Lawmakers advance help for medically complex families INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Families of medically complex children would be more directly involved in Medicaid waiver decisions under a bill that a Senate committee advanced Wednesday. The bill requires the Family and Social Services Administr ation to prepare an annual report on its Medicaid home and community-based care waiver programs and to include the Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services Advisory Council in those discussions. The council includes members with medically complex children. Jennifer Dewitt and Tendra Duff, both of whom have children with severe medical needs and who have become leading advocates on the issue, said including families is a big improvement. “One of the things that’s been problematic over the last year is a lot of these decisions seem to have been made in a vacuum without truly understanding how they impact families that are actually providing the day-to-day care for these individuals,” Dewitt said. “So I think having to go through that checkpoint before these decisions are made will be really beneficial.” Last year, in response to a $1 billion funding shortfall, the FSSA ruled parents of medically complex children would no longer be eligible for reimbursement under the state’s attendant care Medicaid waiver program. Prior to the ruling, parents were able to split a $34.36 per hour reimbursement with their children’s medical service provider. Parents of medically complex children who do not wish to place them in skilled nursing now can only qualify for structured family caregiving, which pays up to $133 per day, depending on the child’s level of disability. The bill also requires the state to investigate the feasibility of implementing a complex care assistant program similar to those in other states. Such programs have been very helpful for families, Dewitt said. The bill now goes to the full Senate. So far, it has not received any dissenting votes. ...read more read less