Caring for & supporting a disabled individual is not a 40 hour job; it is a 24/7 job. We are asking disabled individuals in the Michelle P Waiver program, their family & friends, employees & anyone else disturbed at the loss of services for the disabled, to sign this petition. Since its implementation in 2008, the Michelle P Medicaid Waiver (from now on referenced to as MPW) for disabled individuals with an intellectual &/or developmental disability has had a cap of up to $40,000 per year per recipient of MPW for Home Community Based (HCB) Consumer Directed Options (CDO) services including Community Living Supports (CLS) & Personal Care etc services with no restriction of hours. The MPW settlement agreement did restrict or cap Traditional services, from an agency, to 40 hours per week, but CDO was capped in a yearly budget form only (not in hour form) to allow for maximum usage & versatility in gaining resources for the disabled individual. When blended between Traditional services & CDO services the cap was raised to $63,000 per year. As of April 2015, KY Dept of Medicaid Services (DMS) stated that in April 2016 , a 40 hour limit would now apply to all new MPW applications & at Level of Care recertification, all current MPW budgets would be cut & restricted to 40 hours total per week. This was done without administrative process or procedure. Protection & Advocacy has already been appealing this with no resolution at this time. It violates the intent of the MPW to create choices & options to keep disabled individuals out of institutional care. It restricts & undermines CDO functions that have been in place for the last 8 years. It will inevitably & ultimately affect the disabled individual's budget because if the disabled individual had previously been able to have a certain amount of hours & the budget allowed for. Now reducing the hours (if hour pay is not increased) will most likely result in the individuals budget (that has previously been available to them) being cut summarily. So in essence, a roundabout budget cut will result in loss of funds for the individual, loss of hours & services. Some disabled individuals will be so adversely affected that their only option will be to go to institutionalized care. We have moved forward in our state to create & provide environments & supports to get & keep our disabled individuals out of institutions & institutional care (which ironically costs the state & Medicaid more $). So let's not take steps back now! This will affect the 10,000 + disabled individuals in the MPW program. Please advocate for our state of Kentucky to continue providing the CDO flexibility that had been previously in place & does not restrict hours if the MPW recipient's budget allows. The MPW has been part of what has supported our disabled family members the flexibilty of their services. In addition, please contact your Legislators, Ombudsman, Constituency Services in Governor's office: 1 (502) 564-2611 Tom Summers Ext 312 tom.summers@ky.gov Protection & Advocacy 1 (502) 564-2967 & any & all other contacts or agencies that are appropriate. Caring for & supporting a disabled individual is not a 40 hour job; it is a 24/7 job.