To Whom it May Concern:

I urge you to continue Consumer Directed Care in all waivers. In most of today's society both parents need to work in order to provide for their families. Those who have special needs children and adults with disabilities are required for their health and safety to have someone to care for them while the parents are at work.

It is difficult to find people who will do the job and be dependable. Due to issues with attendants from agencies and consumer directed many parents either lose their job or have to quit their jobs and stay home and take care of their child or adult with disabilities. It is difficult to focus at a job if you have worries concerning the welfare of your child or adult with a disability. Many families can provide sad stories relating to the care provided by some attendants from both agency and consumer directed care.

Parent's and live in family members are the best caregiver's for their loved ones.They are there so they are dependable .The care they provide is with love so their loved one is not susceptible to neglect or mistreatment.

Consumer directed pay to a parent or family member is not as much as they could make at a job away from home and it is usually more strenuous but it provides peace of mind to the parents and keeps the family with some income to help while the other parent is at peace while they work away from home.

Paid parents or family members should not be required to work under an agency.The agency pay is less than Consumer Directed pay so families would be taking a cut in their family income as well as one more headache for them in being required to deal with a agency.

Sincerely,

Norma Draper