Across Virginia - from Big Stone Gap to Fairfax, from Newport News to Richmond to Lexington - Home Care providers and consumers made their voices heard at Regional Budget Hearings on January 4th and 5th.

Community allies, older adults and people with disabilities joined VAPCA members to call on legislators to restore the Governor's proposed cuts to pay rates, hours and waiver slots.

"I make just $11.46. I don't have health insurance. I don't have sick days. I don't have vacation days. I don't have a pension," said Home Care provider Vellon Harris of Arlington. "At a time when the Governor is giving tax-breaks for millionairs to buy yachts, is this really how we want to treat those who care for our seniors and people with disabilities?"
 
Julia Newton, a Home Care provider and mother of a consumer from Norfolk, testified: "My son was on the waiting list for 10 years. This July he finally got a waiver, but there are other families still waiting. I'm here today advocating for all families."
 
To see media coverage, watch the Channel 6 story here: http://www.wtvr.com/news/wtvr-virginia-budget-hearings-arc-of-virginia-larrick-student-center-senator-henry-marsh-deborah-greene-intellectual-disabilities-in-virginia-20120106,0,2746742.story

And read the Daily Press story, which features VAPCA Member Alexis Edwards, here: http://www.wtvr.com/news/wtvr-virginia-budget-hearings-arc-of-virginia-larrick-student-center-senator-henry-marsh-deborah-greene-intellectual-disabilities-in-virginia-20120106,0,2746742.story

Up next: Home Care advocates are heading to Richmond to make their voices heard during the 2012 General Assembly session, which begins on January 11. For more information about upcoming events - including the January 16th Martin Luther King Jr. Day Vigil and the January 23-24 Lobby Day - please contact the VAPCA office ay 804-447-0734.

Fairfax, VA - On Saturday, August 20th, 20 candidates for state and local office attended VAPCA's Election Launch event. Candidates - including Quality Home Care champions Senator Janet Howell, Senator George Barker and Delegate Patrick Hope - spoke out about the need to restore cuts to Virginia's Medicaid Home Care system, including cuts to providers' pay and consumers' hours.

VAPCA members were joined by Local 5's Fairfax County Employee members and Loudoun County Employee members to stand together in support of quality public services, living wages and health care for all Virginians.

This November, voters across Virginia will go to the polls to vote for all 100 state House members and all 40 state Senators. These legislators are the ones who make decisions about Home Care funding, pay, hours and benefits.

To get involved in VAPCA's 2011 Election efforts, contact our Richmond office at 804-447-0734.

The Virginia Association of Personal Care Assistants is partnering with the Virginia Association of Centers for Independent Living on a grant to increase the number of professionals who provide consumer-directed support to people with disabilities.

As part of the grant, we want to hear from YOU! People who provide and receive consumer-directed services are the people who best know how to imprtove those programs.

Make Your Voice Heard Today!

Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and then pass this on to anyone you know who provides or receives consumer-directed services. The deadline for completing the survey is this Friday, August 5th.

If you are a PCA who provides consumer-directed services, please complete the survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CDProfessionals

If you are a person who uses consumer-directed services, please complete the survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CDemployer

Last week - after weeks of advocacy by VAPCA Members and Friends - the state Senate and state House passed their budgets, with very different visions for Home and Community-Based Services. The Senate budget restores cuts to respite hours and provider rates. The House budget - while adding additional Waiver slots - unfortunately maintains the cuts to respite care and reimbursement rates, and proposes an arbitrary cap of just 40 hours per week on cost-effective personal care.
 
Currently, a Conference Committee of select Senate and House members (see below) are working out the differences between their budgets. They must finish their work and produce a final budget by midnight on February 22nd. 

Will you join your fellow advocates and call your legislator today to urge them to support Quality Home Care in the State Budget?

Calling your legislator is as easy as 1-2-3:

Step 1: Call 877-391-3228

Step 2: Ask the person who answers to connect you with your legislators. If you don't know who your legislators are, you can ask the person who answers to look it up for you.

