I tried EVV and coldn't use it. When I clock in EVV states each time I'm away from the home. How when I'm inside of the home. Also I asked my lawyer if it was legal to clock in on my personal phone. Of course he said No. It's illegal. He stated the company was supposed to provide The Company's phone to clock in.. Don't force EVV in live in attendants.

I am a home care worker in Virginia, supporting people who live independently, including family members. The Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) imposed the 16-hour cap on home care providers, and it is harmful to both caregivers and the people we serve. Home care is physically and emotionally demanding work, yet most providers earn just $13.88 an hour in much of the state. Limiting hours reduces our ability to earn a living wage, forces caregivers to juggle multiple jobs, and prevents clients from receiving consistent care from someone they know and trust. Having a familiar caregiver who can work the hours needed is critical and it allows people to live safely and independently at home and maintain dignity, stability, and autonomy. While repealing the 16-hour cap will not solve the wage problem, it will allow caregivers to spend the time clients actually need, improve continuity of care, and support independence for countless Virginians. DMAS imposed the 16-hour cap, have cut the hours that people rely on for daily care. This cap forces caregivers to split shifts, reduces continuity of care, and undermines the independence of Virginians who need support to live safely at home. Removing the 16-hour cap impacted the home care system that serves both caregivers and the people who depend on them. Ask: I urge the Virginia House of Appropriations to: 1.Repeal the 16-hour cap immediately so home care providers can work the hours clients need for safe, consistent care. 2.Fund home care at a living wage, ensuring caregivers are fairly compensated for the essential work they do. This is about more than jobs, it is about safety, independence, and dignity for Virginians who rely on care, and fair, livable work for those providing it.

My name is Athena Jones. I live in Portsmouth with my mother and my brother. I am a home care worker, and I serve as the Home Care Chapter Chair of SEIU Virginia 512, but I am also a public health advocate and political scientist, representing caregivers across Virginia. I have worked at the intersection of frontline care and policy, and I’ve spoken at the White House, at the US Capital and Democratic Platform hearings on these issues. Caregiving has always been part of my life. I care for my brother, and I work alongside thousands of home care workers who make it possible for people across this state to live safely at home instead of in institutions. Home care is physical work. It is emotional work. It is safety work. We help people bathe, eat, move safely. We notice changes before they become emergencies. Because of this work, families can go to their jobs because of this work people can live in dignity and how they choose. Because of this work, Virginia’s care system functions at all. Yet today, home care workers are facing drastic cuts in hours, low wages, and no benefits and in most of Virginia, we earn just $13.88 an hour. At the same time, Medicaid is being squeezed, and ACA subsidies are being slashed. We are being asked to hold people’s lives together while our own stability is being taken away. This is not a sustainable workforce; it is a workforce being pushed to the edge. This is a care crisis! When care workers are forced out, families don’t just lose services, they lose stability. Care workers do not clock out of responsibility. What I do allows my family and thousands of families across Virginia, to work outside the home. This is not about workers lacking commitment or fraud. It is about policies that strip stability from the people doing essential work. We see this clearly with the Department of Medical Assistance Services’ so-called emergency policy change, DMAS 291, to expand Electronic Visit Verification or EVV to live-in caregivers. EVV does not reflect reality. Care does not run on a clock; it responds to need. Calling this an emergency to bypass public input is not efficiency, it is disrespect. If this budget is serious about strengthening home care, it must start with living wages, real benefits, and policies grounded in reality. Low wage, every cut — to hours, Medicaid, or healthcare access — ripples outward to families, communities, and the entire economy. It is not economically efficient — it is systemically exploitative. That is why home care workers need the ability to come together through collective bargaining — so wages, benefits, and policies are shaped by the people doing the work and the people receiving care. Legislative acks: • Fund home care at levels that support living wages and real benefits. • Stop policies that destabilize the workforce, like the rushed expansion of EVV, support collective bargaining • Ensure care workers have a real seat at the table before decisions are made about our work and our lives. Because if Virginia truly values dignity, independence, and aging at home, then this budget must value the workers who make essential care possible. Thank you

EVV for live ins will turn our homes into mini-institutions which is exactly what we are trying to avoid by using community services for our care. We do not want to be warehoused. Our homes will feel more like prison or an ankle bracelet than a home with EVV for live ins.

I am David Beals, 1st Vice-President of the Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (VASWCD). The Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts is a private nonprofit association of the 47 soil and water conservation districts in Virginia. The VASWCD’s members are all elected and appointed directors of those 47 districts. Virginia’s soil and water conservation districts were established in the 1930’s as political subdivisions of the state in response to the pressing need for the conservation of our natural resources in the Commonwealth. Each local district is directed by a board of elected and appointed directors who are elected in general elections and serve four-year terms. In addition to my role in the VASWCD, I am also an elected Director and Vice-Chairman of the Colonial Soil and Water Conservation District, which serves Charles City, New Kent, James City, York counties and the City of Williamsburg. In addition we serve the city of Hampton and Newport News with assistance for VCAP projects. The VASWCD is very concerned that the outgoing governor’s budget inexplicably zeroed out the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP), which has proven to be an extremely popular and environmentally beneficial conservation program across the Commonwealth, particularly in the urban and suburban areas of Virginia. There is a significant backlog of unmet need for VCAP. Urban/suburban programs complement the Agricultural Cost Share Program. SWCDs currently have qualified, trained, and experienced staff and are well-positioned and capable of implementing a wide range of voluntary urban best management practice (BMP) cost share practices for private commercial and residential landowners. Virginia’s Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan recognizes a need for urban/residential BMPs in its “Local Implementation Strategies for Urban/Suburban Source Sector,” including a cost-share program strategy. The Colonial District has been a leader in establishing VCAP projects that allow us to help homeowners help the environment. VCAP is a win-win program that has grown in the last several years as homeowners participate and look to help improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and their local environment. It is a great example of public/private partnerships where the homeowner shares the cost and has "skin in the game" and the funds provided by the state enable projects that otherwise would not have been possible without the VCAP assistance. Please restore full funding for VCAP. In fact, we would like the General Assembly to enhance support for VCAP to help Virginia more effectively achieve the Chesapeake Bay Agreement, by funding VCAP at $8 million over the biennium. Thank you for your consideration and support.

