Adult children with disabilities falling through assistance gaps says advocate

SALT LAKE CITY — Parents of adult children with disabilities in Utah say they desperately need more help from the legislature. 

Many parents say that the aid available to them dries up once their children turn 22 years old and age out of the assistance. 

According to the Department of Health and Human Services there are around 7,000 adult children in Utah currently receiving some assistance. However, there are over 5,000 people on the waiting list. It’s a numbers game as to who gets the help.

The funds help with everything from housing to assisted work programs or guided activities. The more critical situations get moved to the top of the list, leaving many families in the gap.

Help for parents in “the gap”

Joey Hanna is the executive director of the Utah Parents Center. Hanna said parents left in the gap want more funding from the legislature.

“Some years they’ll fund, you know, 100 people, 50 people … It’s the legislature who gets to decide,” said Hanna.

She encourages parents in this situation to contact their legislators to let them know people in this situation need help in the upcoming session.

“What we need is for all families on the waitlist to come together and regularly ask their legislators to serve, and not just ask [but] demand. There are other states that don’t have waitlists,” said Hanna.

Michele Rowe is a traffic reporter for KSL NewsRadio. 

Related: Up to a quarter of Utahns struggle with disabilities, report says

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