I have three children with waiver services. They are still under 21 and have SIGNIFICANT disabilities. I had to quit my job last year because I was UNABLE to continue to miss work and was going to be fired. I had attendants QUIT due to the level of needs & physical harm my children caused them, along with the poor pay and benefits. We tried agency years ago and they never showed up on time, or would not show up AT ALL! They also CANNOT DRIVE CHILDREN UNDER 18 & KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THEIR CARE! I have had to become an attendant to make it through these hard times, & I was able to find someone good BUT THEY CAN ONLY WORK Weekends or evenings! Forcing us to go through an agency do to me, needing to be an attendant, prohibits me from actually using caregivers that I find that will be able to take care of my children and help. It does not allow for this mixture. You should absolutely not force families to go to an agency until you can guarantee that children under the age of 18 can be cared for appropriately by agency staff. THEY REFUSE TO EVEN DRIVE CHILDREN!!! They know nothing about care for children. There may be some out there who are, but there is not enough to ensure proper care of these Medicaid waiver participants, who are under the age of 18, and that is therefore discriminating against them due to age, my children are being discriminated against by D mass because they are under the age of 18 they are not given the same and equal opportunities as those above the age of 18 they care is not out there via agency directed services-it’s not equitable. Until you can guarantee the equability of agency directed services for those under 18, these proposed regulations are discriminatory & HURT CHILDREN & FAMILIES WITH DISABILITIES!!