Here's the speech I gave:
It's a pleasure to be here
today. My name is Ivy. I've been using the Medicaid Consumer Directed
Waiver for over a decade to live in the community. Medicaid pays my
Personal Care Assistants. The Waiver assists me to give back to my
community by volunteering, going to school, and getting a job. I make
a positive difference in my community thanks to my PCA.
For a true blue inclusive
community, to see people with disabilities living independently and
to see more of those individuals in the workplace, personal care
assistants need to be paid more and given quality health benefits.
This will secure PCAs as a serious career field and increase the
quality of care, which will eliminate a huge barrier to me and many
others.
Please add 7,500 Waivers
slots to help the those on the wait list. People with disabilities
should not have to wait to have a Personal Care Assistant. PCAs are
essential to countless people with disabilities living in the
community. Families that want their loved ones at home, they need
support in the way of 400 ID Waivers and 200 DD Waivers. By
supporting this, you will be enabling Virginia to complying with the
Olmstead Decision of 1999, which states people with disabilities have
the right to live in their community.
With the state wide
closure of institutions you must require budget transparency and use
the money saved by the closings to help families on the Waiver
waiting list. Restructure the Waiver to promote smaller group homes
which would allow for inclusive communities. Smaller group homes
would be also safer for people with disabilities, because a smaller
operation would squeeze out corruption, abuse and murder.
This state is currently
ranked 45th in the country for its community-based residential
services for people with disabilities. I hope you
act now to make Virginia a state we all can be proud of. I urge you,
Virginia policy creators, to take this historic opportunity to reform
community-based services for people with disabilities!
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