Here’s some suggestions….

1. Major tax breaks for people caring for their disabled love ones in house 24/7.At the moment only medical issues are allowed to be taken off taxes. But what about the hundreds, even thousands of dollars we spend every month/year on things we normally wouldnt if we werent caring for a handicapped person? What about all the cash I spend doing things with, to, and for my son, that I have to also spend on myself? or pay for his aid?Toys? Games? Videos? recreation? gym memberships? pool memberships? gas and wear and tear on the car, damage to things around the house, stuff I have to replace,does anyone stop to think of how expensive it is to keep a mentally challenged person entertained and occupied 24/7? PLUS the fact that Im losing out on an income by giving up all hopes of a career and staying home full time. So, major tax breaks please.

2.Streamline procedures and rules. For instance, in the Fee for Service program, money is available for paying for a day program OR paying for an assistant, aide or companion, which is great. And you can hire a relative, which is even better. BUT…if the relative Also happens to be a guardian…they are ineligible. Guardians cannot be paid caretakers, and I dont know why. If you know, love or trust someone enough to be your mentally challenged childs co guardian, why cant you have the option of hiring them as caretaker? After all, who better to deal with and understand…and forgive…. the often challenging behaviors that our loved ones make us deal with.Id much rather have the option to hire a guardian than a stranger from an agency. Oddly enough, the PPP program Does allow guardians to be caregivers, so there you have a weird disconnect. Why one program and not the other giving you that option?

3. Aging Baby Boomers are starting to think about their options. If they have any money to leave their kids, why not make interest free mortgages available to to parents willing to help their millennial kids buy homes IF the millennias are willing to care for their handicapped sibling? In other words, make it easier for people to purchase their own home with their own money, but waive the mortgage interest so its more affordable. Given that anyone caring for a disabled person will have to give up part or all of their income for the rest of their lives its only fair to give them a break, and since the banks were helped out after the crash that was Entirely their fault in 2009 with BILLIONS of tax payer dollars I figure thats the least they could do. Best yet, its an incentive for siblings to bring their handicapped loved one into their home.

My daughter is 40 years old and is I/DD. She has been working in a sheltered workshop for 20 years. We have been notified this year that her funding has been cut. This is small town, rural America, and the possibilities of getting a community job are nil and none. Right now, she is earning a paycheck which she is very proud of. The workshop has taught her self esteem, good work habits and work ethics. She is a very hard working and conscientious worker.

However, she also has some physical limitations that would hamper her greatly to be working in a public, community job. Also, how many companies are going to pay these disabled people minimum wage of $7.25 or higher if it is granted. I don’t know of one politician that would pay them minimum wage. Plus, a job would have to be “carved” out just for them so that they could succeed at the job.

I don’t know why the sheltered workshops and their set ups are just not left alone. Let the people that are parents, guardians or interested persons control how the I/DD person is to be treated with regards to community employment. My daughter has brought home lots of paperwork from “meetings” they have had with the community employment supervisor. There is nothing in those papers that my daughter could understand – I have trouble and I am an educated and intelligent person. They all ask the I/DD person what they would like to do out in the community. My daughter has no idea what she would want to do as all she knows how to do is the jobs at her sheltered workshop.

Of course, the government would pay for Adult Day Hab for my daughter. From all that I have observed, Day Hab is nohting but a glorified babysitter. I want more stimulation for my daughter than it provides.

Thank you.