After seeing what FanDuel did for SEPTA, the Pennsylvania Homecare Association (PHA) is hoping that one of the premier gaming destinations in the United States to turn its might toward the collapsing state in-home care system.

With the state budget stalemate now at 69 days, the PHA is asking FanDuel to “shine a spotlight on, or even chip in to address, an even deeper crisis: the collapse of the state’s in-home care system.”

FanDuel recently contributed $80,000 to keep the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority’s (SEPTA) Broad Street Line running for the September 4 NFL season opener between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.

FanDuel president Mike Raffensperger said that as “an official team partner of the Eagles,” the sportsbook was “proud” to work with SEPTA on the deal. Scott Sauer, SEPTA’s general manager, said he’s “grateful to FanDuel for stepping up.”

Now, the PHA, that represents over 700 home-based care providers throughout the Commonwealth and focuses on ensuring access to quality, in-home care, is ripping a page from that playbook.

“FanDuel did what Harrisburg couldn’t by keeping the trains running, but for families across Pennsylvania, it’s not just trains being missed — it’s critical care,” said Mia Haney, chief executive officer of PHA. “Our system has been barely hanging on for years, and now it’s pushed to the breaking point. Every month, 112,500 shifts go unfilled, and that means children and grandparents are going without the care they need to survive.”

At issue are state-set reimbursement rates for in-home care, which remain at $20.63 an hour — 25–75% lower than every neighboring state. That gap forces caregivers to leave the profession or cross state lines for higher pay, leaving Pennsylvanians without support.

The PHA says that as a result of the gap, more than 112,000 home-care shifts go unfulfilled every month and 27 percent of children with complex medical needs don’t receive the hours of care they’ve been approved for.

But don’t call the organization greedy for its plea.

Both an independent study commissioned by the Shapiro Administration and a report by the legislature’s own budget office concluded the same thing: reimbursement rates must be raised by 23%, requiring more than $800 million. Yet the PHA is asking for less than half of that – about $370 million – to help pay for wage increases, new hires, and expanded services.

An estimated 400,000 children and adults receive in-home care services around the Commonwealth. In-home services can include skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, respite care, meal preparation, help with daily activities like dressing and hygiene and more.

“Most importantly, this isn’t a partisan political issue,” Haney added. “This crisis has been caused by both parties, and we need both parties to work together to fix it. FanDuel has already shown you can step in where Harrisburg won’t. So, if you can chip in, that’s great, but to even start to address this crisis, you’d need to donate $80,000 again…4,625 times. So, perhaps instead you can help us by bringing attention to this genuine crisis taking place in Pennsylvania for the same reason our trains aren’t running: our elected officials.”