I'm about to cry because I cannot use EVV as a live in. I used the Electronic Visit Verification for one day. The app sincerely does not work for me. Multiple times, I clocked in, later would go check on the shift and it said I'm clocked out. Other times, I clocked out only to try and clock in the next morning and it said I've been on shift for over 24 hrs! I've taken a video of these glitches as well so I have proof that these things happen. It is so frustrating and whenever I called to let them know about this and ask for them to note it they are hard to get in touch with and when I finally got them on the phone, they just said oh well.

Good afternoon, Chair Torian, Chair Lucas, and members of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance & Appropriations Committees. My name is Briana Ricks, and I am the Director of Community Impact for the American Heart Association Hampton Roads market. I am writing to express my support for protecting funding for perinatal health hubs, formally recognizing care coordination as a defining function of these hubs, and preserving funding for the FAMIS MOMS program. Care coordination is the foundation of effective maternal and infant health care. Families do not experience health care, behavioral health, social services, and community support in separate systems—they experience them all at once. Without care coordination, families are left to navigate complex systems alone, which increases the risk of missed care, delayed treatment, and preventable complications. Being a native of Franklin, VA, a rural community and also an area historically lacking access to maternal health care, these hubs are critical in ensuring that community members that are from where I'm from are able to experience a continuum of care if every aspect related to their health; especially in regard to maternal health care. Virginia’s Maternal Mortality Review findings make clear that care coordination is not optional. It is a priority need if we are serious about continuing to reduce maternal and infant deaths across the Commonwealth. With some of the highest rates of maternal mortality being in the Hampton Roads region, continuing to support care coordination is pertinent to continuing to save lives in Virginia. Funding for perinatal health hubs must also be protected. This funding does not support an experimental pilot program. It builds upon a proven hub model that has been operating in Virginia for more than 35 years, supporting mothers and babies through coordinated, community-rooted care. Perinatal health hubs strengthen prevention, improve continuity of care, and support providers by reducing fragmentation across systems. Please restore the $2.5 million in funding that has been cut from the budget. I am also urging you to preserve funding for the FAMIS MOMS prenatal care program. As more families face coverage gaps, providers will see an increase in uninsured patients with limited options for care. FAMIS MOMS ensures that pregnant individuals can access timely prenatal services while allowing providers to be reimbursed. Eliminating this program will increase reliance on Emergency Medicaid, which is more costly and less effective for both families and the state. Protecting perinatal health hubs, recognizing care coordination as a core function, and maintaining FAMIS MOMS are essential steps toward improving maternal and infant health outcomes in Virginia. I respectfully urge you to support these priorities in the final budget. Thank you for your time and consideration. Briana Ricks, Community Impact Director Suffolk, Virginia

The Hampton-Newport News Community Services Board thanks the General Assembly for all of your support as we work to address the behavioral healthcare needs of our community. Over the past several years, we have worked diligently to enhance services to our community by increasing access in all services within the STEP-VA model. We have recently increased our ability to serve individuals in crisis by developing a state-of-the art crisis receiving center capable of serving 16 people in our 23-hour observation program and an additional 16 people in our longer-term crisis stabilization unit. We have implemented co-responder models that pair a behavioral health clinician with a first responder to address mental health needs in the community; this has resulted in approximately 87% of community behavioral health crisis responses ending in an outcome that does not involve being taken into police custody. As a result, our law enforcement partners have given countless hours back to the community. The community behavioral health system is stronger as a result of these improvements; however, some proposed changes threaten the success of this system. We are concerned about the elimination of community crisis stabilization as a covered Medicaid service. The recent changes to the crisis system have had a measurable impact, and community crisis stabilization allows an additional option for community-based support during and after a crisis. While we are aware that some elements of community crisis services have cost our system much more than anticipated, it is likely that many of these costs are linked to provider practices. With proper oversight, community crisis stabilization can further reduce the reliance on hospitals and law enforcement. The same is true of limiting mobile crisis services reimbursement. Some issues are linked to provider practices, and limiting the time to provide this service can be detrimental to those who truly need it. We request that the implementation of the redesigned behavioral health services be delayed. The proposed changes do not allow enough time to make this transition without negatively affecting the individuals we serve. A delay of at least one year is needed to fully plan, prepare, and implement the proposed changes in a way that is responsible and avoids disruptions to the care. We request support for the transition to the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) model. While STEP-VA, which was based off of CCBHC core services, has provided a solid foundation for the services that are most impactful in the behavioral health system, and we have seen success in many areas as a result, the fact remains that STEP-VA does not fully fund these services. Full implementation of the CCBHC model, which includes a prospective payment system, is the best way to ensure that all of Virginia’s behavioral healthcare needs are met in a holistic and timely manner. We have made progress in many areas of our behavior healthcare system. Granting these requests allows us to build on these successes as we continue to move toward a healthier Virginia. Abruptly implementing some of these changes or failing to sustain the necessary services will negate the progress that has been made and have devastating effects on our system and the people who need our care. Thank you for your ongoing support to the citizens of our community and to the Commonwealth of Virginia.

