The rules for LRI caregivers passed by Virginia's General Assembly and signed by Gov. Youngkin this past spring need to be implemented by DMAS as stated in the legislation. Parents should be the first choice in caring for medically complex or disabled children, not last resort. They have been specially trained in the care of their child and their specific needs. In addition, paying parents saves the state money as hourly pay rates are much lower then those charged by nursing agencies and home health companies. Parenting a medically complex, disabled child is hard enough as it is. Going forward, DMAS rules should always be made in a way that respects the work parents are doing to keep their children at home and healthy, which ultimately allows these special children to thrive, not in an adversarial way that increases the burden on families.