Mike

I am a relentless advocate for my wife with Muscular Dystrophy and will stop at nothing to get the care she needs to live a productive life!

[Mike @mikehanson_]

I’ve spent days publicly calling people out, sending emails, asking hard questions, and refusing to stop until my wife received the care she actually needs.

Today, I get to do something different: say THANK YOU.

Thank you to Eunice Medina, Nicole Mitchell-Threatt, the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Governor Henry McMaster’s office, HHS, CMS, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, our case-management team, and every state employee, advocate, official, reporter, and person behind the scenes who read an email, saw a post, made a phone call, asked a question, or helped move this forward.

I don’t know exactly who made the difference.

Maybe it was one person. Maybe it was all of you. Maybe it was just my relentless plea for help.

But WE GOT THE HELP MY WIFE NEEDED.

I have been extremely critical of this system and of some of the people involved. So when something finally goes right, I believe I have an obligation to be just as loud about that too.

As her husband, I wasn’t fighting for a political victory. I wasn’t fighting for attention. I was fighting for my wife.

Thank you to everyone who listened.

Thank you to everyone who acted.

Thank you to everyone who shared our story and refused to look away.

And most importantly, thank you for recognizing my wife’s needs and helping our family.

This is what advocacy can accomplish when people listen.

Now I hope we can make sure the next family doesn’t have to fight quite this hard to get the help they need.
@SecKennedy @HHSGov
#DisabilityAdvocacy #SouthCarolina #Medicaid #Caregiving #hhs

[Mike @mikehanson_]

SOUTH CAROLINA: SHOW ME THE RULE.

I am her husband.

My wife has limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, has profound physical care needs, and has been assessed at a nursing-home level of care. I am the person beside her every day providing the care that doesn’t magically disappear when her authorized paid hours run out.

I am asking for 80 hours of caregiver assistance per week:

40 hours for me to provide her care.
40 additional hours so I can actually work outside our home and support our family.

Why is that unreasonable?

More importantly:

WHERE IS THE WRITTEN RULE THAT SAYS SHE CAN’T HAVE IT?

Show me the Medicaid regulation.
Show me the waiver provision.
Show me the policy.
Show me the documented cap or restriction being used to deny the additional care.

My wife isn’t a number on somebody’s spreadsheet. She is a wife, a mother, a highly educated woman and someone who worked as a case manager herself for years.

She understands how these systems work.

And I understand what happens in our home when the paid caregiver hours end:

I keep providing the care.

I don’t get to clock out from being her husband.

Our son doesn’t stop needing his father.

Our bills don’t disappear because South Carolina decided 40 hours was enough.

So I’m asking everyone involved:

Eunice Medina — SCDHHS Director
Nicole Mitchell Threatt — SCDHHS Deputy Director
Gov. Henry McMaster

@henrymcmaster @scgovernorpress @HHSGov @CMSGov @SecKennedy

And I’m asking the media:

@WMBFNews @WBTWNews13 @wpdeabc15 @wis10 @WLTX @Live5News @postandcourier @AP @CNN @NBCNews @CBSNews @ABC @FoxNews

INVESTIGATE THIS.

Don’t take my word for it.

Ask South Carolina to produce the written authority that prevents someone with my wife’s assessed level of need from receiving 80 hours of necessary caregiver assistance.

If that rule exists, SHOW IT TO US.

If it doesn’t exist, then ask why an unwritten limitation is determining how much help a woman with a profound disability and nursing-home-level care needs receives.

I’m her husband.

I’m her caregiver.

I’m the father of our young son.

And I am not going to stop asking: WHERE IS THE RULE?

#DisabilityRights #SouthCarolina #Medicaid #HCBS #HomeCare

[Mike @mikehanson_]

SOUTH CAROLINA: SHOW ME THE RULE.

I am her husband.

My wife has limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, has profound physical care needs, and has been assessed at a nursing-home level of care. I am the person beside her every day providing the care that doesn’t magically disappear when her authorized paid hours run out.

I am asking for 80 hours of caregiver assistance per week:

40 hours for me to provide her care.
40 additional hours so I can actually work outside our home and support our family.

Why is that unreasonable?

More importantly:

WHERE IS THE WRITTEN RULE THAT SAYS SHE CAN’T HAVE IT?

Show me the Medicaid regulation.
Show me the waiver provision.
Show me the policy.
Show me the documented cap or restriction being used to deny the additional care.

My wife isn’t a number on somebody’s spreadsheet. She is a wife, a mother, a highly educated woman and someone who worked as a case manager herself for years.

She understands how these systems work.

And I understand what happens in our home when the paid caregiver hours end:

I keep providing the care.

I don’t get to clock out from being her husband.

Our son doesn’t stop needing his father.

Our bills don’t disappear because South Carolina decided 40 hours was enough.

So I’m asking everyone involved:

Eunice Medina — SCDHHS Director
Nicole Mitchell Threatt — SCDHHS Deputy Director
Gov. Henry McMaster

@henrymcmaster @scgovernorpress @HHSGov @CMSGov @SecKennedy

And I’m asking the media:

@WMBFNews @WBTWNews13 @wpdeabc15 @wis10 @WLTX @Live5News @postandcourier @AP @CNN @NBCNews @CBSNews @ABC @FoxNews

INVESTIGATE THIS.