EVV for live in providers would threaten to violate the privacy and individual pursuit of liberty for people with disabilities. EVV for live ins threatens the independent living movement and erodes Consumer-Directed Service rights and responsibilities of consumers as sole employers. EVV was a late addition to the 21st Century Cures Act with serious under-representation of the disability community input throughout the policy process. The disabled are speaking now please listen;: EVV for live ins is a bridge too far. Thank you.

Hello, I was speaker number 1 in the Central Virginia Budget Hearing. I am submitting my written testimony requesting that Virginia lawmakers defund and decommission the Virginia Israel Advisory Board in the upcoming General Assembly Session. Further testimony is contained in the attached. Sincerely, Elisa Bilyue

The real basis for EVV for live ins is not fraud, but instead, the coordinated lobbying efforts to advance the interests of technology vendors of EVV systems. Further, the types of issues in claims identified by the federal government as possible fraud or abuse are often administrative errors or inconsistencies in definition of personal care services across states. Electronic visit verification requirements for live in personal care workers will not address these inconsistencies, administrative errors, or identify fraud where it may exist.

Live-in personal care attendants (PCA's) have voiced concern about their ability to continue to provide a high level of care if electronic visit verification (EVV) is implemented for live ins that DO NOT VISIT, but must be available throughout the day and night. This is especially true in urgent, critical moments, emergencies, or illness which are daily sudden issues with the vulnerable populations they work with. It is going to come down to choosing between the clock or the care recipient's needs. This is an unsafe situation for the care recipient and the PCA. EVV will cause many live-in PCAs to leave the field completely. There are already increasing reports of VISITING PCAs abandoning this line of work as EVV has been implemented across the nation for those VISITING, leaving the struggling PCA industry, and more importantly, people with disabilities in an even more dire state. PLEASE, DO NOT FORCE EVV ON THE NON VISITING PCA's. EVV was never designed for live in caregivers and CMS has allowed for the exception of EVV for live in caregivers for that very reason.

My name is Jennifer Phillips and I am a Chesapeake resident. I ask that you please consider amending or completely divesting from the VIAB. The very existence of this entity is alarming for many reasons, but to be pragmatic about the issue we clearly do not have the funds to support the VIAB. Just last summer I spent over a month trying to find a Hampton roads shelter to accept a mother and her 4 children (including an infant) who were all living in her car. Me as well as other volunteers called shelters all throughout the 7 cities day and night to no avail. This occurred while there was an operational budget proposal that has a decrease presented for human services. The comments in this section alone from some of our areas most vulnerable population asking for support regarding the EVV is so disheartening. No matter the amount we provide the VIAB, I can not in good conscience support this entity while the children and elderly within Hampton roads suffer. I implore you to use our tax dollars for something that benefits the Hampton roads population and does not support the propaganda of a foreign entity. Thank you.

The EVV for live ins is nothing but a scam to cheat care giver our of there pay. i am 74 years old and is the paitient my daughter is the care giver and as of now she quitting and it all because ofd the EVV and what tics me off as we Are honest people BUT it DOES NOT PAY to be honest

I was dismayed to find out that the Virginia Israel Advisory Board (VIAB) is set to receive over $300,000 of taxpayer funding this year, a 23% increase from last year. VIAB has now existed for 30 years, and it is a shame that Israeli companies have been advantaged by the Virginia state government for this long at the taxpayer's expense. Tax dollars should not go towards the promotion of businesses that are not just complicit but deeply implicated in the ongoing Gaza genocide and other horrific war crimes Israel is committing in occupied Palestine. That money should instead be used to fund programs and initiatives that directly help working-class Virginians, such as affordable housing, healthcare, public education, and infrastructure. I strongly urge the committee to reconsider the budget and defund VIAB for good.

VIAB brought Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to Herndon, Virginia and helped IAI secure $1 million in funding. IAI is an Israeli state-owned company that builds military drones and weapons systems used to kill Palestinians in the ongoing genocide in Gaza and occupied Palestine. Both Energix and IAI have been cited by the United Nations for violations of human rights by having facilities in the occupied West Bank and the Golan Heights. The occupation of these territories is recognized as illegal under international law (see Article 49 of the Geneva Convention).

