Hearts for Home Care has had a busy year, working to secure public and legislative awareness to home care challenges across the industry. Over the first half of 2021, the duo of Alisa Fox and Marissa Fogal has worked in conjunction with BAYADA’s Government Affairs office to urge legislators to recognize and address home care industry challenges through user-generated traditional media and social media coverage. Over the past three months, the Public Affairs team launched three state-wide media campaigns in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and North Carolina focusing on the lack of state funding for both Private Duty Nursing (PDN) and Personal Care Assistant (PCA) programs, securing media coverage in major outlets like The Inquirer, NJ.com, and Spectrum News—all of which have garnered a total of 43,452,500 views.
Through their dedicated Hearts for Home Care social media efforts—which were formally added in September of last year—the Public Affairs team has been able to increase their audience reach to an additional 114,400 people over the three state-wide media campaigns, and these efforts only continue to grow.
BAYADA Director and Hearts for Home Care’s Senior Ambassador Hakeem Gaines speaking to reporters about the workforce shortage and retention issues with North Carolina’s Private Duty Nursing (PDN) program.
BAYADA’s Public Affairs team, in conjunction with the Government Affairs office, continues to advocate for medically fragile individuals and bring legislative action to the issues these populations face. To stay informed on important home care industry news and media updates, please follow Hearts for Home Care Advocacy on Facebook and Twitter!
Hearts for Home Care advocates share the importance of home care with NJ Senator Troy Singleton
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about changes in almost every facet of society. Impacted most severely has been our aging and elderly populations. The home care community has certainly felt the shock wave from this pandemic across all aspects of client care and operations, but in the hardest hit states such as New Jersey, the fate of home care looms.
As New Jerseyans continue to adapt to and understand the effects of this virus, one of the key takeaways has been the value and safety that New Jersey’s Personal Care Assistant (PCA) program provides. The PCA program allows New Jersey residents to stay independent, safe, and healthy in their homes. Simultaneously, this level of care diverts these often infection-prone clients from more congested group settings and nursing home placements, while saving the state tens of thousands of dollars a year per individual.
Currently, the PCA program faces funding uncertainty on the horizon as New Jersey is set to increase the state minimum wage to $12/hr. on January 1. However, the state has yet to permanently commit to adequate increases in PCA funding. State funding covers not only personal care assistant wages, but also training, benefits, and supplies. Compounding this issue, COVID-19 has driven up the costs across all fields of business including expensive PPE and adequate compensation for our frontline workers that provide this vital service.
What is the solution? Well, as Dr. Seuss once said in The Lorax, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”Advocacy is the solution. It is evidently clear how essential home care is to so many medically fragile individuals − it is the saving grace that allows these residents to stay safe, healthy, and happy in the place they feel most comfortable. However, many decision-makers are not always aware of how crucial a program like PCA is to their constituents.
This is where advocacy plays such a significant role in raising awareness around the value of home care. Personal stories from clients, families, and employees highlight the compassion and care that the PCA program provides, while best contextualizing the benefits of the program to legislators. If you, or someone you know has been benefited from home care, please reach out to your legislator and urge them to support adequate funding to the PCA program. It is imperative that the state addresses this funding shortfall so that agencies can continue to attract and retain the high-quality home health aides that keep elderly and medically fragile New Jerseyans well-cared for in the comfort of their own homes.
NJ Blog Takeover: Dana Insley writes about her medically-complex daughter, Abi’s, story—and how NJ’s Private Duty Nursing (PDN) program has helped her overcome her circumstances.
Abi Insley relies on in-home nursing to stay safe and healthy at home
My 8-year-old daughter Abi had
the unfortunate circumstance to be born into the wrong family. After a
perfectly healthy start with her twin sister, they were saved from their
parents’ abuse at two months old: broken, beaten, and shaken within an inch of
their lives. After months in the hospital, we were able to bring Abi’s twin
sister Gabi home to be adopted, while Abi’s condition continued: She was
declared brain dead twice, was dependent on a ventilator to breathe, and we
were told she was 100% deaf and blind, and that she would never eat, speak, or
breathe on her own.
