I am located in extreme Southwest Virginia.I am the last county in the state .Lee County .We border Tn.and Ky .We are a large facility in a rural area.This amendment is being made to preserve the beds for the Virginia people who need them .I have never turned away a Virginia resident ,who seemd suitable for my facility .Our facility is an asset to have in our county.I depend on keeping my census to the max in order to attempt to keep my facility running and to keep work for 35 employee's.Even at the current rate ,it takes all and more to provide a half way decent service for the resident's.The current Auxuliary Grant is a maximum $17.00 per day .I have seen the rate at .25 cents a day .All this depends on the residents income.But  the resident's income comes with the resident from out of state to help supply jobs.The 90 day residency could have a adverse effect on me and could cause me to close my doors .

   This is a critical program to serve the population it serves.It is also the most underfunded program in the state.The J.L.A.R.C.study performed in 2006 referred to special circumstances as the only way a facility could survive at the auxiliary grant rate.The special circumstances requires the operator working at the facility many long hours doing many different task for less than minimum wage.A lot of  operators continue to do this and are satisfied and do a good job.On the other hand this should not be a requirment  to make ends meet for the operators who accept auxiliary grant.

     I hope everyone can participate in this public comment session and hopefully get the 90 day residency requirment amended to be taken out.   Thank You