Don’t take my word for it.

Ask South Carolina to produce the written authority that prevents someone with my wife’s assessed level of need from receiving 80 hours of necessary caregiver assistance.

If that rule exists, SHOW IT TO US.

If it doesn’t exist, then ask why an unwritten limitation is determining how much help a woman with a profound disability and nursing-home-level care needs receives.

I’m her husband.

I’m her caregiver.

I’m the father of our young son.

And I am not going to stop asking: WHERE IS THE RULE?

#DisabilityRights #SouthCarolina #Medicaid #HCBS #HomeCare

[Mike @mikehanson_]

SOUTH CAROLINA: SHOW ME THE RULE.

I am her husband.

My wife has limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, has profound physical care needs, and has been assessed at a nursing-home level of care. I am the person beside her every day providing the care that doesn’t magically disappear when her authorized paid hours run out.

I am asking for 80 hours of caregiver assistance per week:

40 hours for me to provide her care.
40 additional hours so I can actually work outside our home and support our family.

Why is that unreasonable?

More importantly:

WHERE IS THE WRITTEN RULE THAT SAYS SHE CAN’T HAVE IT?

Show me the Medicaid regulation.
Show me the waiver provision.
Show me the policy.
Show me the documented cap or restriction being used to deny the additional care.

My wife isn’t a number on somebody’s spreadsheet. She is a wife, a mother, a highly educated woman and someone who worked as a case manager herself for years.

She understands how these systems work.

And I understand what happens in our home when the paid caregiver hours end:

I keep providing the care.

I don’t get to clock out from being her husband.

Our son doesn’t stop needing his father.

Our bills don’t disappear because South Carolina decided 40 hours was enough.

So I’m asking everyone involved:

Eunice Medina — SCDHHS Director
Nicole Mitchell Threatt — SCDHHS Deputy Director
Gov. Henry McMaster

@henrymcmaster @scgovernorpress @HHSGov @CMSGov @SecKennedy

And I’m asking the media:

@WMBFNews @WBTWNews13 @wpdeabc15 @wis10 @WLTX @Live5News @postandcourier @AP @CNN @NBCNews @CBSNews @ABC @FoxNews

INVESTIGATE THIS.

Don’t take my word for it.

Ask South Carolina to produce the written authority that prevents someone with my wife’s assessed level of need from receiving 80 hours of necessary caregiver assistance.

If that rule exists, SHOW IT TO US.

If it doesn’t exist, then ask why an unwritten limitation is determining how much help a woman with a profound disability and nursing-home-level care needs receives.

I’m her husband.

I’m her caregiver.

I’m the father of our young son.

And I am not going to stop asking: WHERE IS THE RULE?

#DisabilityRights #SouthCarolina #Medicaid #HCBS #HomeCare

[Mike @mikehanson_]

SOUTH CAROLINA: SHOW ME THE RULE.

I am her husband.

My wife has limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, has profound physical care needs, and has been assessed at a nursing-home level of care. I am the person beside her every day providing the care that doesn’t magically disappear when her authorized paid hours run out.

I am asking for 80 hours of caregiver assistance per week:

40 hours for me to provide her care.
40 additional hours so I can actually work outside our home and support our family.

Why is that unreasonable?

More importantly:

WHERE IS THE WRITTEN RULE THAT SAYS SHE CAN’T HAVE IT?

Show me the Medicaid regulation.
Show me the waiver provision.
Show me the policy.
Show me the documented cap or restriction being used to deny the additional care.

My wife isn’t a number on somebody’s spreadsheet. She is a wife, a mother, a highly educated woman and someone who worked as a case manager herself for years.

She understands how these systems work.

And I understand what happens in our home when the paid caregiver hours end:

I keep providing the care.

I don’t get to clock out from being her husband.

Our son doesn’t stop needing his father.

Our bills don’t disappear because South Carolina decided 40 hours was enough.

So I’m asking everyone involved:

Eunice Medina — SCDHHS Director
Nicole Mitchell Threatt — SCDHHS Deputy Director
Gov. Henry McMaster

@henrymcmaster @scgovernorpress @HHSGov @CMSGov @SecKennedy

And I’m asking the media:

@WMBFNews @WBTWNews13 @wpdeabc15 @wis10 @WLTX @Live5News @postandcourier @AP @CNN @NBCNews @CBSNews @ABC @FoxNews

INVESTIGATE THIS.

Don’t take my word for it.

Ask South Carolina to produce the written authority that prevents someone with my wife’s assessed level of need from receiving 80 hours of necessary caregiver assistance.

If that rule exists, SHOW IT TO US.

If it doesn’t exist, then ask why an unwritten limitation is determining how much help a woman with a profound disability and nursing-home-level care needs receives.

I’m her husband.

I’m her caregiver.

I’m the father of our young son.

And I am not going to stop asking: WHERE IS THE RULE?

