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Committee advances family caregiver pilot continuation, sponsor cites potential state savings
Summary
The committee approved the continuation of a family caregiver pilot that pays family members to care for children with serious needs until a cross-disability waiver is available; sponsor and members argued it saves state money by avoiding institutionalization and the bill was referred to appropriations.
The committee approved continuation of the family caregiver pilot program and referred the bill to appropriations for fiscal review.
Why it matters: Sponsors said the pilot keeps children at home who otherwise might require institutional or skilled-care placements, and they argued the program saves the state money compared with institutional care.
Sponsor notes and program counts: Committee members cited program figures during discussion: the sponsor reported 50 approved participants, 17 pending applications, and a larger pool of requests (the sponsor referenced 444 requests) while describing how the pilot prioritizes pending applications to determine continuation numbers. Committee members said even a small number of institutional placements avoided by the program would more than offset the program’s cost.
Vote: The committee voted to do pass and refer the bill to appropriations (motion carried 10 yes, 0 no, 3 absent).
Next steps: The bill was referred to appropriations for fiscal review and funding decisions. Committee members urged continued documentation of cost-savings and participant outcomes to support appropriations deliberations.
