#disability-services

#disability-services

The Minnesota Department of Human Services recently suspended payments to 11 providers that serve adults with disabilities over "credible allegations" of fraud, according to a letter written by Temporary Commissioner Shireen Gandhi and obtained by WCCO. According to the letter addressed to state lawmakers, the payments to 11 providers with the Integrated Community Supports program were stopped between Sept. 4 and Sept. 23, which impacted additional providers.

Like all friends, the Friends of Grace nonprofit smooths out the rough edges of life. The San Jose group accomplishes this through a combination of classes, community and hot, healthy meals a program known as Grace Art & Wellness that's held six days a week at the city-owned Northside Community Center. Breakfast and lunch aren't just meals they're a point of entry into healing and connection, said Shawna Scarpitti, president of the nonprofit.

"Literally no one ever mentions direct care workers. I work with people with disabilities. I've been at my job for almost 10 years, and I've gotten maybe four raises." - jessicalewis2

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Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald raised the heartbreaking case of nine-year-old Harvey Morrison Sherratt, who died in July. "He was failed by the Government. Harvey's case is not an isolated case. Such failures are shamefully a hallmark of your Government," she told Taoiseach Micheál Martin. Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns also raised the case, slating the Government for painfully slow progress on the issue of disability. "Sixteen thousand children are overdue an assessment of need, essential therapies are non-existent and hundreds of children left in agony waiting for spinal surgery," she said.

Waiting lists for home care for older people and people with a disability are highest in the west and north-west counties - with 1,334 in a queue for the service in this region as figures show an ongoing postcode lottery.

The Trump administration's 2026 budget proposal threatens to drastically cut funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, endangering the stability of thousands of formerly homeless individuals with disabilities.

"My contribution to that conversation has been more about ensuring that the legislation defines the purpose of the assessment and enables access to it, rather than it being a catch-all for everything in the state."

Despite the critical nature of their work, DSPs in New York City earn an average of just over $18 an hour, which is insufficient for such demanding roles.