#DisabilityRights #SouthCarolina #Medicaid #HCBS #HomeCare

[Mike @mikehanson_]

SOUTH CAROLINA: SHOW ME THE RULE.

I am her husband.

My wife has limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, has profound physical care needs, and has been assessed at a nursing-home level of care. I am the person beside her every day providing the care that doesn’t magically disappear when her authorized paid hours run out.

I am asking for 80 hours of caregiver assistance per week:

40 hours for me to provide her care.
40 additional hours so I can actually work outside our home and support our family.

Why is that unreasonable?

More importantly:

WHERE IS THE WRITTEN RULE THAT SAYS SHE CAN’T HAVE IT?

Show me the Medicaid regulation.
Show me the waiver provision.
Show me the policy.
Show me the documented cap or restriction being used to deny the additional care.

My wife isn’t a number on somebody’s spreadsheet. She is a wife, a mother, a highly educated woman and someone who worked as a case manager herself for years.

She understands how these systems work.

And I understand what happens in our home when the paid caregiver hours end:

I keep providing the care.

I don’t get to clock out from being her husband.

Our son doesn’t stop needing his father.

Our bills don’t disappear because South Carolina decided 40 hours was enough.

So I’m asking everyone involved:

Eunice Medina — SCDHHS Director
Nicole Mitchell Threatt — SCDHHS Deputy Director
Gov. Henry McMaster

@henrymcmaster @scgovernorpress @HHSGov @CMSGov @SecKennedy

And I’m asking the media:

@WMBFNews @WBTWNews13 @wpdeabc15 @wis10 @WLTX @Live5News @postandcourier @AP @CNN @NBCNews @CBSNews @ABC @FoxNews

INVESTIGATE THIS.

Don’t take my word for it.

Ask South Carolina to produce the written authority that prevents someone with my wife’s assessed level of need from receiving 80 hours of necessary caregiver assistance.

If that rule exists, SHOW IT TO US.

If it doesn’t exist, then ask why an unwritten limitation is determining how much help a woman with a profound disability and nursing-home-level care needs receives.

I’m her husband.

I’m her caregiver.

I’m the father of our young son.

And I am not going to stop asking: WHERE IS THE RULE?

#DisabilityRights #SouthCarolina #Medicaid #HCBS #HomeCare

[Mike @mikehanson_]

SOUTH CAROLINA: SHOW ME THE RULE.

I am her husband.

My wife has limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, has profound physical care needs, and has been assessed at a nursing-home level of care. I am the person beside her every day providing the care that doesn’t magically disappear when her authorized paid hours run out.

I am asking for 80 hours of caregiver assistance per week:

40 hours for me to provide her care.
40 additional hours so I can actually work outside our home and support our family.

Why is that unreasonable?

More importantly:

WHERE IS THE WRITTEN RULE THAT SAYS SHE CAN’T HAVE IT?

Show me the Medicaid regulation.
Show me the waiver provision.
Show me the policy.
Show me the documented cap or restriction being used to deny the additional care.

My wife isn’t a number on somebody’s spreadsheet. She is a wife, a mother, a highly educated woman and someone who worked as a case manager herself for years.

She understands how these systems work.

And I understand what happens in our home when the paid caregiver hours end:

I keep providing the care.

I don’t get to clock out from being her husband.

Our son doesn’t stop needing his father.

Our bills don’t disappear because South Carolina decided 40 hours was enough.

So I’m asking everyone involved:

Eunice Medina — SCDHHS Director
Nicole Mitchell Threatt — SCDHHS Deputy Director
Gov. Henry McMaster

@henrymcmaster @scgovernorpress @HHSGov @CMSGov @SecKennedy

And I’m asking the media:

@WMBFNews @WBTWNews13 @wpdeabc15 @wis10 @WLTX @Live5News @postandcourier @AP @CNN @NBCNews @CBSNews @ABC @FoxNews

INVESTIGATE THIS.

Don’t take my word for it.

Ask South Carolina to produce the written authority that prevents someone with my wife’s assessed level of need from receiving 80 hours of necessary caregiver assistance.

If that rule exists, SHOW IT TO US.

If it doesn’t exist, then ask why an unwritten limitation is determining how much help a woman with a profound disability and nursing-home-level care needs receives.

I’m her husband.

I’m her caregiver.

I’m the father of our young son.

And I am not going to stop asking: WHERE IS THE RULE?

#DisabilityRights #SouthCarolina #Medicaid #HCBS #HomeCare

[Mike @mikehanson_]

SOUTH CAROLINA: SHOW ME THE RULE.

I am her husband.

My wife has limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, has profound physical care needs, and has been assessed at a nursing-home level of care. I am the person beside her every day providing the care that doesn’t magically disappear when her authorized paid hours run out.

I am asking for 80 hours of caregiver assistance per week:

40 hours for me to provide her care.
40 additional hours so I can actually work outside our home and support our family.

Why is that unreasonable?

More importantly:

WHERE IS THE WRITTEN RULE THAT SAYS SHE CAN’T HAVE IT?