Step 3: Tell your legislator: "Hi, my name is _______. I live in your district. I want you to urge the Conference Committee to pass a budget that adds DD/ID Waiver Slots, Restores Respite Care Hours, Restores Home Care Provider Rates, and that does NOT cap Personal Care Hours at 40 hours/week. Thank you"

The Conference Committee members are:

Senate:
Senator Charles Colgan (D-Prince William)
804-698-7529, district29@senate.virginia.gov
 
Senator Richard Saslaw (D-Fairfax)
804-698-7535, district35@senate.virginia.gov
 
Senator Edward Houck (D-Spotsylvania)
804-698-7517, district17@senate.virginia.gov
 
Senator Janet Howell (D-Fairfax)
804-698-7532, district32@senate.virginia.gov
 
Senator William Wampler (R-Bristol)
804-698-7540, district40@senate.virginia.gov
 
Senator Walter Stosch (R-Henrico)
804-698-7512, district12@senate.virginia.gov
 
House
Delegate Lacey Putney (I-Bedford)
804-698-1019, DelLPutney@house.virginia.gov
 
Delegate Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights)
804-698-1066, DelKCox@house.virginia.gov
 
Delegate Beverly Sherwood (R-Frederick)
804-698-1029, DelBSherwood@house.virginia.gov
 
Delegate Johnny Joannou (D-Portsmouth)
804-698-1079, No E-mail
 
Delegate Chris Jones (R-Suffolk)
804-698-1076, DelCJones@house.virginia.gov
 
Delegate Steve Landes (R-Augusta)
804-698-1025, DelSLandes@house.virginia.gov

Annual VAPCA Dinner and Strategy Session

"Quality Home Care Day" at the General Assembly

Hotel rooms are available for VAPCA members.

NOTE: On Tuesday, we will meet at the hotel, where there will be free parking, and then carpool over to the General Assembly building to meet with our elected officials. At noon, we will head back to the Hotel for lunch and to celebrate our success!

RSVP: To reserve your spot, call David at 804-405-0866 or Muna at 804-307-7612.

Every year, Personal Care Assistants, older adults, people with disabilities and our allies attend regional Budget hearings to fight for much-needed and cost-effective Home Care funding.

In 2008, VAPCA members and our allies educated elected officials about the need for Quality Home Care. In 2009, when other state programs were losing funding, we won a 3% cost-of-living increase for PCAs. And In 2010, we saved the Home Care program from elimination and restored 5% cuts to reimbursement rates.

But our work isn't done. Unless we move our elected officials to act in January, our Home Care program will face more deep cuts, including cuts to our pay, our hours and the care our loved ones receive. Will you make your voice heard to stop the cuts and save Home Care?

Sign Up to Attend the Budget Hearing Nearest You on January 6!

Northern Virginia: Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, VA. Sign-up starts at 9:00 AM.

Hampton Roads: Norfolk State University, New Student Center, 700 Park Ave, Norfolk, VA. Sign-up starts at 11:00 AM.

Central Virginia: Central Virginia Community College, 3506 Wards Road, Lynchburg, VA. Sign-up starts at 11:00 AM.

Southwest Virginia: Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, 15856 Porterfield Hwy, Abingdon, VA. Sign-up starts at 9:00 AM.

Richmond-Area: John Tyler Community College- Chester Campus, 13101 Jefferson Davis Highway, Chester, VA. Sign-up starts at 11:00 AM.  

SPACE IS LIMITED. To reserve your spot, call Muna at 804-307-7612 or David at 804-405-0866

On Tuesday, August 10th, the U.S. House approved federal Medicaid funding, known as FMAP. The bill has now been signed into law by the President, and Virginia will finally get the funds we need to restore cuts to our home care program.

The Commonwealth could use these funds to:

• Restore the 500 respite hour cut
• Restore the 5% pay cut
• Add 250 new waiver slots

VAPCA members like you helped make this possible by making hundreds of calls, sending hundreds of emails and sharing your stories with our elected leaders. Thanks to you, we're one step closer to getting back our pay and lost hours.