The Virginia Israel Advisory Board (VIAB) is an Israel business promotion entity funded by the state’s taxpayers, which diverts millions of dollars away from Virginia companies and toward Israeli businesses. VIAB is the only foreign advisory board in the state of Virginia, and it receives a taxpayer-funded budget as well as office space accessible to the General Assembly. No other advisory boards representing specific communities in Virginia receive this taxpayer funding, including the Virginia African American Advisory Board, the Virginia Asian Advisory Board, the Virginia Latino Advisory Board, the Virginia Council on Women, and the Virginia LGBTQ+ Advisory Board. As a result, VIAB pressures state lawmakers and the local business community to develop a long-term stake in Israel, despite Israel’s systemic apartheid and human rights violations in occupied Palestine, while it also diverts millions of dollars each year in state, federal, and private grants towards Israeli corporations. Israel’s brutal military occupation of Palestine and its apartheid system is condemned worldwide and, in September 2025, the United Nations Human Rights Office concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. In light of these facts, VIAB primarily promotes Israeli military and police technology, which is largely developed to murder and oppress Palestinians and maintain its military occupation of Palestinian lands. As a result, VIAB encourages Virginia to invest in weapons built for Israel and facilitates access to Virginia’s economy for companies that break international law. VIAB may also be in violation of the U.S. Foreign Assistance Act by assisting companies that enable Israel to engage in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights. VIAB’s mission is to redirect economic development funds towards Israeli instead of Virginia businesses. VIAB projects increase the over $162 million trade deficit with Israel by diverting economic development funds to that foreign government instead of Virginia companies. To this end, VIAB has shown major conflicts of interest and bias in its business practices. VIAB’s leadership also appears to have engaged in a pattern of unethical practices. VIAB’s annual report overstates its economic impacts in the state of Virginia. A state Cabinet-level official found its annual report to be “likely the most inflated and without merit that I’ve seen in my decade here.” The group also sought to weaken state oversight over its activities by lobbying for the 2018 reconstitution and transfer of VIAB funding and operations from the Office of the Governor to the General Assembly. In addition, the selection of its executive director provoked scrutiny from the Virginia Office of the Attorney General after the director also received additional compensation from Israel advocacy groups, triggering a Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council inquiry. As a Virginia taxpayer, I demand that the state dissolve The Virginia Israel Advisory Board and divest itself of the businesses associated with it! I DO NOT want my money going to support the murder of innocent people instead of my Virginia neighbors who need it. Also, as someone invested in the VRS system, I also demand that the Commonwealth divest from companies that profit from the slaughter of innocent people! It is time for leaders in the Commonwealth to work for the people they represent!

By adding electronic visit verification EVV for live in caregivers they are intentionally making the process of consumer direct care as difficult as possible. Often times, the caregiver goes without pay for up to a month at a time due to certain agencies not doing their jobs in the Consumer direct process. It is hard enough to find someone who will put up with the income interruptions. The caregiver that lives in the home with the person being cared for is there all the time. This is proven by proof of residency. The caregiver living in the home currently posts their time on a website that is secure and works well. The caregiver can access the site whenever they get a free moment to do so. They rarely get a free moment because they work and are available 24 hours per day (even though their hours paid are much shorter). Imagine someone asking you to clock in and out and post tasks WHEN YOU ARE BUSY WORKING. There is no scheduling the needs of a human being. Those needs are on demand at any moment and are human needs that cannot be pushed aside for a clock which includes accessing a site, recording time, and recording tasks. It is very unfeasible for a live in caregiver to use Electronic Visit Verification...they don't visit...they live there.

can you stop the restrictions for consumer directed care ... no one wants to work for min wage.. you programs glitch out all the time and then you send out disturbing communication saying you are going to take our freedom away can you please stop treating us like animals ? or criminals. we are people and we deserve freedom .. you promised to never geocatch or use biomatrix yet here you are just a few years later.. adding restrictions to our life ..

I wonder what the state's reasoning is for attempting to not allow the EVV exemption for live in caregivers that is currently in place? You live with your recipient that has the waiver; therefore, you are with them all the time. Scratching my head as to why disrupt a system in place that works for one that will definitely cause chaos? There is no need for it, especially when CMS is the one putting the exemption in as an option for live ins and most states have EVV exemption for live ins . EVV is too troublesome to use for live in caregivers that work all day and night and are not working a set number of hours (although pay is a forced hourly amount). Basically, the caregiver must clock in artificial hours WHILE THEY ARE BUSY WORKING. Thanks!

don't it .. it is awful . you harm the disabled .. you treat us like criminals.. we just don't want to be in facilities being treated like crap, My friend Melissa Rowe has been raped at least 3 times because Va Beach is an evil city and put her in a group home.. they pulled all her teeth out and drugged her up and left her to be raped over and over again.. this can be stopped if you let family and friends care for their loved ones. Please don't put us in facilities .. facilities suck