Show me the Medicaid regulation.
Show me the waiver provision.
Show me the policy.
Show me the documented cap or restriction being used to deny the additional care.

My wife isn’t a number on somebody’s spreadsheet. She is a wife, a mother, a highly educated woman and someone who worked as a case manager herself for years.

She understands how these systems work.

And I understand what happens in our home when the paid caregiver hours end:

I keep providing the care.

I don’t get to clock out from being her husband.

Our son doesn’t stop needing his father.

Our bills don’t disappear because South Carolina decided 40 hours was enough.

So I’m asking everyone involved:

Eunice Medina — SCDHHS Director
Nicole Mitchell Threatt — SCDHHS Deputy Director
Gov. Henry McMaster

@henrymcmaster @scgovernorpress @HHSGov @CMSGov @SecKennedy

And I’m asking the media:

@WMBFNews @WBTWNews13 @wpdeabc15 @wis10 @WLTX @Live5News @postandcourier @AP @CNN @NBCNews @CBSNews @ABC @FoxNews

INVESTIGATE THIS.

Don’t take my word for it.

Ask South Carolina to produce the written authority that prevents someone with my wife’s assessed level of need from receiving 80 hours of necessary caregiver assistance.

If that rule exists, SHOW IT TO US.

If it doesn’t exist, then ask why an unwritten limitation is determining how much help a woman with a profound disability and nursing-home-level care needs receives.

I’m her husband.

I’m her caregiver.

I’m the father of our young son.

And I am not going to stop asking: WHERE IS THE RULE?

#DisabilityRights #SouthCarolina #Medicaid #HCBS #HomeCare

[Mike @mikehanson_]

SOUTH CAROLINA: SHOW ME THE RULE.

I am her husband.

My wife has limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, has profound physical care needs, and has been assessed at a nursing-home level of care. I am the person beside her every day providing the care that doesn’t magically disappear when her authorized paid hours run out.

I am asking for 80 hours of caregiver assistance per week:

40 hours for me to provide her care.
40 additional hours so I can actually work outside our home and support our family.

Why is that unreasonable?

More importantly:

WHERE IS THE WRITTEN RULE THAT SAYS SHE CAN’T HAVE IT?

Show me the Medicaid regulation.
Show me the waiver provision.
Show me the policy.
Show me the documented cap or restriction being used to deny the additional care.

My wife isn’t a number on somebody’s spreadsheet. She is a wife, a mother, a highly educated woman and someone who worked as a case manager herself for years.

She understands how these systems work.

And I understand what happens in our home when the paid caregiver hours end:

I keep providing the care.

I don’t get to clock out from being her husband.

Our son doesn’t stop needing his father.

Our bills don’t disappear because South Carolina decided 40 hours was enough.

So I’m asking everyone involved:

Eunice Medina — SCDHHS Director
Nicole Mitchell Threatt — SCDHHS Deputy Director
Gov. Henry McMaster

@henrymcmaster @scgovernorpress @HHSGov @CMSGov @SecKennedy

And I’m asking the media:

@WMBFNews @WBTWNews13 @wpdeabc15 @wis10 @WLTX @Live5News @postandcourier @AP @CNN @NBCNews @CBSNews @ABC @FoxNews

INVESTIGATE THIS.

Don’t take my word for it.

Ask South Carolina to produce the written authority that prevents someone with my wife’s assessed level of need from receiving 80 hours of necessary caregiver assistance.

If that rule exists, SHOW IT TO US.

If it doesn’t exist, then ask why an unwritten limitation is determining how much help a woman with a profound disability and nursing-home-level care needs receives.

I’m her husband.

I’m her caregiver.

I’m the father of our young son.

And I am not going to stop asking: WHERE IS THE RULE?

#DisabilityRights #SouthCarolina #Medicaid #HCBS #HomeCare

[Mike @mikehanson_]

SOUTH CAROLINA: SHOW ME THE RULE.

I am her husband.

My wife has limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, has profound physical care needs, and has been assessed at a nursing-home level of care. I am the person beside her every day providing the care that doesn’t magically disappear when her authorized paid hours run out.

I am asking for 80 hours of caregiver assistance per week:

40 hours for me to provide her care.
40 additional hours so I can actually work outside our home and support our family.

Why is that unreasonable?

More importantly:

WHERE IS THE WRITTEN RULE THAT SAYS SHE CAN’T HAVE IT?

Show me the Medicaid regulation.
Show me the waiver provision.
Show me the policy.
Show me the documented cap or restriction being used to deny the additional care.

My wife isn’t a number on somebody’s spreadsheet. She is a wife, a mother, a highly educated woman and someone who worked as a case manager herself for years.

She understands how these systems work.

And I understand what happens in our home when the paid caregiver hours end:

I keep providing the care.

I don’t get to clock out from being her husband.

Our son doesn’t stop needing his father.

Our bills don’t disappear because South Carolina decided 40 hours was enough.

