I believe the extra funds should be used to help increase pay for Attendants. During the pandemic, I lost several attendants because of safety concerns and unemployment benefits were paying better than $9.44 an hour that VA Medicaid does for Attendants. Now that things are getting better, I am still finding it hard to hire attendants for my 2 children with special needs because fast food restaurants are paying $15 an hour and some include benefits. In order for us to keep or hire quality attendants for our children and/or adult children, the pay needs to be comparable. Attendants work very hard and during the pandemic put the needs of their own families aside to help us and our family members stay in the home.
Additionally, funds should be used to start, build, or further enhance job opportunities and adult supports for people with special needs - especially in RURAL areas. Those who live in rural areas are very much overlooked and have very limited resources, if any at all.