Low Wages and Pandemic Gut Staffing Support for Those with Disabilities

September 24, 2021

(Kaiser Health News) – Worker shortages across the health care spectrum — from nurses to lower-level staffers — are an unprecedented challenge for hospitals and other medical organizations. The shortage is at an “epic level,” said Elizabeth Priaulx, a legal specialist with the National Disability Rights Network. People with disabilities who have been approved by state Medicaid programs to receive 40 hours a week in caregiver services now often get just 20 hours, Priaulx added. If family members can’t help offset the gap, a person may be forced into a nursing home, she said. (Read Full Article)