So I’m asking everyone involved:

Eunice Medina — SCDHHS Director
Nicole Mitchell Threatt — SCDHHS Deputy Director
Gov. Henry McMaster

@henrymcmaster @scgovernorpress @HHSGov @CMSGov @SecKennedy

And I’m asking the media:

@WMBFNews @WBTWNews13 @wpdeabc15 @wis10 @WLTX @Live5News @postandcourier @AP @CNN @NBCNews @CBSNews @ABC @FoxNews

INVESTIGATE THIS.

Don’t take my word for it.

Ask South Carolina to produce the written authority that prevents someone with my wife’s assessed level of need from receiving 80 hours of necessary caregiver assistance.

If that rule exists, SHOW IT TO US.

If it doesn’t exist, then ask why an unwritten limitation is determining how much help a woman with a profound disability and nursing-home-level care needs receives.

I’m her husband.

I’m her caregiver.

I’m the father of our young son.

And I am not going to stop asking: WHERE IS THE RULE?

#DisabilityRights #SouthCarolina #Medicaid #HCBS #HomeCare

[Mike @mikehanson_]

SOUTH CAROLINA: SHOW ME THE RULE.

I am her husband.

My wife has limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, has profound physical care needs, and has been assessed at a nursing-home level of care. I am the person beside her every day providing the care that doesn’t magically disappear when her authorized paid hours run out.

I am asking for 80 hours of caregiver assistance per week:

40 hours for me to provide her care.
40 additional hours so I can actually work outside our home and support our family.

Why is that unreasonable?

More importantly:

WHERE IS THE WRITTEN RULE THAT SAYS SHE CAN’T HAVE IT?

Show me the Medicaid regulation.
Show me the waiver provision.
Show me the policy.
Show me the documented cap or restriction being used to deny the additional care.

My wife isn’t a number on somebody’s spreadsheet. She is a wife, a mother, a highly educated woman and someone who worked as a case manager herself for years.

She understands how these systems work.

And I understand what happens in our home when the paid caregiver hours end:

I keep providing the care.

I don’t get to clock out from being her husband.

Our son doesn’t stop needing his father.

Our bills don’t disappear because South Carolina decided 40 hours was enough.

So I’m asking everyone involved:

Eunice Medina — SCDHHS Director
Nicole Mitchell Threatt — SCDHHS Deputy Director
Gov. Henry McMaster

@henrymcmaster @scgovernorpress @HHSGov @CMSGov @SecKennedy

And I’m asking the media:

@WMBFNews @WBTWNews13 @wpdeabc15 @wis10 @WLTX @Live5News @postandcourier @AP @CNN @NBCNews @CBSNews @ABC @FoxNews

INVESTIGATE THIS.

Don’t take my word for it.

Ask South Carolina to produce the written authority that prevents someone with my wife’s assessed level of need from receiving 80 hours of necessary caregiver assistance.

If that rule exists, SHOW IT TO US.

If it doesn’t exist, then ask why an unwritten limitation is determining how much help a woman with a profound disability and nursing-home-level care needs receives.

I’m her husband.

I’m her caregiver.

I’m the father of our young son.

And I am not going to stop asking: WHERE IS THE RULE?

#DisabilityRights #SouthCarolina #Medicaid #HCBS #HomeCare

[Mike @mikehanson_]

SOUTH CAROLINA: SHOW ME THE RULE.

I am her husband.

My wife has limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, has profound physical care needs, and has been assessed at a nursing-home level of care. I am the person beside her every day providing the care that doesn’t magically disappear when her authorized paid hours run out.

I am asking for 80 hours of caregiver assistance per week:

40 hours for me to provide her care.
40 additional hours so I can actually work outside our home and support our family.

Why is that unreasonable?

More importantly:

WHERE IS THE WRITTEN RULE THAT SAYS SHE CAN’T HAVE IT?

Show me the Medicaid regulation.
Show me the waiver provision.
Show me the policy.
Show me the documented cap or restriction being used to deny the additional care.

My wife isn’t a number on somebody’s spreadsheet. She is a wife, a mother, a highly educated woman and someone who worked as a case manager herself for years.

She understands how these systems work.

And I understand what happens in our home when the paid caregiver hours end:

I keep providing the care.

I don’t get to clock out from being her husband.

Our son doesn’t stop needing his father.

Our bills don’t disappear because South Carolina decided 40 hours was enough.

So I’m asking everyone involved:

Eunice Medina — SCDHHS Director
Nicole Mitchell Threatt — SCDHHS Deputy Director
Gov. Henry McMaster

@henrymcmaster @scgovernorpress @HHSGov @CMSGov @SecKennedy

And I’m asking the media:

@WMBFNews @WBTWNews13 @wpdeabc15 @wis10 @WLTX @Live5News @postandcourier @AP @CNN @NBCNews @CBSNews @ABC @FoxNews

INVESTIGATE THIS.

Don’t take my word for it.

Ask South Carolina to produce the written authority that prevents someone with my wife’s assessed level of need from receiving 80 hours of necessary caregiver assistance.

If that rule exists, SHOW IT TO US.

If it doesn’t exist, then ask why an unwritten limitation is determining how much help a woman with a profound disability and nursing-home-level care needs receives.

I’m her husband.

I’m her caregiver.