It took two years of fighting
until we were finally able to bring her home with pediatric skilled nursing
home care services—a benefit that she receives under New Jersey’s private duty
nursing (PDN) program. Without this program, Abi would likely still live in a
full-time skilled nursing facility today. It is because of these
incredible nurses that Abi has been able to beat her original diagnosis—she is
thriving at home alongside her parents, siblings, and nurses, who are like
family to us. But every day remains a challenge—Abi needs round-the-clock
attention for her medical complexities, and yet we are unable to fill all the
nursing shifts that she is prescribed and medically authorized for. When even
one shift is missed, that means that my husband and I, who are not medical
experts, must act as her nurses. We often miss out on sleep, and on caring for
our other children. We consistently struggle to fill five or more shifts every
week, and this not only puts Abi’s health in danger, but also puts her at risk
to end up back in a facility, or worse.
The
problem lies in low state funding rates for the PDN program, which has not been
increased in over a decade. In that same time frame, costs of living and wages
for nurses in other settings, like hospitals and nursing homes, have steadily
risen. Now, nurses are leaving the home care industry to take jobs at
facilities where they can earn more and better support their own families.
BAYADA and other home care providers struggle to hire and keep enough nurses to
meet the demand, and as a result, families like mine suffer.
Abi
has overcome so much, but her abusive past has left her medically-complex for
life. Amongst her myriad of health issues, she is legally blind, suffers from a
rare life-threatening form of epilepsy, and she requires special medical
equipment to eat. This is not a child that we can simply hire a babysitter for.
Her high level of care and constant need for monitoring makes it impossible to
have any sense of normalcy without capable & consistent nursing support.
Abi’s nurses and their presence
in our lives, have impacted our whole family. The all-consuming task of caring
for a medically fragile child requires specially-trained, consistent, reliable,
skilled nursing care. Her incredible nurses have become an integral part of our
home and of her care. Because of her nurses’ attentive care, many health issues
that have arisen have been addressed early, rather than mounting into serious
ones. Her nurses have been with her through countless sicknesses, surgeries,
therapies, and more doctor appointments than we could possibly count. But as
home nursing wages have remained stagnant over 10+ years, we can’t blame the
nurses that have had to take full-time positions elsewhere. But we are
constantly hoping and praying for some relief.
No child deserves to grow up in
an institution. My precious daughter brings many challenges to our home,
but it would be heartbreaking to have to put her in a facility for lack of
nursing support. I urge the state legislature to consider increasing funding to
the PDN program. Competitive wages would bring stability to her home care
nursing and allow our family and families like us to stay together and thrive.
Please choose to make a difference.
-Dana Insley, Sicklerville
About the NJ Blog Takeover: For the next few weeks, Hearts for Home Care will be featuring posts authored by NJ families affected by the state’s shortage of in-home nurses and home health aides to showcase the need for increased funding for New Jersey’s Private Duty Nursing (PDN) and Personal Care Assistant (PCA) programs. For more information on how you can get involved and let your elected officials know why increased in-home nursing availability is important to you, email advocacy@bayada.com.
Many New Jersey seniors and adults with disabilities are able to stay safe and independent at home due to assistance from Home Health Aides (HHAs) under the state’s Personal Care Assistant (PCA) program
NJ Blog Takeover: Paraplegic Keith Braswell writes about his life with a severe disability – and how working with his aide through NJ’s Personal Care Assistant (PCA) program has helped him to live life on his own terms.
My name is Keith Braswell and a car accident in 2008 forced my entire way of life to change. I was left paraplegic and since then, I have been able to remain a vital, active member of my community thanks to the help of my home health aide, Quisela. As a 46-year-old adult, it can be tough for me to rely on someone else for everything from getting out of bed, bathing, eating laundry etc., but Quisela does everything she can to make sure that I feel safe and comfortable.
