Family Voices Indiana

On June 1, 2018, the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration began working with Southeastrans to manage all non-emergency transportation for Traditional Medicaid members (you may also see this called “fee-for-service” Medicaid.) This includes any member who is NOT in a managed care program such as Hoosier Healthwise, Hoosier Care Connect or the Healthy Indiana Plan. Southeastrans recently held a series of online town hall meetings with transportation providers and health care facilities to overview the changes and answer questions. We appreciate the opportunity to engage with you on the transition surrounding transportation for Indiana Medicaid members. Please find on the following pages answers to questions submitted during the town hall meetings. Southeastrans FAQs Final 070318 by Family Voices Indiana on Scribd

The Indiana Health Coverage Programs (IHCP) publishes an IHCP Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) Prior AuthorizationChecklist for providers to use in preparing prior authorization (PA) requests for ABA therapy. This voluntary tool, which is intended to help providers prepare comprehensive requests and reduce the need to suspend PA requests for additional information, has been updated. The updated checklist is available on the Forms page at indianamedicaid.com under the Prior Authorization section. The checklist is relevant to PA information needed for both fee-for-service (FFS) and managed care ABA services. Questions about FFS PA should be directed to Cooperative Managed Care Services (CMCS) at 1-800-269-5720. Individual managed care entities (MCEs) establish and publish PA criteria within the managed care delivery system. Questions about managed care PA should be directed to the MCE with which the member is enrolled.

Indiana let emergency permits that make it easier for schools to hire high-demand speech-language pathologists lapse — and there won’t be time to address the oversight before the first day of classes. “This is going to take legislative action to resolve,” said Risa Regnier, director of licensing for the Indiana Department of Education. “So there’s really no way to fix this for the beginning of school this year.” The communication disorders emergency permits, which expired at the end of June, were created by a  2007 law  to offer relief to schools struggling to find enough speech-language pathologists, educators say. While the number of students who will be affected wasn’t immediately available,  nearly one-fifth  of all special education students across the state need speech and language services. The permits allowed schools to hire graduates of four-year speech-language programs who have been accepted to master’s programs, which are typically required for a full license as

Question: If my young child is not eligible for early intervention services under IDEA, how will I know if she could still benefit from using an AT device? Answer: Asking certain questions may help you make that decision. Some examples: • Compared to other children of the same age, can my child play with toys independently? • Can my child communicate effectively? • How does my child move from place to place? • Can my child sit, stand, or walk independently? • Is my child able to feed himself or herself? If you answer “No” to these questions, then assistive technology may help. In some cases, children with behavior problems actually have a communication impairment. They are frustrated that they cannot tell someone how they feel, and act out instead. Question: Under IDEA, who pays for assistive technology devices and services? Answer: All early intervention services, including AT devices and services, must be provided at no cost to the family unless a state has establi

Does your child’s behavior seem totally unpredictable? Do you often get notes from teachers about your child’s behavior at school? Or maybe her behavior at home seems out of control. Whether or not your child has  learning or attention issues  you’re aware of, behavior issues can feel overwhelming. Following these steps can help as you try to figure out what’s behind your child’s actions. You’ll find tips on how to curb them and where to turn for more advice and support. 1 Know what’s developmentally typical of your child’s age. It can be hard to know if the behaviors you’re seeing are typical of a child of this age. Take a look at age-by-age  learning skills and  developmental milestones . This knowledge can give you perspective (and perhaps peace of mind). 2 Find out how learning and attention issues can affect behavior. If your child has a learning or attention issue, you may already know about some expected behaviors. For instance,  various learning a

On July 11, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee's Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy held a  hearing  - "Examining the Importance of Paid Family Leave for American Working Families." Among the witnesses was Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), who  testified  that she is working with colleagues Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Mike Lee (R-UT) on legislation to provide new parents (only) with the option to receive paid leave, in exchange for which their Social Security retirement benefits would be deferred. Another witness was Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), who  testified  in favor of the  FAMILY Act  ( S. 337 ), which she sponsored. The FAMILY Act would establish a tax to fund paid leave taken for one's own illness, birth or adoption, or the care of other family members. A related bill ( H.R. 947 ) has been introduced in the House.

EPSDT Education for Providers and Advocates   Wednesday, July 18, 1:00-2:30 ET Georgetown Center on Children and Families and the American Academy of Pediatrics   NEW  Health Action Webinar: The Impacts of Family Separation on Child and Family Health Wednesday, July 18, 2:00-3:00 ET Families USA   The Game-Changing Impact of Empowering Patients with Health Data Thursday, July 19, 1:00-2:00 ET FasterCures, the Milken Institute   Cannabidiol (CBD) Use in Pediatric Treatment-Resistant Epilepsy Thursday, July 19, 3:00-4:00 ET Family Voices of California   NEW  How to Talk About "Public Charge": A Communications Webinar for Policy Wonks Monday, July 23, 1:00-2:00 ET National Immigration Law Center and Center for Law and Social Policy   NEW  Partnerships to Advance Tribal Health (PATH): A National Town Hall on Combatting Opioids and Substance Abuse Tuesday, July 24, 8:30 am-12:00 pm ET ( This is a live event in DC that will be  live-str