PHOENIX — A temporary program which pays parents who care for their children with disabilities in Arizona might be sticking around for good. As it stands, the program is set to end in 2024. But a local grassroots effort has been working hard to keep it in place.
Now, both a grassroots parents group and the Arizona Developmental Disabilities Planning Council said they believe the parents as paid caregivers program will be made permanent in Arizona before its expiration deadline.
This is a relief for hundreds of Arizona families who are part of the program.
>>VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Simpatizantes apoyan que Arizona convierta en permanente el programa para padres que cuidan de niños con discapacidades
Brandi Coon is a co-founder of the Raising Voices Coalition and a parent of a son with disabilities. They're a grassroots group supporting about 2,000 parents in Arizona’s disability community. Coon and her team spearheaded a survey of about 1,000 parents in the Parents as Paid Caregivers program.
Survey results were just released, finding parents in the program experienced significantly reduced stress levels, more financial stability and a lower risk of abuse for their children who cannot advocate for themselves.
In the program, parents are trained and paid to care for their children like a professional. It’s been detrimental for these families who have a hard time finding caregivers with both a local and national caregiver shortage.
Both Coon and Jon Meyers, Executive Director of the Arizona Developmental Disabilities Planning Council, said they’ve recently received positive feedback from the state in making this program permanent.
“We've had really positive conversations with them," Coon said. "They've expressed interest in creating a permanent program. So we are now at the stage where we are negotiating what aspects of the current program are going to continue on to the permanent program."
“We felt that was further validation of the need for program on an ongoing basis," Meyers said. "We think it demonstrates beyond a shadow of a doubt that this can have value for the state moving forward, and that the state of Arizona should adopt this on a permanent basis.”
The parents in the program are now waiting on the Centers for Medicare/Medicaid services to make it permanent. Meyers said it could take anywhere from about nine to 12 months to get permanent approval.
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