I am Gabriel Marquez, a member of the Tidewater Democratic Socialists of America My written comment requests an amendment to defund and decommission the Virginia Israel Advisory Board (VIAB). Our budget currently struggles to fund essential housing, healthcare, and educational programs and we cannot continue to fund VIAB. VIAB is the only advisory board for a foreign government that is a taxpayer funded state agency. In 2025 it received $244,872 and in 2026, it is set to receive $302,425. The proposed budget for FY27 and FY28 is $316,665, for a total increase of $14,230, exceeding inflation: https://budget.lis.virginia.gov/item/2026/1/HB30/Introduced/1/15/ It is not sustainable to fund advisory boards for foreign governments and continue giving preferential treatment for Israel. Virginia Economic Partnership already exists to handle foreign investments. VIAB is the only entity dedicated to a promoting a specific foreign country rather than communities actually living in Virginia such as the other advisory boards, including: the Virginia Asian Advisory Board, the Virginia Latino Advisory Board, and the Virginia African American Advisory board, the Virginia Council on Women, and the Virginia LGBTQ+ Advisory Board. Incredibly, VIAB enjoys special lobbying privileges and gets office space in the building next to the General assembly. It has little to no government oversight since moving out of the Governor’s office. Israel is engaged in apartheid and genocide that is well-documented by major human rights organizations like Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and by the UN independent international commission. It is deeply problematic having an advisory board enjoying such blatant favoritism, especially for a country engaged in genocide. VIAB Track Record VIAB may argue that it receives a small budget, but it also has diverted millions of dollars of state, federal, and private grants for Israeli corporations from funds like the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission, taking money away from Virginia business and residents to fund foreign companies' expansion instead. VIAB brought Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to Herndon, Virginia and helped IAI secure $1 million in funding. IAI is an Israeli state-owned company that builds military drones and weapons systems used to kill Palestinians in the ongoing genocide in Gaza and occupied Palestine. Both Energix and IAI have been cited by the United Nations for violations of human rights by having facilities in the occupied West Bank and the Golan Heights. The occupation of these territories is recognized as illegal under international law (see Article 49 of the Geneva Convention). VIAB-endorsed companies like UBQ and Energix have not comprehensively or convincingly documented their success in job creation for Virginia residents, which is a key for the funds being granted. Energix has received $400,000 of fines for harmful environmental practices; they also utilize solar panels that include the metal alloy Cadmium Telluride (CdTe), which has the potential to leach into soil and water. VIAB board membership is by appointment, with no limit on time served. There is no system of checks and balances in place for the entity. VIAB faces no accountability for failed prospects of promoted companies, or job loss and bankruptcy of smaller local businesses that are pushed out by larger Israeli ones.

Hello my name is Caleb and I am 34 years old and live in my own apartment in Norfolk, VA. I have an intellectual disability. I pay my rent with help from the State Rental Assistance Program called SRAP. The supports I need to live on my own are paid for by my Medicaid waiver. Before I got rental assistance, I lived with a foster family. I didn't have the independence I have now. I couldn't do the thinks I wanted, when I wanted like choose what I ate or where to go. Now that I have my own place, my life has changes in a big way. I can be active at church, volunteer, and travel. I feel more independent, more confident, and proud of myself. I even have a job at Didlake working on the base where I can make money and help my community. But right now SRAP is out of funding, which means that other people like me who are ready to live on their own can't get the help they need to afford rent. That's why I'm asking you to support a t$10 million total increase over the next two years for SRAP. This would ass 100 new vouchers each year. I t would also restore funding lost for about 150 vouchers due to cost of living increases as well as expand the program. SRAP gives people like me a chance to live in our own homes, in our communities, with the people we choose, and the supports we need. Thank you for helping more Virginians with disabilities the chance to live a life like yours.

Thank you for reading. Is EVV - - electronic visit verification- for caregivers that live with the person receiving care a way to eliminate many caregivers? Is Dept. of Medicaid Assistance Services forcing care recipients back into homes where they will get generic care? Make it complicated and confusing by adding EVV to an existing, legal, working system, so caregivers drop out? Please don't tell me this is what is going on, because it sure seems like it.

Hello my name is Astrid Hollwy I'm 39 years old and I live in Virginia Beach today I'm here to ask for more srap voucher funding right now I live in my own apartment I get help from my Medicaid waiver which pays for the supports I need to live and be part of my community but I don't have help to pay my rent which makes living independently impossible for many even if they are ready. It's important that adults with disabilities are able to have the same Independence that most adults have if I could get help from the state rental assistance program or s-wrap I could afford my own apartment as well as do things I like. Having my own place means being able to invite friends over spend quality time with myself and cook independently it also means that I get to be a part of my community and advocating for myself I also know my true value in life and make my own choices because I get to live in my own home. Right now s rap is out of money that means people like me who are ready to live on our own can't get help to pay rent there are many Virginians with developmental disabilities who are stuck waiting even though they are ready to live independently that's why I'm asking you to add $10 million dollars total to the state rental assistance program this money would help pay for a hundred new srap vouchers each year that would replace about $150 vouchers lost over the last two years due to rent cost going up and help more people get housing each year s rap would give me and many others the chance to live in our own homes be part of our communities and live a life like yours thank you for listening and for supporting people with disabilities in Virginia. Astrid Holley 757-615-1038

Please see the attached documents for Lynnhaven River NOW's comments. Our organization has taken stances on budget items related to energy demand, resilience, tree canopy, stormwater, and water quality. Thank you for your attention to this matter. We welcome further questions if deemed necessary.

Please see the attached documents for Lynnhaven River NOW's comments. Our organization has taken stances on budget items related to energy demand, resilience, tree canopy, stormwater, and water quality. Thank you for your attention to this matter. We welcome further questions if deemed necessary.

No Limits is my day support brain injury service provider. I sustained damage to my frontal lobe due to a traumatic brain injury. Since my injury, I have struggled with socializing and developed anxiety. I often feel awkward around people because I don't always know how to act or what to say, and I tend to isolate myself. I also have difficulty managing my emotions at times. This program has greatly helped me feel more comfortable getting out of my home and socializing. No Limits provide a positive environment with supportive, encouraging people. Being part of this program has also helped improve my depression.

