My name is Nathan Auldridge and I live in Roanoke County, Virginia. During the pandemic, parents were able to serve as paid caregivers to waiver-eligible minors and we saw a myriad of benefits including less strain on the limited pool of for hire caregivers, family income stabilized as parents didn't risk losing jobs or staying home with zero income to take care of kids with complex needs, and no rise in costs as a parent being the paid provider does not increase access to services already approved. We must reinstate and make permanent these provisions. This proposed amendment - which is consistent with other CMS-approved plans - will make a huge positive difference for impacted families.

Further more, providing a Parent/Primary Caregiver/Guardian with a base level income to care for their disabled family member helps to inject more money into the pockets of consumers at the local level in every community across the Commonwealth.