A lot of the updates have been about the front end of Marcus‘s care. That on its own is very stressful and grueling to deal with, but at times it pales in comparison to the work that must be done on the back end to support him. While Medicaid and social security for disability is a program that is widely known, navigating around some of the lesser known programs has been quite the journey.

The Persons with Brain Injury (BI) waiver provides services and individualized support to persons with a brain injury who live in the home. These services are provided to those who would otherwise require care in a nursing facility. The Persons with Brain Injury waiver is a part of a program called Home Services Program (HSP)

Pace is a public transportation company that handles a majority of the affordable disability transportation. In addition to the range of vehicles they have, they also sponsor a Rideshare Access Program. With the Rideshare Access Program (RAP), ADA-eligible riders can receive a Pace subsidy for Uber. RAP offers a subsidy of trips up to $30 in value after a $2.00 fare.

The hardest part of all these services is not only trying to find out if they are even an option but then actually going through the hoops to receive the benefits. And even if we do get through the process, the wait time can be months before we receive anything. This has been a very eye-opening and at times heartrending experience.