Parents and caregivers urge more hours and higher pay for waiver direct-support workers

Parents and caregivers testified about gaps in the Childrens Choice waiver that limit home- and community-based supports for medically complex children.

Galen Moll described being a full-time working parent whose 11-year-old son receives waiver services but is limited by a 20-hour-per-week cap on paid support, forcing families to find alternative care during school holidays and summers. Moll said the capped pay rate and hour limit make the direct-support role unsustainable and drive turnover.

Maggie Francis Broadwater, a direct support worker for Molls son, described the specialized, time-consuming training required to care for a medically fragile child with a G-tube, and said the current pay and hours force many DSPs to take second jobs. "When caregivers leave, it directly affects the children," she said, urging higher wages and more hours to retain skilled staff and maintain safety and routine.

Legislators asked detailed questions about pay bands, whether families can hire additional hours out of pocket (wages can be paid privately but program funds cap paid hours), skill-differentiated pay, and which agencies set rates (LDH and the program administrator were cited). Testifiers said LDH has completed a rate study and that a large state-level funding request is needed to address shortages.