Legislature unanimously advances Fay bill to support family caregivers

AUGUSTA – Last week, the Maine Legislature unanimously advanced legislation sponsored by State Rep. Jessica Fay, D-Raymond, that would allow the parents of children with disabilities who are MaineCare eligible to be paid to provide personal care services.

State Rep. Jessica Fay

Currently, parents of eligible MaineCare recipients with disabilities over 18 years old can be paid through a financial agent for providing approved personal care to that MaineCare member. However, this option does not exist for parents of children under 18 years old.

“Parents in Maine are struggling to find personal care for their children with disabilities and are often forced to leave the workforce to provide care themselves,” said Fay. “If we had a program that would offer financial support to parents, we would create an opportunity for children to receive the support they need while, simultaneously, helping their families stay afloat financially.”

As amended, Fay’s bill, LD 346, requires the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to file a state plan amendment to the MaineCare section governing home care in order to allow parents to provide care for their disabled children through a fiscal intermediary.

“Parents whose children have severe disabilities are struggling to find caregivers to provide the hours of care they are allotted,” said former Maine State Rep. Tina Riley, a parent of a child with disabilities who previously sponsored this policy proposal. “Those unfilled hours of care are covered by the parents, who sometimes find it impossible to hold down a job outside of the home because their children's needs are so great. It makes no sense that we're willing to pay someone else to care for these kids, but when no one steps up to do the job, the children's parents are expected to sacrifice their livelihoods in order to care for them. Rep. Fay's bill addresses that problem elegantly, providing benefits to families and taxpayers alike.”

The bill faces further votes in the Maine House and Maine Senate in the coming days.

Fay, the Maine House chair of the Government Oversight Committee and a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs, is serving her fourth term in the Maine House of Representatives. She serves the community members of Casco, Frye Island, Raymond, and part of Poland. <