MN Help Wanted!!

This has been one crazy week. Things have been changing daily as far as what is going to be available for services for persons who have significant disabilities and needs. Please help to get the word out about this and voice your opinion to your state representatives and senators. Thank you to all of those who care enough about persons who happen to be disabled and their families to appose the proposed actions. We have already given our share and more in these budget balancing maneuvers. it is going to cost more later as this will take people out of their homes away from the families who are caring for them, PCA`s are not over paid nor are they receiving health care benefits, retirement benefits, or vacation pay or time off. They get paid the same wage all 365 days a year. These are special people who are caring for our most disabled population.

March 10th, 2010 MN-CCD Action Alert:

HF 3442: PCA (Personal Care Assistance) Program Changes

Action Needed:

On March 8th, 2010, House File 3442 was introduced at the MN State Legislature. Sections 11 and 12 of this legislation contain two provisions that will significantly affect the Personal Care Assistance program.

- The legislation accelerates the PCA program eligibility changes requiring recipients to be dependent in at least two activities of daily living to go into effect on July 1, 2010 instead of July 1, 2011 as is the plan under current law.

- The legislation requires Personal Care Assistants to pay an annual $50 registration fee to the MN Department of Human Services.

Please contact your legislators and share with them this message: “Protect personal care attendant services and stop H.F. 3442. PCA services are extremely important for thousands of Minnesotans with Disabilities, and this bill would eliminate eligibility for some individuals with disabilities and older Minnesotans, make it more difficult to find qualified PCAs, and cause economic hardship for those working as PCAs.” Please send a copy of what you share with your legislators to Rep. Hosch (rep.larry.hosch@house.mn), Rep. Huntley (rep.thomas.huntley@house.mn) and Speaker Anderson Kelliher (rep.margaret.kelliher@house.mn) If you don’t know who your legislators are, you can find out here .


Help us pack the room to show legislators how important PCA services are by attending one, maybe two, hearings on H.F. 3442 tomorrow. The first will be in the Minnesota House Health and Human Policy and Oversight Committee on Thursday, March 11 in Room 200 at the State Office Building at 2:45 p.m. If the bill is approved in that committee, it may be heard in the House Health and Human Services Finance Committee later that evening. Call Anni Simons after 4:00 p.m. tomorrow to see if the second hearing is being held and when it will be; her phone number is 651-341-7837.


Background:

On March 8th, 2010, House File 3442 was introduced at the MN State Legislature. It contains many provisions that negatively impact services for older Minnesotans and those with disabilities. You can click on this link to access a copy of the full bill.

HF 3442 Your advocacy around this bill is extremely important as we believe it may be the first of many proposals that will hurt the disability community, and we need to speak out strongly against each of these. Earlier this week the leadership of the Minnesota House of Representatives made a decision to prioritize cuts to the Health and Human Services programs in their 2010 budget proposal. It appears that their proposal will include more cuts to HHS programs then all other programs combined. The budget will be balanced on the backs of persons with disabilities and their families. Their proposal could contain substantially higher than 2.5% provider rate cuts, elimination of all new waiver slots, elimination of many optional Medical Assistance services such as all therapies, further cuts to PCA services and more. It is time to act. Over the next several week's you will be receiving multiple Action Alerts. You need to respond to them all!

Thank you in advance for your important advocacy, and for more information please contact Anni Simons, MN- CCD Coordinator at asimons@arcmn.org or 651 523 0823 ext. 112.