RALEIGH, N.C. — Residents of group homes for the mentally ill and developmentally disabled could find themselves without somewhere to live come July 1, a repeat of a crisis they faced earlier this year, and lawmakers crafting a new state budget say they are stumped for a long-term solution to the problem.
Federal and state regulators changed the rules for who is eligible for so-called "personal care services" last year in an effort to keep from running afoul of laws that require those with mental illness to be kept out of institutions if at all possible.
That change change in rules meant many residents of group homes, settings where workers ensure people take their medicine, brush their teeth and carry out other activities of daily life, lost funding for those services. Operators of group homes say that, without that personal care service money, they won't be able to continue serving those residents.
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