I’m the father of our young son.

And I am not going to stop asking: WHERE IS THE RULE?

#DisabilityRights #SouthCarolina #Medicaid #HCBS #HomeCare

[Mike @mikehanson_]

SOUTH CAROLINA: SHOW ME THE RULE.

I am her husband.

My wife has limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, has profound physical care needs, and has been assessed at a nursing-home level of care. I am the person beside her every day providing the care that doesn’t magically disappear when her authorized paid hours run out.

I am asking for 80 hours of caregiver assistance per week:

40 hours for me to provide her care.
40 additional hours so I can actually work outside our home and support our family.

Why is that unreasonable?

More importantly:

WHERE IS THE WRITTEN RULE THAT SAYS SHE CAN’T HAVE IT?

Show me the Medicaid regulation.
Show me the waiver provision.
Show me the policy.
Show me the documented cap or restriction being used to deny the additional care.

My wife isn’t a number on somebody’s spreadsheet. She is a wife, a mother, a highly educated woman and someone who worked as a case manager herself for years.

She understands how these systems work.

And I understand what happens in our home when the paid caregiver hours end:

I keep providing the care.

I don’t get to clock out from being her husband.

Our son doesn’t stop needing his father.

Our bills don’t disappear because South Carolina decided 40 hours was enough.

So I’m asking everyone involved:

Eunice Medina — SCDHHS Director
Nicole Mitchell Threatt — SCDHHS Deputy Director
Gov. Henry McMaster

@henrymcmaster @scgovernorpress @HHSGov @CMSGov @SecKennedy

And I’m asking the media:

@WMBFNews @WBTWNews13 @wpdeabc15 @wis10 @WLTX @Live5News @postandcourier @AP @CNN @NBCNews @CBSNews @ABC @FoxNews

INVESTIGATE THIS.

Don’t take my word for it.

Ask South Carolina to produce the written authority that prevents someone with my wife’s assessed level of need from receiving 80 hours of necessary caregiver assistance.

If that rule exists, SHOW IT TO US.

If it doesn’t exist, then ask why an unwritten limitation is determining how much help a woman with a profound disability and nursing-home-level care needs receives.

I’m her husband.

I’m her caregiver.

I’m the father of our young son.

And I am not going to stop asking: WHERE IS THE RULE?

#DisabilityRights #SouthCarolina #Medicaid #HCBS #HomeCare

[Mike @mikehanson_]

SOUTH CAROLINA: SHOW ME THE RULE.

I am her husband.

My wife has limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, has profound physical care needs, and has been assessed at a nursing-home level of care. I am the person beside her every day providing the care that doesn’t magically disappear when her authorized paid hours run out.

I am asking for 80 hours of caregiver assistance per week:

40 hours for me to provide her care.
40 additional hours so I can actually work outside our home and support our family.

Why is that unreasonable?

More importantly:

WHERE IS THE WRITTEN RULE THAT SAYS SHE CAN’T HAVE IT?

Show me the Medicaid regulation.
Show me the waiver provision.
Show me the policy.
Show me the documented cap or restriction being used to deny the additional care.

My wife isn’t a number on somebody’s spreadsheet. She is a wife, a mother, a highly educated woman and someone who worked as a case manager herself for years.

She understands how these systems work.

And I understand what happens in our home when the paid caregiver hours end:

I keep providing the care.

I don’t get to clock out from being her husband.

Our son doesn’t stop needing his father.

Our bills don’t disappear because South Carolina decided 40 hours was enough.

So I’m asking everyone involved:

Eunice Medina — SCDHHS Director
Nicole Mitchell Threatt — SCDHHS Deputy Director
Gov. Henry McMaster

@henrymcmaster @scgovernorpress @HHSGov @CMSGov @SecKennedy

And I’m asking the media:

@WMBFNews @WBTWNews13 @wpdeabc15 @wis10 @WLTX @Live5News @postandcourier @AP @CNN @NBCNews @CBSNews @ABC @FoxNews

INVESTIGATE THIS.

Don’t take my word for it.

Ask South Carolina to produce the written authority that prevents someone with my wife’s assessed level of need from receiving 80 hours of necessary caregiver assistance.

If that rule exists, SHOW IT TO US.

If it doesn’t exist, then ask why an unwritten limitation is determining how much help a woman with a profound disability and nursing-home-level care needs receives.

I’m her husband.

I’m her caregiver.

I’m the father of our young son.

And I am not going to stop asking: WHERE IS THE RULE?

#DisabilityRights #SouthCarolina #Medicaid #HCBS #HomeCare

[Mike @mikehanson_]

SOUTH CAROLINA: SHOW ME THE RULE.

I am her husband.

My wife has limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, has profound physical care needs, and has been assessed at a nursing-home level of care. I am the person beside her every day providing the care that doesn’t magically disappear when her authorized paid hours run out.

I am asking for 80 hours of caregiver assistance per week:

40 hours for me to provide her care.
40 additional hours so I can actually work outside our home and support our family.

Why is that unreasonable?

More importantly:

WHERE IS THE WRITTEN RULE THAT SAYS SHE CAN’T HAVE IT?