While Quisela is very reliable, filling all of my state-approved 40 hours of care without a day off, her choice to stay working as a home health aide is becoming more unrealistic by the day. This is because New Jersey’s Medicaid reimbursement rates under the Personal Care Assistant (PCA) program—the one that I and thousands of others like me rely on—don’t allow for aides to make a fairwage for the compassionate work they do. For example, in Newton, aides make minimum wage to slightly above minimum wage, and can often secure jobs with less required training, stress, and physical requirements at places like Walmart, Home Depot or Dollar General—all of which are located within the municipality or along route 206. This is especially true since NJ raised minimum wage in the beginning of year, while the Medicaid reimbursement rate remained stagnant.
I am beyond appreciative of how important Quisela’s vigilant and caring work is to my life, and I frequently go out of my way to make sure she is paid as much as possible, like booking my recent surgery around her vacation time to make sure that she wouldn’t lose any hourly pay. If I were to ever lose my aide, I would likely be forced into an institution which means losing what remains of my independence along with the quality of one-on-one care that I receive at home.
I humbly ask that the state legislature consider an increase in Medicaid reimbursement rates, so that individuals like myself can continue to choose to live independently at home. Many choices were taken away from me because of my injury, and losing this choice as well would be heartbreaking for myself and for thousands like myself across the state of New Jersey.
-Keith Braswell, Newton
About the NJ Blog Takeover: For the next few weeks, Hearts for Home Care will be featuring posts authored by NJ families affected by the state’s shortage of in-home nurses and home health aides to showcase the need for increased funding for New Jersey’s Private Duty Nursing (PDN) and Personal Care Assistant (PCA) programs. For more information on how you can get involved and let your elected officials know why increased in-home nursing availability is important to you, email advocacy@bayada.com.
NJ Blog Takeover: Michelle, who is the sister of TBI Victim Brandy Lino-Corona, writes about her sister’s life after becoming severely disabled – and how working with nurses through NJ’s Private Duty Nursing (PDN) program has helped her family define their new normal.
Brandy’s family and caregivers surround her bed in her Absecon, NJ home
For the
victims of traumatic brain injuries, access to reliable home health care can be
the deciding factor that keeps people either permanently institutionalized, or
at home with their loving families. My 17-year-old sister, Brandy, suffered a
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) from a severe car accident in September of 2018.
Since then, the state of New Jersey has authorized 16 hours of specialized
nursing care per day for Brandy. This care allows her to stay safe at home, and
allows my father, mother, and I to lead proactive, fulfilling lives outside the
home. However, Brandy rarely receives all of her authorized hours due to New
Jersey’s inequitable Medicaid reimbursement rates for their state-funded
Private Duty Nursing (PDN) program.
The severity of Brandy’s injuries left her incapable of
moving, eating and even breathing on her own. Nurses that work with her need to
be up-to-date on life-saving techniques such as tracheostomy care, respiratory
treatments, suctioning, monitoring vital signs, feeding tube care and feedings
and administering meditations. Additionally, Brandy must be readjusted every
two hours in order to combat her risk of skin breakdown and bedsores. This
regularly poses as an obstacle when nurses miss their scheduled shifts as this
task requires two people due to her size.
Like so many medically-complicated residents of New
Jersey, my sister is at risk of institutionalization and/or hospitalization
without the proper nursing care she requires. With potential caregivers
persuaded by competitive wages and less physically and mentally taxing
employment, eligible patients’ access to qualified healthcare professionals
diminishes. New Jersey’s legislators need to consider the plight of their most
vulnerable constituents and make the decision to increase Medicaid
reimbursement rates. An increase in New Jersey’s Medicaid reimbursement rates
would provide a second lease on life for Brandy and those like her, as well as
instill a sense of hope for their families whose only desire is to be able to
continue to care for their loved one in their own home.
-Michelle Lino, Absecon
About the NJ Blog Takeover: For the
next few weeks, Hearts for Home Care will be featuring posts authored by NJ
families affected by the state’s shortage of in-home nurses and home health
aides to showcase the need for increased funding for New Jersey’s Private Duty
Nursing (PDN) and Personal Care Assistant (PCA) programs. For more information
on how you can get involved and let your elected officials know why increased
in-home nursing availability is important to you, email advocacy@bayada.com.