Dear House Budget Committee, , I am writing to ask that an amendment be passed for the defunding and decommissioning of the Virginia Israel Advisory Board (VIAB). VIAB is the only advisory board for a foreign government that is a taxpayer funded state agency. Virginia Economic Partnership already exists to handle foreign investments so a special advisory board for Israel is not necessary and is counter productive for many reasons. First, there are important budget priorities this year including essesnital human services such as education, housing, nutrition, and health care. In 2025 the VIAB received $244,872 and in 2026, it is set to receive $302,425. With a tight budget needed to fund essential programs we should not prioritize the funding of the VIAB and give preferential treatment for Israel. Second, since moving out of the Governor’s office, the VIAB has little to no government oversight. Out of all existing advisory boards, including: the Virginia Asian Advisory Board, the Virginia Latino Advisory Board, and the Virginia African American Advisory board, the Virginia Council on Women, and the Virginia LGBTQ+ Advisory Board, VIAB is the only entity dedicated to a promoting a specific foreign country rather than communities actually living in Virginia. The Virginia Economic Partnership already exists to handle foreign investments. Finally, and for me the most compelling reason to defund and decommission this board is that Israel is engaged in apartheid and Genocide which is well-documented by major human rights organizations like Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and by the UN independent international commission. Virginia should not be engaged in these human atrocities in any way; it is morally reprehensible. As a tax paying Virginian I do not want to be complicit in warfare, starvation and genocide against vulnerable people. It is unconscionable. Sincerely, Patrice Schwermer 308 Beach Road Hampton, Va 23664 757 575 7002

Thank you for the opportunity to submit written public comment in support of the proposed budget amendment to increase reimbursement rates for Virginia’s Medicaid Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) waiver services, including the Community Living (CL), Building Independence (BI), and Family and Individual Supports (FIS) waivers. Community-based IDD services across the Commonwealth—particularly in Hampton Roads—are facing a severe and ongoing workforce crisis. Providers are struggling to recruit and retain qualified direct support professionals due to chronic underfunding of waiver rates, rising inflation, and wage competition from other sectors. These workforce challenges directly threaten continuity of care for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who rely on services such as group homes, group day programs, supported employment, crisis services, supported living, sponsored residential services, and transition services The proposed amendment would implement an overall 10 percent rate increase over two fiscal years, with a 5 percent increase in FY 2027 and an additional 5 percent in FY 2028, at an annual cost of approximately $65.9 million, split evenly between General Funds and Non-General Funds While this increase does not fully meet the documented need—provider data indicates rates would need to increase by approximately 28 percent to fully align with actual service delivery costs—it represents a critical and responsible step toward stabilizing the system Importantly, these IDD waiver services were not included in the DMAS rate study, leaving providers without necessary rate adjustments despite escalating operational and labor costs. Without timely investment, providers are increasingly forced to reduce capacity, limit admissions, or discontinue services altogether, placing individuals at risk of institutionalization or service disruption. This proposal also directly supports Virginia’s obligations under the Department of Justice Permanent Injunction (Civil Action No. 3:12 CV 059), which requires the Commonwealth to ensure individuals with disabilities receive services in the most integrated, community-based settings possible. Sustained investment in provider rates—and by extension, wages for direct support professionals—is explicitly tied to successful compliance with this injunction. Underfunded waiver services undermine workforce stability, quality of care, and Virginia’s compliance posture In closing, we respectfully urge to support the proposed IDD waiver rate increase. This investment strengthens Virginia’s community-based service system, supports a qualified and stable workforce, protects vulnerable Virginians, and reinforces the Commonwealth’s long-term fiscal and legal responsibilities. Thank you for your consideration and continued leadership. Respectfully submitted, Vassanthi Griffis VP of Business Development, Community Alternatives, Inc. Member of vaACCSES Norfolk, VA

If DMAS can call an emergency, why can't families? Why can't the families and consumers request an emergency meeting? Live-ins live in the home and do not visit. Some live ins are not being paid for months at a time due to service facilitators not submitting Plans. Now this too? We are going to lose our live in caregivers over these things especially EVV! SOS!

Good morning, my name is Dorothy Clark, I am a member of Our Voices, a self-Advocacy group based in Norfolk, Virginia. My Delegate is Anne Ferrell Tata and my Senator Christie New Craig I am here to ask you Pease support an increase of $ 10 million over the next two years for the State Rental Assistance Program (SRAP). My sister, like many others with a development disability, lives in her own apartment in Virginia Beach. She has difficulty paying all her bills because there is no more fundings for the State Rental Assistance Program. My sister is much happier living in her own apartment. She has gained her independence back, her mental health is much better, and she is a part of a community where she can now call home. The increase in the State Rental Assistance that I am asking you to support would: • Restore funding for about 150 vouchers lost last year due to the cost of living and the cuts that were made. • Expand the program to make it possible for people like my sister to continue living in her own apartment. Please consider supporting the increase of the State Rental Assistance program (SRAP). Thank you for your and time consideration to take time to hear me today.

