My son Alexis was born with severe Down Syndrome, and I have been his care provider for the past 12 years. When we first applied for IHSS, Alexis was only awarded 26 hours per month, even though he requires round-the-clock care.

So I contacted our union’s advocacy council and the caregivers there helped me win more hours for my son. With their help, I got proper documentation from my doctor and, after helping me with some issues we were having with our social worker, we applied for an appeal.

We not only won a total of 221 hours for my son, but I received a check for $21,000—the total amount of backpay I was owed for the period where Alexis was only receiving 26 hours per month.

Now, our family doesn’t have to worry about paying our bills. We used to be on food stamps, and now we have everything we need to survive—and Alexis continues to receive the quality care he needs from the person who knows his needs best.

We are so thankful to our union and the caregivers who helped us win more hours of care for Alexis.