“We are a family who are Caregivers of a young adult with special needs who rely on personal care services for support in many basic activities of daily living. The care needs of these individual include a vast variety of assisted supports, tasks and oversight; bathing, dressing and undressing, toileting and incontinence care, transferring, eating, personal grooming, supervision, meal and snack preparation, cleaning up after meals, shopping, transportation and support to medical appointments, medication support and social activities.

For High Support Autism this also includes 1-1 care directed at CONSTANT elopement issues.

These are 24/7 issues that cannot just be “reduced” simply due to a budgetary goal. For us these are not extra services or conveniences but rather necessary supports that allow our son to remain safe and participate in daily life. The need for assistance has already been well established through multiple layers of eligibility and assessments.

The Virginia “Developmental Disability” (DD) Waiver exists in large part to enable people with significant disabilities to remain safely in their home and communities RATHER than entering isolating, limiting and expensive institutions.