Please, DMAS, put a townhall up for EVV for live ins like you did the last time EVV was discussed for live ins. This cannot happen in an emergency situation, because caregivers need to be heard. Families are now calling the emergency EVV act an emergency for them! There are just too many hurdles and roadblocks to live ins being to able to successfully use EVV. Why would you want to take away the current system for live ins which works well. Why? Let's talk because families and individual consumers are in peril of losing their community access to consumer direct care over EVV.

I am Karen Jones, a member of Veterans for Peace. My written comment requests an amendment to defund and decommission the Virginia Israel Advisory Board (VIAB). There are so many obvious reasons for my request. Our budget currently struggles to fund essential housing, healthcare, and educational programs and we cannot continue to fund VIAB. VIAB is the only advisory board for a foreign government that is a taxpayer funded state agency. In 2025 it received $244,872 and in 2026, it is set to receive $302,425. The proposed budget for FY27 and FY28 is $316,665, for a total increase of $14,230, exceeding inflation. See https://budget.lis.virginia.gov/item/2026/1/HB30/Introduced/1/15/ It is not sustainable to fund advisory boards for foreign governments and continue giving preferential treatment for Israel. Virginia Economic Partnership already exists to handle foreign investments. VIAB is the only entity dedicated to a promoting a specific foreign country rather than communities actually living in Virginia such as the other advisory boards, including: the Virginia Asian Advisory Board, the Virginia Latino Advisory Board, and the Virginia African American Advisory board, the Virginia Council on Women, and the Virginia LGBTQ+ Advisory Board. Incredibly, VIAB enjoys special lobbying privileges and gets office space in the building next to the General assembly. It has little to no government oversight since moving out of the Governor’s office. Israel is engaged in apartheid and genocide that is well-documented by major human rights organizations like Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and by the UN independent international commission. It is deeply problematic having an advisory board enjoying such blatant favoritism, especially for a country engaged in genocide. VIAB Track Record VIAB may argue that it receives a small budget, but it also has diverted millions of dollars of state, federal, and private grants for Israeli corporations from funds like the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission, taking money away from Virginia business and residents to fund foreign companies' expansion instead. VIAB brought Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to Herndon, Virginia and helped IAI secure $1 million in funding. IAI is an Israeli state-owned company that builds military drones and weapons systems used to kill Palestinians in the ongoing genocide in Gaza and occupied Palestine. Both Energix and IAI have been cited by the United Nations for violations of human rights by having facilities in the occupied West Bank and the Golan Heights. The occupation of these territories is recognized as illegal under international law (see Article 49 of the Geneva Convention). VIAB-endorsed companies like UBQ and Energix have not comprehensively or convincingly documented their success in job creation for Virginia residents, which is a key for the funds being granted. Energix has received $400,000 of fines for harmful environmental practices; they also utilize solar panels that include the metal alloy Cadmium Telluride (CdTe), which has the potential to leach into soil and water. VIAB board membership is by appointment, with no limit on time served. There is no system of checks and balances in place for the entity. VIAB faces no accountability for failed prospects of promoted companies, or job loss and bankruptcy of smaller local businesses that are pushed out by larger Israeli ones.

What can the attendant do to clock in and out if the attendant does not have a cell? They do not work well in rural areas. What about power outages? Rural areas suffer outages more often and also suffer landline down times that can last up to ten days at a time at least 4 times a year. Those that are lucky to have cells in rural areas that work, often have peak down times that can last hours or days. Clocking in and out at target times at a specific location every day does not happen in a NORMAL, DISABLED, 24/7 life. A VISITOR clocks in on arrival and upon leaving - DONE. Not so for someone NOT VISITING WHOSE HANDS AND MIND ARE FULL. Even with alarms set as reminders, is the caregiver going to drop the toileting accident, the tantrum, the toileting smears, food spills, diapers, bathing, trips to special needs group activties, trip to special needs dentist/doctors, community trips, vomit, minor injuries/accidents, wandering, etc...to clock in and out at a specific time and place? How is this going to affect the VOLUNTARY EOR position to have to referee on all the glitches, tech failures, power outages, missed clock ins, out of towns, etc...?

I am the elderly parent of a 33 year old nonverbal autistic man. Through the Medicaid Waiver program, he is living a very happy and fulfilling life in his own apartment with staff on site. I will be speaking in favor of: Increasing Waiver Service Rates so as to be able to retain high quality staff Aligning Supported Living Rates so that people wishing to live in supported living can be funded at the same level as a 4 person group home. Funding the Community Collaborative Provider Incubator so that more businesses can learn how to provide supported living in a financial feasible model Studying the Feasibility of a “Core Services” Waiver so that people who are in Priority 2 and 3 can still receive services to stay out of crisis.

I am the elderly parent of a 33 year old nonverbal autistic man. Through the Medicaid Waiver program, he is living a very happy and fulfilling life in his own apartment with staff on site. I will be speaking in favor of: Increasing Waiver Service Rates so as to be able to retain high quality staff Aligning Supported Living Rates so that people wishing to live in supported living can be funded at the same level as a 4 person group home. Funding the Community Collaborative Provider Incubator so that more businesses can learn how to provide supported living in a financial feasible model Studying the Feasibility of a “Core Services” Waiver so that people who are in Priority 2 and 3 can still receive services to stay out of crisis.

