waivers for medicaid

[klmno]

Does anyone know if a state sponsored waiver to get a difficult child on medicaid is granted, does this mean that the lifelong consequences of being classified "disabled" are still there? He wouldn't be getting SSI disability, but he would get medicaid and possibly some other resources funded due to being a kid with mental health needs.

 

[Critter Lover]

My son was on the waitlist for the medicaid waiver for two years until we went to crisis situation in June. The Agency for Persons with Disabilities is funded by the Medicaid waivers program in Florida. Each state has their own agency.....however the waitlist are LONG and unbelievable. That is why I started the thread in the Water Cooler section about needing 900 signatures to get Obama to end the waitlist so everyone can get services. If your child is getting SSI or SSDI your child does not lose those payments.....Medicaid helps with the medical side of needing behavioral services, in home services....anything that you applied for your child needing....even work placement support. I do not know how old your child is but this is the program that my son is now on in the apartment with the support staff. Also if you get put on the waitlist for the waivers and when you eventually get placed on....if you have insurance on your child then Medicaid will be secondary and your insurance primary. My son will drop off of our insurance since he no longer lives at home and Medicaid will be primary until he is eligible for Medicare in June.

 

[klmno]

An advocate here says she knows of one waiver in our state that currently has no waiting list- or at least doesn't have a long one. We would not be applying for SSI- the lady says difficult child would not get it. I'm still checking into it so I doon't know all the "ins and outs" of it yet, and I'm not positive that difficult child could get it, althought this advocate seems to think he would qualify.

Oh- my son turns 14 next mo.

 

[Critter Lover]

I just went on the NOEWAIT yahoo group and Virgina has a waitlist of
650 to 750 people waiting for services. That is better than Florida....we have 17,000 people waiting for services.

 

[Critter Lover]

He would get SSI at age 18 and please do apply then.....HE WILL GET IT.
They go by strictly his income at the age of 18 even if he is still in high school.

 

[Critter Lover]

Look on your state's website to see what the qualifications are.....like ours in this state is autism, cerebal palsy, mental retardation and Spina Bifida and Prader Willis Snydrome.

 

[butterflydreams]

klmno,

why did they say your son would not get SSI? Just curious, because I applied for SSI for difficult child and they have awarded him SSI, however, I make too much for him to get any funds and/or medicaid, but it is on recorded that he is awarded and has been determined to be disabled. Maybe it is because of the extremeness of my son and his multiple hospitalizations over the last year? I don't know. They did tell me that it will get reviewed every couple of years and that when he turns 18 that they will redo it with just him.

I also have applied for the medical waiver (Katie Beckett here) and I have a home visit next week with the care coordinator for it, I have no idea what to expect other than she said she needs to verify that difficult child is a real person and she will explain the program to me. I really need help with his medical expenses. I have been taken to collections by so many that I haven't been able to pay. Next month I have to start making regular payments to the psychiatrist for his bill from when he was in psychiatric hospital (psychiatric hospital has already sent me to collections), I told them I can only commit to $50 per month at this point. It cost me $150 out of pocket for every visit for him to the psychiatrist and his sister goes too, so that is another $150 for her when she has appts.

Anyway, good luck getting your difficult child on a waiver program.

Christy

 

[Ropefree]

klmno: Glade to see you looking into this. Disablility refers to something that interfers with one or more parts of regular life. Clearly many types of conditions
that are disablities heal...broken leg, brain tumors,ect...and when it does then
the disability status is off.
I think many parents shutter at the recognition that having a diagnosis and disability recognised will "show" latter. If a child need glasses, a hearing aide, a cast it is emotionally simpeler than having a mental illness like depression.
Ultimately the hope is that the disability and proper care and the disability rights, like 504 will support a disabled to "be accomidated" for participation,in schools, in the work place and in this situation so that proper cares are implimented or at least some needed care is provided even if those are outside the families ability to pay the full price for private praticianers.
The answer is yes and no. On one hand it will be in the records. Will he always be disabiled to the things he wants to do in life? That depends on how he responds to treatment and the big unknown future. Better to error on the side of caution, and when it centers on health, better to error with the best care access.
Another thought. If you are linked to disability and things get worse YOU won't be juggling the condition and the administration paperwork from scratch at the same time and your job....lets guess, with zero sleep.
I really want things to evolve into a better all round situation for you klmno.
It has been non-stop and you, unstoppable. Go Mom go!

 

[klmno]

It's my understanding (which is very limited) that if a minor is on SSI disability, that they have to answer "yes" to the question "have you ever been declared disabled or accepted disability". This question might be on job applications, insurance forms, etc throughout their life. Also, I thought I read somewhere that they might not be able to live overseas. Anyway, I'm worried more about the problem of having to disclose this for the rest of his life. If he gets the waiver for medicaid under these circumstances, but does NOT get SSI Diability, would he still have to answer "yes" to those questions forever?

The more I think about it, the more I think it would depend on the requirements of the waiver.

 

[Critter Lover]

I don't understand why there is a problem disclosing his disability on any
application. When he is old enough to get a job and he fills out an application....if he has lied about anything on the application and his employer finds out then he could lose his job. My son's disability is a part of him but it is not the only thing that makes him a person. If you do not disclose it on an insurance form then you could lose your insurance. There are jobs that will hirer people with disabilities and work well with them knowing their strong points and their weak sides. I think you are opening a big can of worms by not disclosing something instead of not stating it at all.

So to the answer to your question....yes he would have to answer truthfully if he has a disability. My son admits that autism and bi polar is part of his life and he wishes he could change it but that is not what life dealt him. As parents I think we all wish the best for our children but some things can not be changed in our child and we have no control over it. I have said many times before that I wish I had a wand to make my child normal but I will have to endure with the heartache of the obstacles and challenges he will have in his life because of the disabilities.