Over the past few months, the main goal for Team Marcus has been making sure everything is ready for a safe discharge — that means having the right caregivers, a prepared apartment, and steady nursing support in place before he leaves the facility.

This week, we met with Almost Home Kids (AHK) to talk about where things stand, and it feels like we’re getting closer to the finish line. AHK shared that even though the nursing agency continues to say that 56 nursing hours a week isn’t enough for Marcus’s safe discharge, his time at AHK is likely coming to an end soon. There’s no exact date yet, but it would be surprising if he’s still there by the end of the year.

DSCC, the state agency that approved the 56 hours, is working on adding more details to Marcus’s case in hopes of getting his nursing hours increased. We also talked about long-term care and private pay options as possible ways to support him.

Right now, any help from Social Security is on hold because of the government shutdown, but we’ll be meeting again in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, everyone on the team is doing more research and planning to make sure Marcus’s transition “home” is safe and successful.