I am a single parent, legal guardian, and primary care providers for my adult child with autism and intellectual disability. I am currently trying to continue working my full-time job (to make ends meet financially) and provide care for my child when not at work. However, this is not working well. My child currently has in-home services while I am working and we have experienced the following very strong concerns (mind you we have had multiple agencies and care providers with extensively high turnover over the past 7 years): Providers coming to the job high, smelling of marijuana. Providers who don't show at all. Providers who are chronically late. Providers who take my child to unauthorized places. Providers who sleep on the job. Providers who do not follow the plan of care. Providers who do not respect boundaries in client homes. Providers who steal from the home. Providers who chronically call out of work. Providers who provide inadequate supervision.... just to name a few. THESE PROBLEMS ARE CHRONIC! All of these problems have been reported to the appropriate providers, agencies, case managers and supervisors but the only thing that happens is another turnover in providers who come to the job with their issues. These are no exaggerations and I have written records and video to corroborate these unsafe, unethical and improper situations. These experiences have caused significant stress on my child and myself. For many individuals with autism the multiple changes/turnover is stressful. Not receiving proper care is stressful and quite frankly neglectful. I have begged for responsible and respectful caregivers. I have advertised, taken to social media, talked with family, friends and groups to try to recruit consistent, reliable, responsible care for my child to no avail. The stress is beyond what anyone can imagine unless in the situation. Thus, the only alternative is for me to leave the work force and stay home with my child to be her full-time live-in caregiver. At this very moment I am having to once again use my very limited PTO to be home with my child because the care provider did not come to work and the agency cannot provide a back-up. Now, imagine going from a full-time salaried position with a Master level job to working for $13 and some change per hour! Then you want to add to the financial stress the stress of documentation? Please, I beg...I truly beg you to not only imagine this situation but to put yourself in it. I invite you to our home, I invite you to view my videos or read messages I have of these situations. I invite you to live in this experience. We love our children and we want the best care for them! If not the best then at least professional, consistent, and proper. The only individuals I have found to meet at least the basic minimum requirements satisfactorily for the job.... is me!!! Is a live-in caregiver (based on other families I have spoken with). I am begging you to do right by us!!!! Pay rates must substantially increase and live-in caregivers deserve respect as such! We are the best care providers for our loved ones! If you don't think so, I invite you to come and do the caregiving job for one whole week.... with your only income being $13 and change. You have the opportunity to make a huge difference in the lives of these families.... what are you going to do with that privilege? Respectfully submitted, Ms. Stinson

I am a single parent, legal guardian, and primary care providers for my adult child with autism and intellectual disability. I am currently trying to continue working my full-time job (to make ends meet financially) and provide care for my child when not at work. However, this is not working well. My child currently has in-home services while I am working and we have experienced the following very strong concerns (mind you we have had multiple agencies and care providers with extensively high turnover over the past 7 years): Providers coming to the job high, smelling of marijuana. Providers who don't show at all. Providers who are chronically late. Providers who take my child to unauthorized places. Providers who sleep on the job. Providers who do not follow the plan of care. Providers who do not respect boundaries in client homes. Providers who steal from the home. Providers who chronically call out of work. Providers who provide inadequate supervision.... just to name a few. THESE PROBLEMS ARE CHRONIC! All of these problems have been reported to the appropriate providers, agencies, case managers and supervisors but the only thing that happens is another turnover in providers who come to the job with their issues. These are no exaggerations and I have written records and video to corroborate these unsafe, unethical and improper situations. These experiences have caused significant stress on my child and myself. For many individuals with autism the multiple changes/turnover is stressful. Not receiving proper care is stressful and quite frankly neglectful. I have begged for responsible and respectful caregivers. I have advertised, taken to social media, talked with family, friends and groups to try to recruit consistent, reliable, responsible care for my child to no avail. The stress is beyond what anyone can imagine unless in the situation. Thus, the only alternative is for me to leave the work force and stay home with my child to be her full-time live-in caregiver. At this very moment I am having to once again use my very limited PTO to be home with my child because the care provider did not come to work and the agency cannot provide a back-up. Now, imagine going from a full-time salaried position with a Master level job to working for $13 and some change per hour! Then you want to add to the financial stress the stress of documentation? Please, I beg...I truly beg you to not only imagine this situation but to put yourself in it. I invite you to our home, I invite you to view my videos or read messages I have of these situations. I invite you to live in this experience. We love our children and we want the best care for them! If not the best then at least professional, consistent, and proper. The only individuals I have found to meet at least the basic minimum requirements satisfactorily for the job.... is me!!! Is a live-in caregiver (based on other families I have spoken with). I am begging you to do right by us!!!! Pay rates must substantially increase and live-in caregivers deserve respect as such! We are the best care providers for our loved ones! If you don't think so, I invite you to come and do the caregiving job for one whole week.... with your only income being $13 and change. You have the opportunity to make a huge difference in the lives of these families.... what are you going to do with that privilege? Respectfully submitted, Ms. Stinson

We need an amendment to defund and decommission the Virginia Israel Advisory Board. During Israel's active genocide of the Palestinian people, it is more important than ever that we do not center a foreign government's economy in place of our own. With very little government oversight, VIAB has diverted funds from Virginian businesses to Israeli companies with long-standing and serious human rights violations. These funds could go to local businesses that promote housing, education, and healthcare for Virginia.

I would like to discuss increase in homecare wages, collective bargaining, and removing the 16 hour cap.