As lawmakers begin grappling with tightening a state budget.

There's concern about lack of funding to support home health care workers and ensure one of New Jersey's most vulnerable populations gets the support they need.

This week, former Rutgers football star Eric Legrand, who was paralyzed during a football game, hosted some state leaders to show them firsthand how home health aides shaped his recovery with the hopes of convincing lawmakers to set aside funding for the industry.

Ted Goldberg has the story.

I believe that people should be able to make a good career out of this.

Eric Legrand says he owes a lot to his health care team.

I rely on my nurse and my aide for everything to get me up out of bed, get me washed up, get me dressed.

He has an eight there to feed him when he needs it, and he has an eight there to scratch an itch if he's itching because he can't do that himself either.

An artist, not a school guy.

He can't do anything on his own.

That team sometimes includes his mother, Karen.

When a nurse or aide isn't available to stop by.

I'm not a nurse.

I've learned a lot over the years.

But it's hard because I have other things that I need to do.

I have to cancel appointments.

Me.

I have my own health issues.

It sucks sometimes, but it's something that we have to deal with.

A mom has her own ideas about taking care of our household and things like that.

Legrand has been very busy in the 15 years since a tackle left him paralyzed during a Rutgers football game.

Starting businesses like this coffeehouse in Woodbridge, his home health care team takes care of all his basic needs.

Which also allows me to be able to help him with his businesses, allows me to be able to take care of this little five month old King Corso puppy we have, which is taking out quite a bit of my time.

It also allows me to be his mother and not his caretaker, which is very, very important.

Unfortunately for the Legrand's, the complex regulations around home health care can add a lot of stress to their lives.

They should be easy.

Be able to say I need to make a call and be able to get another nurse to come in.

It does not work like that.

So there are some days where my mom has to start to step in and do the job.

And without the aides, the nurses, I don't know if I could say where things would be right now.

Our nurses and our aides have been with us for years.

Their family now, we don't consider them an aide.

We don't consider them nurses.

We consider them as part of the family.

They know the routine.

They know my family.

But they have lives, too.

And they get sick also.

Legrand and the advocacy organization Hearts for Homecare hosted key lawmakers at Legrand's Coffeehouse Monday, where they talked about the challenges faced by home health care workers.

We trust them with the care of the people we love the most and who are most in need.

And often times most vulnerable.

And so you do.

I think that's that has been a driving force.

And we've raised the rates the last three years in a row.

It can't be abused at some point.

They have to make a good living.

They have to have health benefits and a retirement plan.

All the things that we would expect someone who is, you know, working for a living.

As budgets face major cuts on the state and federal levels, Assemblywoman Carol Murphy says she hopes home health care can be left alone if not given more money.

When you see these cuts, let's have a conversation about it, because we as legislators also need to understand how it impacts our world.

When you have the right people that are trained the right way, that are there for the greater good, I think that they should be held to the highest of high because they are literally doing God's work.

And helping people like Legrand build businesses and live relatively normal lives, even in the face of adversity and disabilities.

In Woodbridge, I'm Ted Goldberg.

NJ Spotlight News.