Show me the Medicaid regulation.
Show me the waiver provision.
Show me the policy.
Show me the documented cap or restriction being used to deny the additional care.

My wife isn’t a number on somebody’s spreadsheet. She is a wife, a mother, a highly educated woman and someone who worked as a case manager herself for years.

She understands how these systems work.

And I understand what happens in our home when the paid caregiver hours end:

I keep providing the care.

I don’t get to clock out from being her husband.

Our son doesn’t stop needing his father.

Our bills don’t disappear because South Carolina decided 40 hours was enough.

So I’m asking everyone involved:

Eunice Medina — SCDHHS Director
Nicole Mitchell Threatt — SCDHHS Deputy Director
Gov. Henry McMaster

@henrymcmaster @scgovernorpress @HHSGov @CMSGov @SecKennedy

And I’m asking the media:

@WMBFNews @WBTWNews13 @wpdeabc15 @wis10 @WLTX @Live5News @postandcourier @AP @CNN @NBCNews @CBSNews @ABC @FoxNews

INVESTIGATE THIS.

Don’t take my word for it.

Ask South Carolina to produce the written authority that prevents someone with my wife’s assessed level of need from receiving 80 hours of necessary caregiver assistance.

If that rule exists, SHOW IT TO US.

If it doesn’t exist, then ask why an unwritten limitation is determining how much help a woman with a profound disability and nursing-home-level care needs receives.

I’m her husband.

I’m her caregiver.

I’m the father of our young son.

And I am not going to stop asking: WHERE IS THE RULE?

#DisabilityRights #SouthCarolina #Medicaid #HCBS #HomeCare

[Mike @mikehanson_]

SOUTH CAROLINA: SHOW ME THE RULE.

I am her husband.

My wife has limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, has profound physical care needs, and has been assessed at a nursing-home level of care. I am the person beside her every day providing the care that doesn’t magically disappear when her authorized paid hours run out.

I am asking for 80 hours of caregiver assistance per week:

40 hours for me to provide her care.
40 additional hours so I can actually work outside our home and support our family.

Why is that unreasonable?

More importantly:

WHERE IS THE WRITTEN RULE THAT SAYS SHE CAN’T HAVE IT?

Show me the Medicaid regulation.
Show me the waiver provision.
Show me the policy.
Show me the documented cap or restriction being used to deny the additional care.

My wife isn’t a number on somebody’s spreadsheet. She is a wife, a mother, a highly educated woman and someone who worked as a case manager herself for years.

She understands how these systems work.

And I understand what happens in our home when the paid caregiver hours end:

I keep providing the care.

I don’t get to clock out from being her husband.

Our son doesn’t stop needing his father.

Our bills don’t disappear because South Carolina decided 40 hours was enough.

So I’m asking everyone involved:

Eunice Medina — SCDHHS Director
Nicole Mitchell Threatt — SCDHHS Deputy Director
Gov. Henry McMaster

@henrymcmaster @scgovernorpress @HHSGov @CMSGov @SecKennedy

And I’m asking the media:

@WMBFNews @WBTWNews13 @wpdeabc15 @wis10 @WLTX @Live5News @postandcourier @AP @CNN @NBCNews @CBSNews @ABC @FoxNews

INVESTIGATE THIS.

Don’t take my word for it.

Ask South Carolina to produce the written authority that prevents someone with my wife’s assessed level of need from receiving 80 hours of necessary caregiver assistance.

If that rule exists, SHOW IT TO US.

If it doesn’t exist, then ask why an unwritten limitation is determining how much help a woman with a profound disability and nursing-home-level care needs receives.

I’m her husband.

I’m her caregiver.

I’m the father of our young son.

And I am not going to stop asking: WHERE IS THE RULE?

#DisabilityRights #SouthCarolina #Medicaid #HCBS #HomeCare

[Mike @mikehanson_]

SOUTH CAROLINA: SHOW ME THE RULE.

I am her husband.

My wife has limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, has profound physical care needs, and has been assessed at a nursing-home level of care. I am the person beside her every day providing the care that doesn’t magically disappear when her authorized paid hours run out.

I am asking for 80 hours of caregiver assistance per week:

40 hours for me to provide her care.
40 additional hours so I can actually work outside our home and support our family.

Why is that unreasonable?

More importantly:

WHERE IS THE WRITTEN RULE THAT SAYS SHE CAN’T HAVE IT?

Show me the Medicaid regulation.
Show me the waiver provision.
Show me the policy.
Show me the documented cap or restriction being used to deny the additional care.

My wife isn’t a number on somebody’s spreadsheet. She is a wife, a mother, a highly educated woman and someone who worked as a case manager herself for years.

She understands how these systems work.

And I understand what happens in our home when the paid caregiver hours end:

I keep providing the care.

I don’t get to clock out from being her husband.

Our son doesn’t stop needing his father.

Our bills don’t disappear because South Carolina decided 40 hours was enough.

