Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
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Department of Medical Assistance Services
 
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Board of Medical Assistance Services
 
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7/25/23  12:53 pm
Commenter: Andrea Bickley

Proposed Paid Parent Hourly Limitation and Changes to EOR
 

Unless the hourly rate is going to drastically increase, it's incredibly unrealistic to expect that many/any of us will be able to find adequate care for our children. The hourly rates, plus income taxation, significantly reduces the applicant field. Add in requirements for properly/responsibly administering medication, as well as providing support for other demanding/intimate ADL needs (such as wiping after toileting, diaper changing for others, etc.) and it's basically impossible to hire good, reliable help at these rates. The care will be sub-par, if attainable at all. You essentially get what you pay for if it's someone who has no emotional bond for the individual. At those rates, why would anyone provide the care many/most of these individuals need? Would you be satisified with your job if you were paid the same amount? Would you not always be looking for something with better pay and less responsibilities, less contact with someone else's bodily fluids/excrement? Less dealing with emotional/behavioral outbursts, communication issues, etc.?

Additionally, limiting parents to only 40 hours a week is not realistic because many/most of our kids who qualify for these services qualified BECAUSE of the amount of help they need. The families are put through a lot to even obtain the services, so limiting the parents to 40 hours is a slap in the face. Even if we could hire someone to do some of the work, 40 hours still is not enough. 

Lastly, requiring an EOR that does NOT live in the home does not seem like it will work considering CDCN's CellTrak requirement to have the EOR sign the timesheet every single shift. How will families get around that? What about people who don't have parents or siblings or people they trust with this sensitive PII within 50 miles? This seems like a disaster waiting to happen, and your agency could be dealing with PII breaches and other costly consequences. 

Caring for individuals who qualify for these services shouldn't be made even harder/less attainable. It shouldn't cause more stress and more of a financial burden. Your proposed changes do exactly that. 

CommentID: 218125