Hey there, my grandpa called. I was interviewed as part of this article by Jessie Van Berkel of the Minnesota Star Tribune a week or so ago and he saw that it was in the actual printed paper today. He was pretty excited to see his grandson quoted in his favorite paper! Here’s the link to the online version and I included the part that is about my stuff – read the whole thing though because there’s lots of important info in this article: More Tightening Likely for State’s Disability Services (MN Star Tribune gift article)
State leaders made numerous other spending changes to disability services, many of which appear small in the scheme of a $66 billion state budget. But for people like Justin Smith, they could be life-changing.
Smith, who lives in Roseville and has cerebral palsy, uses a service called “individualized home supports with training,” which provides skilled staff he needs to help him live independently. Smith wrote in an email that he is finally close to being fully staffed and that is now in jeopardy as legislators have limited billing for the service.
“It feels as if adults with disabilities trying to live in their communities are being left behind with very few workable options,” Smith said. “The need for care does not go away when funding gets decreased or disappears. It just means that those of us with disabilities and our families will struggle more than we already do.”
About Medicaid, the US Senate’s plan is even worse than the House’s and that means that there are more cuts to come to the services I need. Time to call your Senators and Representatives. These cuts won’t just impact me, other with disabilities, the elderly, poor people, etc. It’ll impact our hospitals, nursing homes, emergency rooms, and pretty much all of us. This isn’t just waste, fraud, and abuse anymore – it’s a self-inflicted catastrophe.
Do something! Write a letter to the editor, go to a rally (yes, I was at the No King’s March in St. Paul on Saturday), call your elected officials at all levels (County Commissioners will be feeling these cuts!), talk to your friends, amplify and share our stories to make sure people know what’s going on. Thanks!
Justin Smith Writes 
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