For more information on how to get involved in the efforts to protect Quality Home Care in Virginia - and ensure that the Commonwealth restores the cuts to Home Care - contact our Richmond office at 804-447-0734

Home care in Virginia is on the chopping block. Again.

First, the Governor proposed cuts to pay and hours. Then, the Governor proposed eliminating the home care program entirely.  Thanks in part to our phone calls and emails, we saved home care in Virginia. But now another risk is looming.

Home care programs in Virginia will face cuts if the U.S. Congress fails to pass an extension of key funds - called FMAP funds - this month. Increased FMAP funds were part of the stimulus and help pay the federal government's share of Medicaid home care programs. 

Call your members of Congress toll-free at 1-866-308-6259, and tell them to pass the FMAP extension now.

If Congress doesn't hear from us, home care workers could face a 5% pay cut and will lose up to 500 respite hours. Meanwhile, older adults and people with disabilities will lose critical health services.  

Without the FMAP extension, we will lose pay and hours, and our consumers and loved ones will not get the care they need to live independently. Take a moment and call your members of Congress now, at 1-866-308-6259.

Last week, Governor McDonnell proposed the unthinkable. The Governor said he planned to eliminate consumer-directed home care. Forever. 10,000 older adults and people with disabilities would lose their current PCA services. And 14,000 home care providers would lose their jobs.

That's why the Virginia Association of Personal Care Assistants put out the call to PCAs and allies to tell our elected officials NOT to eliminate cost-effective consumer-directed home care. And you answered that call!

Within hours, VAPCA members had made hundreds of phone calls and sent hundreds of e-mails to legislators telling them why consumer-directed home care is good for Virginia families and tax-payers.

And our elected officials listened! On Sunday, February 21, both the state House and Senate announced their budgets, rejecting the Governor's proposal to eliminate consumer-directed home care.

You spoke out and your voice was heard! While there is much we still need to fight for, now is the time to say "Thank You" to our elected officials.

Please call your Delegate and Senator and tell them "Thank you for supporting cost-effective consumer-directed home care."

To learn who your legislators are, and how to contact them, please visit: http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy.nsf/main?openform

 "Whole Community Day" a major success, but we have more work to do.

January 26 - Over 100 Personal Care Assistants, older adults, people with disabilities and community allies travelled from across Virginia to be in Richmond to rally at the state capitol in support of quality, cost-effective home care. They united with VAPCA and spoke out against proposed cuts to home care programs; cuts which would cost taxpayers more money and which would hurt families. Teams of PCAs and allies visited every legislator in the General Assembly, sharing information on how home care saves the state money.

VAPCA members and allies also celebrated and strategized at the annual "Quality Home Care" Dinner on January 25^th. Personal Care Assistants and consumers heard from VAPCA leaders, community supporters and legislators about the importance of sharing our stories with our elected officials.

We took to the Capitol and our voices were heard! But our work isn't over yet. Our elected officials are still debating the proposed budget. They are even debating whether or not to make MORE cuts to our pay, hours and the care our loved ones receive.

Take action today! Contact your legislators and tell them:

Restore the 5% pay cut to Personal Care Assistants!

Restore the Respite Hours!

Restore the Waiver Slots!

To learn who your legislators are, and how to contact them, please visit: http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy.nsf/main?openform

See more photos from Whole Community Day: 

Last year, VAPCA members were able to stop major cuts to the Consumer- Directed Medicaid Waiver and win a historic 3 percent pay increase. State budget cuts, created by the poor economy, threaten to put our consumers and loved ones on a waiting list and deny them care.

With your help, we can protect home care and save our jobs.

PCAs from across the state will attend budget hearings and explain why our jobs are important--by providing quality care at home for seniors and people with disabilities, we improve the community and save taxpayers money.

Reserve your spot at a budget hearing today!