. Within the next 36 hours, click here to email your Senators and urge them to support the CRPD. Thank you, once again, for your help!