BAYADA client Jim Davies (center, seated) hosted a home visit with Assemblyman Benson (upper left)
When BAYADA Home Health Care client Jim Davies received a notice in the mail last year that his insurance would be transitioning to another agency, he tried not to panic. After all, the letter stated there would be no change, he would still receive coverage for his home health care nursing and personal care home health aide services.
However, Jim was not convinced. The 66-year-old, who
suffered a spinal cord injury as a result of a diving accident 20 years ago, is
nearly paralyzed from the neck down. He relies on his nurses for his complex
medical needs, which include wound care, range of motion exercises, mechanical
transfers to and from bed, medication administration, catheter care, and care
to prevent a serious complication called autonomic dysreflexia, which can lead
to seizures, stroke, or even death.
As a former sheriff and local fire commissioner, Jim is used
to working collaboratively with others to make things happen. That’s why he
immediately called a case manager at the insurance company, who reiterated what
was explained in the letter, his home health care coverage would not change.
Coverage
denied
Fast forward
to the end of the year when Jim received another letter, this time from the new
insurance company. Despite written and verbal assurance that his coverage would
not change, the new company denied his home health care services, insisting Jim
was stable enough and no longer needed nursing care.
Jim reached out to his BAYADA Mercer County Adults (MCA) office Director Meghan Hansen and Clinical Manager Sharon Wheelock who appealed the decision on his behalf, to no avail. That’s when they turned to BAYADA Government Affairs Area Director Louise Lindenmeier, who suggested Jim reach out to New Jersey Assemblyman Daniel Benson, a member of the state Health and Senior Services Committee.
Legislative
home visit leads to positive change
“When I
called Assemblyman Benson’s office, I wasn’t sure what the response was going
to be, but I was pleasantly surprised,” says Jim. “The assemblyman made me feel
that as his constituent, my problem was a major concern, and he owned it.”
Assemblyman
Benson visited Jim and his wife of 40 years Rosemary at their home to witness,
first-hand, the critical role home care nurses play in Jim’s health and
well-being. During the visit, Assemblyman Benson also learned about the
catastrophic medical consequences of stopping Jim’s nursing care and BAYADA’s
unsuccessful efforts to appeal the denial from the insurance company.
Following the visit with Jim, Assemblyman Benson jumped into action. He joined BAYADA Managed Care (MCO) Director Pamela Soni, BAYADA Area Director for Pediatrics Managed Care (MCP) Stephanie Perna, and Louise for a meeting with the NJ Department of Banking and Insurance to discuss Jim’s case. In addition, he personally contacted the insurance company to negotiate the contract, resulting in a reversal of the denial. Thanks to his efforts, the issue was resolved within two weeks.
“It is
really important to educate politicians on how insurance changes can impact
their constituents,” says Jim, who encourages others in similar situations to
reach out to legislators who may be more than willing to help. “Assemblyman
Benson should be recognized for his prompt and professional response to my
needs.”
Assemblyman
Benson considered it a privilege to play a role in helping Jim. “It was my
honor to work with Mr. Davies to ensure that he received the care he needs and
deserves,” he says. “As legislators, it is our sworn duty to represent our
constituents, and that means lending our assistance whenever possible, whether
by simply cutting through red tape or elevating a situation to a higher level
so that it is promptly addressed. I would encourage those in need to reach out
to their elected representatives to learn what they can do for them.”
Want to Help Make a Difference: Register
for Hearts for Home Care
Whether you can give a minute, an hour, or a day, there are many ways to get involved in advocacy. It can be as simple as sending a pre-written email to your local legislators, hosting a legislator in your home, or attending an event at a legislator’s office or your state capitol.To learn more, consider becoming a “Heart for Home Care” advocate. It only takes five minutes to register at heartsforhomecare.com. You’ll receive email updates about current issues and opportunities to make your voice heart.
