Nearly 18-thousand people with disabilities in North Carolina are on a waiting list for healthcare services. A bipartisan group of state lawmakers is seeking funding to fix the problem.
A program called the Innovations Waiver provides a range of services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The program helps pay for things like in-home caregivers and service dogs.
Niasha Fray's 11-year-old daughter has Down syndrome and has been on the waiting list for years.
“Molly has been on the registry of unmet needs in North Carolina since June of 2018, waiting along with 17,000 others to receive the innovations waiver," she said, "This waiver is crucial for ensuring Molly's continued independence and ability to live at home rather than being institutionalized.”
The legislature's caucus for intellectual and developmental disabilities has filed a bill to reduce the waiting list by adding 1,000 people to the program.
The bill would also increase pay for direct care workers to $18-an-hour.