Disabled, advocates fight plan to cut aid

Saturday, September 4, 2004

By BETTY ADAMS, Blethen Maine News Service

AUGUSTA — More than 80 people, including many in wheelchairs, packed into a hearing room Friday afternoon to criticize proposed cuts in the amount of personal assistance available to disabled individuals. Linett Devlin spoke for Patrick Harris of Bar Harbor, who has been a quadriplegic since 2001 and receives 89 hours of personal care a week - almost 13 hours per day.

"Patrick has been able to survive on these hours," Devlin said. But proposed state rules would cap the maximum hours allowed under MaineCare, the state's Medicaid program, at 64.

Under the cuts, Harris would receive 9 hours of care per day and be unattended almost 15 hours each day.

"To provide a practical perspective, Patrick would like to encourage the governor and other deciders of law in this state to lay down in a bed, have their arms and legs tied down and remain that way - unattended for 14.8 hours per day - for just one day, and they will reach a relative understanding of what a complete quadriplegic faces on a daily basis," Devlin said.

Harris, who crossed Maine last year in a "sip-and-puff" wheelchair, said he will join litigation against the state if the rules are implemented.

"No one in this room asks to be this way. With these cuts, we feel we're being punished," said Laura Antranigian of Portland, who addressed the crowd but had her words clarified by an aide. "I have 97 hours per week and 14 night hours, and I use every single hour. I need help with every single thing that I do. I can't get out of bed alone. If you do this, you change my life."

She had a question for Gov. John Baldacci regarding the accident he was involved Feb. 4 when his SUV went off the highway : "Did he ever think what would happen to him if he had broken his neck in the car accident and become disabled? Would he propose these cuts? I don't think so."

Many said the loss of personal help would force them to leave their own homes and move to nursing homes.

Federal Medicaid guidelines say the cost of assistants cannot exceed the cost of keeping a person in a nursing home. James Sanders rolled to the front of the room to say that he uses personal care attendants 15 hours a week, but he knows others who need them 100 hours a week.

"Gov. John Baldacci should be impeached or recalled," he said. "This decision-making is totally against disabled folk."

Currently, about 160 people receive more than 64 hours of personal service a week and would be affected by the proposed cut in hours, state officials said.

Other comments on the proposed rule change will be accepted by Neale until Sept. 14 at the bureau: 442 Civic Center Drive, 11 State House Station, Augusta 04333-0011.

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