ACSP Clients Jessie and Marie, and the impact their caregivers Indira and Marie make in their lives
HHA Indira (right) has made monumental changes in Jessie’s life
GAO and many other advocates are fighting for increased funding for New Jersey’s Personal Care Assistant (PCA) program. This program enables thousands of vulnerable New Jersey residents stay at home, and we are hoping that our advocacy efforts lead to fairer wages for caregivers like Indira and Michele.
Indira & Jessie
Indira is at Jessie’s home every morning at 5:00 without fail. After taking on Jessie’s case and learning that she spent most of her time in bed, it became Indira’s mission to consistently challenge her to get out of bed and get active. Now, every morning before dawn, Jessie starts her morning with a smile, anxiously waiting for Indira to arrive.
While helping Jessie, who is 31 and diagnosed with cerebral palsy, with her activities of daily living, Indira also incorporates games, crafts, dancing, and singing. After a few short months with her beloved caregiver, Jessie now has a newfound confidence in her physical abilities and communication and language skills. Indira has quickly ingrained herself as part of Jessie’s family, whose loved ones call Indira “a Godsend.”
Marie &
Michele
CHHA Michele (left) is “like a daughter” to her beloved client, Marie
CHHA Michele has been with her client Marie since January of 2017, but you would think they have known each other forever. They share a special bond, and Marie even says that Michele is “like a daughter” to her. Marie lives alone, and if not for Michele’s visits, would be lonely and potential in danger. In addition to the personal care services that Michele provides to keep Marie safe and healthy, you see their bond shine when Michele frequently makes puzzles and quizzes to stimulate Marie’s mind—or as they like to call it, “using our noodles.”
Marie says that without Michele, she would not be fully able to take care of herself. But As soon as Marie arrives at Marie’s door, the time flies as Marie keeps her on her toes—both figuratively and literally. In addition to regularly stimulating Marie’s mind, Michele makes sure that Marie is safe and on balance as she moves around her apartment.
We need your help in supporting dedicated caregivers like Indira and Marie through advocacy. To find out ways you can get involved, email advocacy@bayada.com today.
“Parents deserve to be parents, not skilled nurses, and more importantly, children deserve to be children—not patients.” Two moms share how PDN impacts their families’ lives
This year, our major focus in New Jersey is to fight for higher reimbursement rates for New Jersey’s Private Duty Nursing (PDN) program. One of the most impactful ways to influence legislators is to engage clients and families into advocacy through testimony, which is delivered by these clients to legislators who are in key positions to influence legislators. Below, find powerful excerpts from two moms who support a PDN increase on behalf of their children and their families.
Dana I. – Mother to
BAYADA Client, Abi
PDN services help Abi stay safe and healthy, and helps her whole family stay together at home
“There is truly no way to explain on how much caring for a medically
fragile child impacts a family. Every errand, every event, every move of your
day becomes centered around their care. Abi has been authorized for skilled
nursing care by our insurance company, yet she still has five or more unfilled
shifts every week.
Lapses in nursing
coverage put tremendous pressure on our entire family—we often have to miss work
and stay home to provide for her care, putting strain on the family finances. Lost
nursing hours also means the entire focus of our time becomes all about our
medically-fragile child, and the balance between the other children becomes
strained and we often miss beloved activities or events.
Abi is not a child that
we can just hire a babysitter for. Her high level of care and constant need for
monitoring makes it impossible to have any sense of normalcy without capable
& consistent nursing support. There are simply not enough nurses in home
care to cover all of the needs of my family and the needs of many, many others.
Institutionalized care
is not the answer. My precious daughter brings many challenges to our home, but
it would be heartbreaking to have to put her in an institution for lack of
nursing support. So here I am prayerfully putting a name and a face to those of
you who have the power to make a real difference in this area. Competitive
wages would bring stability to her home care nursing and allow our family and
families like us to stay together and thrive.” -Dana Insley, Abi’s mom
Emma K. – Mother to
BAYADA client, Lili
Client Lili (left) loves her compassionate and reliable nurse Barbara
“While I count my
blessings that we have the right nursing team in place, I often think of the
families across the state that can’t fill their nursing shifts. It takes me
back to the last time our scheduled nurse had a family emergency and there was
no other nurse available to cover her shift. As a single mother of a
medically-complex, ambulatory child with no family in the area, you can imagine how it plays out when there isn’t a nurse available for
Lili: I have to call out of work myself and cancel any commitments I’ve made
for the day. I can’t get the groceries that I was planning to pick up or even
do a load of laundry since I can’t leave Lili alone for even a minute. And I
have to again plan to do these things during the times I’m expecting to have a
nurse to stay with Lili because I can’t get them done otherwise.
