With labor shortages in caregiving, combined with the allotted money per hour (without access to health insurance, dental insurance, and even worker’s compensation if injuries occur), you know who the state can depend on to take care of the most vulnerable and most deserving among us? Parents can. It took a pandemic to allow parents to be hired widespread for disabled folks to be able to have their parents paid with waiver funds to care for them in addition to any attendants they are fortunate to hire (usually only takes about 1-2 months to get paperwork situated, sigh) and if your attendant is able to stick thru it, they likely stay until they reach the life stage where they need a job with benefits and then have to leave your child and household (your child will be bereft losing what is likely one of their only dear friends) while you are bereft at having to roll the dice and hope another magical person can not only work for a near minimum wage that has all the costs of social security and such taken out, but also has no benefits now or in future to look forward to- they work on heart alone till they no longer can. Parents as paid attendants works to create a safety net for folks due to a low paying job with no benefits offered to help ensure that our loved ones can be cared for by loved ones in addition to the unicorn workers that hard to hire otherwise. Agencies have been working tirelessly to cash in or destroy parents ability to be care attendants for minor children because said agencies lose money (but there’s so much oversight from waiver management and every specialist our child sees so no, more oversight is not needed- higher wages with benefits for workers/ less for greedy agencies is needed). Quality of care will increase with higher wages and health benefits offered- please stop agencies trying to grab bigger pieces of cash pie!