Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs recently announced the Parents as Paid Caregivers is now permanent.  This was originally implemented during the Covid pandemic to provide an alternative for direct care during a time when contact was limited.  The permanent expansion provides families with disabled children much needed support and resources from the federal government and from the state of Arizona.  The disabled child must be eligible for or enrolled with Arizona Long-Term Care System (ALTCS).  The applicant parent must apply to receive up to 40 hours a week of paid care to the disabled child with two parent households eligible to receive up to 80 hours a week.  Applicants are encouraged to work with the assigned ALTCS caseworker since services are often specifically tailored to the care of and needs of the disabled child.  While currently these changes only apply to minor children, it is encouraging to see the federal government and the state of Arizona work together to provide assistance to families who are often overwhelmed with the sheer amount of work and care to support a disabled child.

At Bivens and Associates, we are familiar with ALTCS requirements and resources needed to help these families, whether it is estate planning to ensure assets are utilized appropriately to support a disabled child’s care upon the parent’s incapacity or death, to preparing and submitting caregiver agreements to ensure parties are on the same page and the disabled child and family are receiving eligible resources.  We look forward to learning more about the program and will share with you what we learn and the feedback we receive from our clients. If you have special needs planning questions, please contact us at 480-922-1010 or email info@bivenslaw.com to schedule a consultation with one of our experienced attorneys.