We as a society have developed a system of reliability for our communities: Teachers help children learn, police keep our streets safe, ER doctors save lives, and pharmacists fill our prescriptions. But we are failing in keeping home nursing readily available. Just as a prescription, Lili’s care is prescribed by her doctor and authorized by the state. But we cannot rely on its availability. I hope that our state decision makers prioritize home care, if solely for the fact that it keeps children like Liliana at home and keeps families together. Parents deserve to be parents, not skilled nurses, and more importantly, children deserve to be children—not patients.” -Emma K., Liliana’s mom
Dana and Emma exemplify the power of sharing your story. If you’d like to highlight the powerful story of your experience in a home care office, or the story of a client, their loved one, or a caregiver, contact advocacy@bayada.com.
BAYADA’s Government Affairs Office (GAO) is proud to join with fellow advocates like you to continue to advocate for better wages for our caregivers and increased access to home health care for the tens of thousands of New Jersey residents that rely on this care to stay safe and independent at home. Thank you to our many employees, clients, and families who have advocated on behalf of yourselves, your loved ones, your staff, and your clients regarding our two major 2019 issues:
1. Personal Care Assistant (PCA) Program – Increased Reimbursements for Increased HHA Wages
GAO is advocating for HHAs like Indira (right) and clients like Jessie
GAO is working in collaboration with other providers and the New
Jersey Home Care and Hospice Association to educate our legislators on the
importance of adequate funding for the
Personal Care Assistant (PCA) program.This is especially important as the State recently mandated an increased
minimum wage. BAYADA supports a wage increase for all of our home health aides
(HHAs) for the incredible, lifechanging work they do—but additional advocacy is
necessary so state legislators understand the importance of proportional PCA
program funding so that providers like BAYADA can comply with the new mandate
and stay sustainable.
Click here to check out how HHA Indira helps her client Jessie stay at home, and about CHHA Michele’s special bond with her client Marie. We are hopeful that our advocacy efforts can lead to a fairer wage for aides like Indira and Michele, as well as better recruitment and retention rates across the ACSP practice so that all New Jersey residents who need this important service can access it. To find out how you can get involved, email advocacy@bayada.com today.
Increased PDN rates are important to ensure clients like Lili (left) can continue to have reliable nurses like Barbara (right)
GAO is working with the New Jersey Home Care and Hospice
Association to educate our legislators on the importance of adequate funding for the Private Duty Nursing (PDN) program.
Current PDN program funding makes it difficult for providers like BAYADA to
recruit and retain the nurses necessary to care for New Jersey’s most medically
complex and residents. This difficulty results in significant access to care
issues, as only 85% of scheduled hours are currently filled, and
vulnerable New Jersians are going without the care they need to stay safe and healthy
at home.
We are lucky to have home care supporters in the legislature who understand the struggles our caregivers and skilled nursing clients face—Recently, Bill S1733/A4575, which proposes a $10 per hour increase for RN and LPN home care services, was introduced. In addition to the increase, this bill also seeks to establish a “rate floor” so that managed Medicaid providers reimburse no less than the state fee-for-service rate for in-home skilled nursing services.
But we need your help in getting this bill to the finish line. Soon, this bill will be up for a hearing, and clients’ and employees’ testimony make the most impact in showing legislators the challenges that arise from inadequate funding and the associated access-to-care issues.
Click here to read excerpts from two clients’ testimonies regarding the importance of PDN in their lives. Powerful stories like the ones Dana and Emma share help our advocacy efforts and show legislators the impact of home care in making a real difference in vulnerable New Jersey residents’ lives. To find out how you can get involved, email advocacy@bayada.com today.
