The American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR) is an association of community-based providers that advocates on behalf of people with disabilities and disability service providers at the national level. ANCOR “advocates for people with disabilities for community and positive outcomes and works with policymakers and the public to enhance the ability to promote better outcomes within their community,” shares Lynne Megan, chief executive officer of TSE, Inc. and full board member of ANCOR. Julie Johnson, president and CEO of MSS and sitting member of the ANCOR Board of Representatives, said that ANCOR is “making place and space to connect with similar and different providers across the United States, and connect with other leaders to broaden perspective and develop ideas.”
ANCOR hosts trainings, presentations, and webinars throughout the year, helping members learn about the differences between federal and state-level funding, stay informed about changes to direct support, and access tools to connect with congressional leaders. Some examples of this year’s past events include “Mastering Crisis Leadership: From Compliance to Readiness within the ICF/IID Program”, “Above and Beyond: The Lives & Careers of DSPs and How to Support Them”, and “ANCOR Live: Putting Data into Action – Integrating National & State Data into Your Data Strategy”. In addition to these trainings, ANCOR also hosts ANCOR Connect, a spring conference, and a Policy Summit and Hill Day.
This year’s 2025 Policy Summit and Hill Day focused on topics including the fallout and impact of the then-impending government shutdown, protecting Medicaid and Home and Community-Based Services funding while mitigating the impact of Medicaid cuts to programs serving people with physical and intellectual disabilities, and the rural health transformation funds. Similar to Minnesota’s Disability Services Day at the Capitol, the Day on the Hill gives members an opportunity to hear disability services speakers, engage with congressional staffers, and connect with other organizations from across the country. The event brought together hundreds of advocates in over 280 meetings with U.S. Senators and Representatives from 42 states, aiming to inform and influence federal policy.
ANCOR has expanded its resources and training for Direct Support Professionals, introducing the DSP Ambassador Program to promote grassroots DSP development. This program offers training, presentations, and connections for accepted member employees to learn how to share their stories and advocate directly with lawmakers. The program welcomed its first 38 members this year, including applicants from TSE, Inc. and MSS. Some of these members were invited to participate in Day on the Hill programs, gaining valuable experience interacting with Congressional staffers. For more seasoned professionals, ANCOR has created the Leadership Academy to help prepare them to step into executive or leadership roles. The program includes expert-led webinars, peer learning, mentor support, and a capstone project that contributes to ANCOR’s research or thought leadership, with potential for publication.
“It is an invaluable opportunity to enhance our Minnesota services as we know and recognize the need to be a part of the federal level,” said Megan when asked about the benefits participating in ANCOR has had on TSE, Inc. “ANCOR membership is an investment that is worth while,” said Johnson, “more and more, getting outside our state and having providers connect with providers will be more important as we go forward.” If you are a MOHR member interested in joining ANCOR or joining the MOHR GAC National Sub-committee, please connect with Lynne Megan @lmegan@tse-inc.org. MOHR members generating less than $3 million in revenue may be eligible for sponsored ANCOR membership.
