Budget Cuts and the Disabled
Posted at: 04/13/2010 6:38 PM
| Updated at: 04/13/2010 6:40 PM
By: Katie Lange
Klange@wdio.com
If you're disabled and suffer from behavioral problems you're no longer able to receive the help of a Personal Care Assistant, known as a PCA. The only way you'll qualify for a PCA is if you're unable to perform two or more basic tasks each day, such as bathing or dressing yourself.
Jim and Jan Stelman currently have six adopted kids with disabilities. For years they've relied on PCA's, to help take care of their disabled children.
"One of my daughter wears braces on her feet and they make sure she gets her braces on and walks with them.I have two kids that have seizures and I have one that has asthma and they know how to run the machines to help him breath if he's having struggles," said Stelman.
If Jan needs to run a kid to a doctor's appointment, it is easier for her to only take that one child. She said she's lucky that she can leave the others at home with a caregiver. When Jan is home with the kids, she also is still in need of constant help. Beverly Fertig, is one of the PCA's who has helped the family for six years.
"You have to keep an eye on them all the time. If you go load the dishwasher or do something you can come back and it's just chaos because they need constant supervision with their needs," said Fertig.
Since new state guidelines have become stricter, Beverly is seeing her hours dramatically reduced.
"We used to work Monday and Wednesday eight or nine hours a day. On Wednesday night take them to their church group and Jan said we just need to go one day a week, so that's quite a cut for hours for them and pay for us," said Fertig.
Fertig isn't alone. According to the Arc Northland, if new legislation passes, over 1,600 Minnesotan families would lose their PCA's by July 1st, 2010.
To learn more about the proposed legislative changes and how they'll hurt people with disabilities:
Wednesday, April 14th at 11:30 a.m.
Arc Northland and The Arc of Minnesota
Press conference at The Radisson Hotel, Forest Suite
505 W. Superior Street
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