My name is Tanya Woodard. I am currently the Administrator at Chestnut Grove ALF in Dryden Va. I am addressing the issue of the auxiliary grant rate in Virginia. 

Our facility is in a rural are of Virginia, most of our residents get the auxiliary grant. 

The rate as of right now is $1562.00 per month with the resident receiving $82.00 personal allowance per month. 

According to calculations it would take an increase of $187.67 more per month for our facility to just break even with the cost of monthly expenses of the facility. In January 2022 when minimum wage goes up, it will go even higher. 

For nursing homes in our area, the care is $6600.00 per month or $220.00 per day while the grant pays $52.00 per day for assisted living. 

With the rising cost of living and rising cost of minimum wage, this will cause facilities to close their doors and leave the need greatly for assisted living--as with all these increase it will be impossible to continue to operate and provide this service that is needed.

All we are asking for is an increase in the auxiliary grant so we can continue to provide a loving home for our residents. This is a much  - needed service. We need the auxiliary grant to at least match the cost of living and the minimum wage increase. 

Your attention and any help you can give us concerning this matter will be greatly appreciated.

Tanya Woodard

Current AG rates for our residents are insufficient to provide care without outside support. Cost of service continues to increase year over year. Currently AG rates cover about 1/3 of the cost of dignified care. Please consider a significant increase in AG rates so we may continue our mission.

The auxiliary grant rate provided by the Commonwealth has rarely been increased over the past decade.  The grant covers roughly 1/3 of the cost for an elderly person.  With a surplus of $2B, the state needs to make the a significant investment to ensure dignified care for the elderly is provided.

I would like to take a moment and ask you to please consider raising the rate of aux. grants for assisted living facilities. The residents on these grants need the increase for their individual care and the facilities in which they are cared for need the increase to provide sufficient care for the residents. Thanks for your time and concern regarding this important matter.

My name is Wanda Lawson, Office Manager at Chestnut Grove ALF.

I would like to take this opportunity to ask that you consider providing an increase in the Auxiliary Grant for assisted living facilities.

I have been employed 40 years at the ALF and I have not seen a sufficient rate increase to support daily cost of care for our residents.

We want to continue to be able to provide a loving home for our residents. This is a much needed service and they, the residents, deserve this. The assisted living facility may not survive. PLEASE, we ask for your help.

Talk about neglect. The state continues to neglect by not supporting a livable assisted living rate.  The rate should have been increased in 2005 along with other 4 major recommendations.    Study was done by department of aging. Of course other three were passed regulations. Double ag rate recommended then would have been $1800 in 2005.  Not at that rate yet. With mandatory wage increase there will be less and less ag beds.  They have been declining for years.  Eventually there will be none left.  Functional obsolete. I’ve advocated for 30 years for a livable wage only to be ignored as politicians are fed by p a c and  special interest.  When will if anyone fund this much worthwhile program to a livable wage.  Check mental healt rate for group homes and units paid out for one of their residents.  Check the rate for children’s group home. Check the rate for nursing homes.   All these are comparable services to assisted living. I am glad they are supported.  They are all important services.  Again it’s not right to continue this neglect and not supporting to a livable wage.  Looks like everything is fast forward with all mandatory wage increase.  The ag rate needs a fast forward as well.  Rate should be around $ 3000 a month instead half of that.