Mom Tara Montague (left) and daughter Mary (center) during a home visit with Asw. Carol Murphy. Asw. Murphy recently introduced “Mary’s Law.”
Home care supporter and New Jersey Assemblywoman Carol Murphy recently introduced a bill which will address unequal access to the purchase of modified vans through the Catastrophic illness in Children Relief Fund.
Assemblywoman Murphy was alerted to the issue after Hearts for Home Care manager and advocate Tara Montague told her about the issue, and how it has impacted her daughter, Mary, and many of New Jersey’s medically fragile children. Mary and Tara have utilized the fund, and have been important advocates in ensuring the fund is both adequately funded and accessible for the many New Jersey residents that need it.
Currently, families can apply to the Catastrophic Fund to purchase a modified van so that they can safely transport their medically fragile child. However, current regulations require that families pay for the van upfront and wait to be reimbursed by the Fund. This stipulation presents a sincere barrier to transportation for families that cannot afford to front tens of thousands of dollars while they wait to be reimbursed.
Mary’s Law addresses this issue by requiring the Catastrophic Fund to provide direct payments for the purchases of specialized, modified motor vehicles. In addition, this legislation will increase the annual surcharge for New Jersey employers from $1.50 to $3.00 per employee to insure the Catastrophic Fund is adequately funded to meet the its purpose and demands.
“Medically fragile children like Mary deserve to travel safely and freely. This legislation ensures that children and their families receive the help they need regardless of their financial situations. Ever since Mary was born, I’ve been a staunch advocate for her needs and for better laws and policies, but I never thought advocacy could hit so close to home–Mary and our family are ecstatic that we can bring about change for all New Jersey’s children and families that need it,” said Tara.
Thank you to Tara and Mary for continuing to be effective advocates on access to transportation. Hearts for Home Care will continue to provide updates as the legislation progresses through New Jersey committees and chambers. If you have questions about this legislation or how to get more involved in advocacy on behalf of yourself, a loved one, or your staff and clients, please contact advocacy@bayada.com today.
Mom Tara Montague (left) and daughter Mary (center) during a home visit with Asw. Carol Murphy. Asw. Murphy recently introduced “Mary’s Law.”
BAYADA Legislative Champion, Assemblywoman Carol Murphy, recently introduced a bill which will
address unequal access to the purchase of modified vans through the Catastrophic illness in Children Relief Fund. The bill
is named after BAYADA client Mary Montague.
Not only is Mary a client—but the daughter of an employee! Mom Tara Montague works in the Government
Affairs Office (GAO) as client and family advocacy manager. Mary and Tara have
utilized the fund, and have been important advocates in ensuring the fund is
both adequately funded and accessible for the many New Jersey residents that need
it.
Currently, families can apply to the Catastrophic Fund to
purchase a modified van so that they can safely transport their medically
fragile child. However, current
regulations require that families pay for the van upfront and wait to be
reimbursed by the Fund. This stipulation presents a sincere barrier to
transportation for families that cannot afford to front tens of thousands of
dollars while they wait to be reimbursed.
Mary’s Law addresses this issue by requiring the Catastrophic Fund to provide direct payments for the purchases of specialized, modified motor vehicles. In addition, this legislation will increase the annual surcharge for New Jersey employers from $1.50 to $3.00 per employee to insure the Catastrophic Fund is adequately funded to meet the its purpose and demands.
“Medically fragile children like Mary deserve to travel safely and freely. This legislation ensures that children and their families receive the help they need regardless of their financial situations. Ever since Mary was born, I’ve been a staunch advocate for her needs and for better laws and policies, but I never thought advocacy could hit so close to home–Mary and our family are ecstatic that we can bring about change for all New Jersey’s children and families that need it,” said Tara.
Thank you to Tara and Mary for continuing to be effective advocates on access to transportation. GAO will continue to provide updates as the legislation progresses through New Jersey committees and chambers.
If you have questions about this legislation or how to get
more involved in advocacy at BAYADA on behalf of yourself, a loved one, or your
staff and clients, please contact advocacy@bayada.com
today.
