Disability Thrive Initiative

In its annual Call Letter regarding submission of 2017 benefits and rates for Federal Employees Health Benefit Plans, OPM is requiring all plans to offer Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) benefits for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). We expect all carriers to offer clinically appropriate and medically necessary treatment for children diagnosed with ASD; exact benefits will vary by plan. Read more.

Health insurers are gearing up to comply with a new Covered California rule that will require them next year to ensure that all enrollees have a primary care provider. The policy change for 2017 is part of a broader push by the exchange to improve the quality of care, even as it faces double-digit premium increases.

Health insurers selling through Covered California will designate a family doctor — or in some cases a nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant — for every plan holder who doesn’t already have one within 60 days of the coverage start date. Read more.

The Department of Social Services will be making changes to the funding and structure of out-of-home placements for children under county care in the next few months. Most notably, their leveling system for group home placements will be revised in order to encourage more children to be placed in home-like settings unless they have a particular challenge that needs more intensive intervention over a short period of time. Click here for more.

The Office of Administrative Hearings(OAH) has reopened the application process for the OAH Special Education Advisory Committee.  Attached is the application and information about the committee.  The deadline is August 19, 2016.
Anyone who is interested in providing recommendations to improve OAH’s special education dispute resolution program is encouraged to apply. Click here for more information.

Q. What will the new law do?

WASHINGTON—The House passed legislation Wednesday to overhaul the nation’s mental health system, the first effort by lawmakers to specifically tackle federal policies on serious mental illness. Read more.

California lawmakers on Tuesday pushed forward compromise legislation that would transform how the state’s most medically fragile kids receive care.

Parents and advocates said they could support the most recent version of the bill after its author Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina) and his staff made changes to better protect the quality of care for children with special needs. Read more.