I understand this will give priority 1 another chance to receive funding but where would that leave the priority 2 and 3 applicants? Would they have an even smaller chance at receiving funding? I don't feel this is fair from what I am reading. My son is a priority 2 applicant and we were denied last year. Hoping to receive funding this year with this change will seem almost impossible. I see how this will be a benefit for priority 1 l, but I feel it is pushing priority 2 and 3 further back from funding we desperately need and will still be denied.

I see that priority 1 doesn’t seem to be changed much, but what about 2 & 3? What does that do for those of us on priority 2 who are struggling. It’s absurd that some of us have kids who are severely disabled, but not disabled enough to meet criteria, which is crazy. We are constantly denied, put on waitlists or bypassed. Families like ours not only NEED funding, but our children deserve it. They deserve the funding to have access to the things they need for day to day living. I wish the people making these decisions were special needs parents. It doesn’t seem fair to have someone with a pen who doesn’t live this life or understand what it’s like or what goes into it. I want to paint a small picture for you; when calculating my daughter’s needs every month, including what insurance pays, her needs cost, roughly $3,700  MONTHLY. Can you afford that? Can ANYONE afford that? No. It’s not possible. Yet, she’s still a priority 2. Normalize funding, accessibility and resources for ALL special needs families. 

Would like to receive my funds for tier 1 due to being denied I am disabled and the funds can help me pay my bills and medical 

Hello,

Thanks for the opportunity to provide our feedback. Virginia, this is the least that you can do the the needy families - PLEASE fund all priority categories. These needy people must have gotten the services they need on time, without a delay. It is unfortunate that VA is underfunded for this. This is the least to do - at least fund everyone!

Thank you!

At first, I was not going to comment because no one is listening. I can complain day after day, and nothing will change. But it is wrong how the funds are available to some and not to others. My son has been on a waiting list since he was 5 years old. He is now 29 and I am not getting any closer to him receiving proper help. It always some government nonsense you have to go through. My son is on priority 2 for some unknown reason. At least with priority 1 he had a fighting chance. Maybe he will be on 1 in the next 10 years at the rate this is going

I am the parent of a disabled 17 year old.  He will age out of school supports soon.  Many of his peers have aged out already or will be soon as well.  The view I see for them without a waiver is terrifying.  All of them are considered level 2 which means they won’t get a waiver any time soon.  None of them can be left alone all day while their parents work.  The situation is at crisis level (zero exaggeration here).  Leaving aside all question of what an advanced society owes its most vulnerable citizens on a humanitarian level, these individuals are already on Medicaid.  The medical costs from the various ways they injure themselves as well at the lost wages for their family caregivers (and accompanying taxes) or the potential property damage and other societal issues arising from them being left unsupported will cost the state a lot more than the funding for waiver services in the long run.  

Just adjusting the waiver eligibility and funding for the waivers is not enough however.  Many people who receive a waiver live in a provider desert.  My son was awarded a CCC+ waiver due to his combination of physical and intellectual disabilities.  Over the last 9 years we have managed to keep an in-home support provider for less than half the time.  They always leave because the work is difficult and underpaid.  Regular day care options will not take my son.  I personally know many families in my area that have funding either through the CCC+ or ID/DD waiver but cannot find anyone to hire!!  Provider development and retention has to increase proportionally along with any increase in waivers if the money allocated is to do any good.  I understand it is impossible to solve this issue immediately but the state needs a comprehensive plan for how it will increase both waivers and the necessary providers moving forward.  Thank you for your time and consideration.

My daughter has been on the waiver wait list for over 18 years.  Just recently her case manager told me that she had been moved to priority 1.  While on the wait list, the IFSP fund has been offered, in the beginning on a first come, first served basis and now based upon priority level and approval of need.  Neither have met the needs of those on the wait list.  While we have fortunately received funds for various needs from the IFSP funds, I know that this year she will not be approved because she has received the funds in the prior period.  While I understand and am sympathetic to giving those who have not received funds first option, I think the overall concern here is that Virginia is not funding enough waiver slots to award to those who have been on the wait list for years and years with no hope of getting a waiver anytime soon, and secondly, there is not enough money allocated to the IFSP funds to allow all of those on the wait list, regardless of priority, to receive funding for the things that they need.  My daughter, obviously is an adult and cannot support and care for herself or be her own voice in these matters because of her disability.  I encourage you to look at the needs for these individuals and find a way to shift money from somewhere else to fund the waivers that are greatly needed to support individuals who, because of disability and income, are unable to support  and care for themselves. I have been told that the only way my daughter will be awarded a waiver is if her father and I pass away.  Well, we are still among the living, but we are both retired and living on a fixed income well below what we made when we worked, and both of us are aging.  At some point, we will become physically and financially unable to care for her.

understand this will give priority 1 another chance to receive funding but where would that leave the priority 2 and 3 applicants? Would they have an even smaller chance at receiving funding? I don't feel this is fair from what I am reading. My twins are priority 3.

I have twins Autistic boys . For me the whole program is new for me and trying to understand how it works and how to apply but my twins stage is priority 3 .

Families are dealing with lost wages due to caregiver issues- that’s a big one for me. Without telework flexibility on my job, we would be on the street. The work arounds I’ve got going right now are just a band aid as I wait for funding for my child. We’ve been on this waitlist for 13 years. How long does it take to get the funding you need?  We pay taxes. We uphold the laws. We do our best here in society but how does our government help us?   We shouldn’t have to choose to expand Priority 2 access to help Priority 1 candidates who were unfunded. There should be enough for everybody. Why continuously under-allocate funds to this important segment of the budget?  It leads to fewer jobs, fewer workers in the caregiver industry, fewer resources available for all of us to fight amongst ourselves to receive. We need these funds!