So I’m asking everyone involved:

Eunice Medina — SCDHHS Director
Nicole Mitchell Threatt — SCDHHS Deputy Director
Gov. Henry McMaster

@henrymcmaster @scgovernorpress @HHSGov @CMSGov @SecKennedy

And I’m asking the media:

@WMBFNews @WBTWNews13 @wpdeabc15 @wis10 @WLTX @Live5News @postandcourier @AP @CNN @NBCNews @CBSNews @ABC @FoxNews

INVESTIGATE THIS.

Don’t take my word for it.

Ask South Carolina to produce the written authority that prevents someone with my wife’s assessed level of need from receiving 80 hours of necessary caregiver assistance.

If that rule exists, SHOW IT TO US.

If it doesn’t exist, then ask why an unwritten limitation is determining how much help a woman with a profound disability and nursing-home-level care needs receives.

I’m her husband.

I’m her caregiver.

I’m the father of our young son.

And I am not going to stop asking: WHERE IS THE RULE?

#DisabilityRights #SouthCarolina #Medicaid #HCBS #HomeCare

[Mike @mikehanson_]

At this point, I have to ask: Why is the media in South Carolina so quiet?

My wife has a severe disability and requires total care. Our family is asking a very simple question:

SHOW US THE RULE.

If South Carolina has a written Medicaid rule, waiver provision, regulation, or policy that limits the amount of medically necessary in-home care a person with her level of disability can receive — publish it.

If that restriction DOES NOT exist, then why are people making decisions that leave a person with profound physical limitations without enough help?

An able-bodied administrator should not be able to substitute an unwritten limitation for the documented needs of someone who cannot physically care for herself.

And where is the media?

@WMBFNews @WBTWNews13 @wpdeabc15 @wis10 @WLTX @Live5News @postandcourier @AP @CNN @NBCNews @CBSNews @ABC @FoxNews

@henrymcmaster @SCMedicaid @HHSGov @CMSGov @SecKennedy

Eunice Medina — SCDHHS Director
Nicole Mitchell Threatt — SCDHHS Deputy Director

This isn’t Republican vs. Democrat.

This is a husband, a wife with a profound disability, and our young son asking why our family is expected to absorb the consequences of a restriction that nobody has been able to show us in writing.

If we’re wrong, show us the rule.

If we’re right, someone in the South Carolina media needs to start asking questions.

#DisabilityRights #SouthCarolina #Medicaid #HomeCare #HCBS

[Mike @mikehanson_]

WHY WON’T YOU JUST HELP US?

Henry McMaster. Pamela Evette. Eunice Medina. Nicole Mitchell Threatt. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Tim Scott. Russell Fry. South Carolina DHHS. South Carolina DDSN. HHS. CMS.

I am asking every person involved in overseeing this system:

Why does my wife, who has profound total-care needs, have to fight for enough caregiver assistance to live safely?

If there is a LAW, POLICY, REGULATION, WAIVER PROVISION, OR WRITTEN CAP that prevents her from receiving the 80 HOURS of caregiver support we’re requesting—SHOW IT TO US.

Because if there is no such restriction, WHAT IS THE REASON?

Why are people with disabilities as severe as my wife’s being forced to fight for essential care?

Is it an unwritten rule?
Is it a budget decision?
Is it an arbitrary administrative practice?
Or has this system simply become so disconnected from the people it serves that nobody will step forward and say, “This person needs more help”?

My wife’s disability doesn’t disappear after 40 hours.

She needs care every single day.

We aren’t asking for luxury.
We aren’t asking for special treatment.
We’re asking for 80 hours of help.

If you believe she cannot receive it, PUT THE REASON IN WRITING AND SHOW US THE EXACT AUTHORITY THAT PREVENTS IT.

Otherwise, why won’t you just help us?

#DisabilityRights #SouthCarolina #Medicaid #HomeCare #MoreThanDisability

[Mike @mikehanson_]

WHY WON’T YOU JUST HELP US?

Henry McMaster @henrymcmaster
Pamela Evette
Eunice Medina — SCDHHS Director
Nicole Mitchell Threatt — SCDHHS Deputy Director
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. @SecKennedy @RobertKennedyJr
Tim Scott @SenatorTimScott
Russell Fry @RepRussellFry
@HHSGov @CMSGov

I am asking EVERYONE involved:

Why does my wife, who has profound total-care needs, have to fight this hard for enough caregiver assistance to live safely?

If there is a LAW, POLICY, REGULATION, WAIVER PROVISION, OR WRITTEN CAP preventing her from receiving the 80 HOURS of caregiver support we’re requesting—SHOW IT TO US.

If there isn’t one, WHAT IS STOPPING YOU?

My wife’s disability doesn’t disappear when 40 paid hours run out.

She requires care every single day.

We’re not asking for luxury.
We’re not asking for special treatment.
We’re asking for the HELP HER DISABILITY REQUIRES.

If you’re going to deny it, PUT THE REASON IN WRITING.

Show us the exact policy or provision that says she cannot receive 80 hours.

And if you can’t show us one, answer one simple question:

WHY WON’T YOU JUST HELP US?

#DisabilityRights #SouthCarolina #Medicaid #MoreThanDisability