The area I most feel a gap in support as a single working mother of a disabled child is the ability to find qualified, dependable, reliable, and long-term attendants for personal care and respite hours so that I can continue to work. The hourly rate is too low for working adults who could provide the level of care our children need. The pay rate, especially for Albemarle County, needs to be raised to attract better caregivers. A living wage is necessary for them to commit long-term. A move towards $15/hr is much needed.

It has been a huge relief and a Godsend for DMAS to allow parents to be paid attendants during the pandemic. Beyond losing jobs due to the pandemic, there are times when mothers are forced out of the workforce simply because of the increased demands of their disabled child(ren) and lack of flexibility at work. It should be an option for mothers (or fathers) to be the primary paid attendant should they deem it impossible to find adequate support elsewhere or if they feel they are the better option. In my case, it has been difficult to train attendants to provide the same (or nearly the same) level of care that I can provide myself. It has also been an area where I have had to entrust my child to less than desired caregiving to maintain my job because of the lack of available and qualified attendants who are as dedicated to the work as I am.

Please keep this option of being the paid attendant open to parents! It has made a life-changing difference in the stability of our family and my child's development over the last year.

The other areas of funding that are currently missing are funding for out-of-network providers (ST, OT, PT, LPC, counselors, psychiatrists, etc.). In my town, very few providers are in-network for any of the insurance companies or Medicaid. Getting high-quality support in these areas for our kids is very tough if you don't have deep pockets. Waitlists are long for in-network providers.