State funding cuts to programs for people with disabilities are just starting to set in and they’re not likely to let up soon.

That means this year will be especially difficult for Michelle Brewster and her family, as the $2,500 they received in state assistance for 4-year-old Karson is chopped to $300.

Karson has a rare chromosomal defect that can lead to intellectual disability and developmental delay. She is fed through a tube and is just learning to crawl. With 22 different doctors, managing Karson’s condition is a full time job and costs her family about $13,000 in out of pocket medical expenses. So, the state assistance was a lifeline for her family.

“How are we going to help her get the quality of life that she needs?” Michelle Brewster told CNN from her Maryland home. “If we get a bill, do we pay that bill, or do we help our daughter?”

Brewster is not alone. Families across the country are fighting to save state funded assistance programs designed to help families pay for everything from diapers to respite care. Meanwhile, research shows that the state budget woes forcing these funding cuts are likely to linger, reports CNN.

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