Donna Faus, of Avis, is confined to a wheelchair due to spinal muscular atrophy.
She requires constant care from a state-paid personal care attendant who carries out many of the daily functions she is unable to perform.
But Faus feels she and thousands of other people dependent on such care could be at risk due to a change in how attendants are being paid.
Under the state Department of Public Welfare's Office of Long Term Living program, financial service providers issue paychecks to the attendants, purchase workers' compensation insurance and deal with other accounting tasks.
Those services are funded with state and federal money through Medicaid,
The problem arose earlier this year when state officials went ahead and consolidated those providers.
When the program switched one payroll provider from Community Resources for Independence to Christian Financial Management of Troy Hill, some 1,700 personal care attendants experienced payroll delays.
Faus noted her own attendant received no pay for two months.
Faus said her attendant helps her with a host of daily needs, including cooking, getting dressed, shopping, transportation and personal hygiene.
And while she experienced no interruptions in care, she fears for other people who are not so lucky.
"People will be laying in waste. People will start dying," she said. "I know what it's like to be left behind in bed."
State Rep. Mike Hanna, D-Lock Haven, thought the situation dire enough for Gov. Tom Corbett to step in.
He wrote a letter in which he expressed to the governor his concern about the "valuable service" personal care attendants provide to "thousands of Pennsylvania's most vulnerable citizens."
"Without payment, I worry that attendants will be unable to provide adequate care and tragedy may ensue," he wrote. "With all this in mind, I ask that you intervene and expedite this payroll transition in order to avoid any additional harm to this program or its personal attendants."
Hanna spokesman Adam Wagonseller noted that the lawmaker's office has been contacted by numerous constituents about the problem.
Gary Alexander, secretary of the Office of Long Term Living, responded in a letter to Hanna dated July 31 that the matter is being "closely monitored and assisted" by his office.
"Unfortunately," he wrote, "in the transition from other providers, Christian Financial Management was not provided with necessary documentation to process payroll for many of the employees being transferred to them.
"The department and Christian Financial Management have been working vigorously to tackle this monumental task and are making progress in rectifying the payroll issue."
Faus noted that many people affected by the situation have tried without success to contact Christian Financial Management about the matter.
Personal care attendants reportedly have gone to the company's Pittsburgh office demanding their paychecks.
An attempt by the Sun-Gazette to reach the office by phone was unsuccessful. A recorded message said the company's system is experiencing technical issues.
Faus said when her attendant most recently received his first paycheck since May, the rate was wrong.
She believes the problem is far from resolved.
"According to Rep. Mike Hanna's office, some people still have not seen any pay," she said.
"We also know of two disabled who were left lying in their beds just like I said would happen, and where there are two, there's more."
