Where do you live and what services are available to your child from the state?

We are on the waiver and have the largest wiaver ever given in Lincoln County, Wy. $28K.

However, we have had to pay for our stroller, our own educational toys, for Dr. Higbee and all supplies for our ABA program. We remodled a room for the program.

The waiver has paid for respite and housekeeping. Now, I work for my mom's housekeeping company and I am the one who cleans the house.

I did not have to wait list for our waiver. That is the good thing. We were the first family ever to get money to pay for assestment of the ABA program, but I have yet to see the money. Working on that this week.

Hunter does go to the Child development center twice a week for a total of 5 hours. How's that for early intervention! Glorified babysitting.


What is like where you live?

My youngest DD started off with the early intervention program that the state offers, they do visits at birth and then roughly every 3 months to make she babies are hitting their milestones. Early intervention caught my DD's sensory issues. Now we have an OT that comes to our house every other week to work with DD for 1 hour. We also received a grant of about $600 to buy things for DD to help with the sensory issues. I was handed some catalogs and told to pick out what I wanted. Unfortunately I didn't really know what I was dealing with and had very little idea of what I would need or the things that would be benefitial. So just order things that looked cool and I thought would be benefitial.

Also because of the huge cost to the insurance company to treat my oldest DD for Bipolar we now are on a managed mental health care plan. We have a wonderful case worker who provides wrap around services for the family. This is a pilot program offered by our insurance company. One of the nice things about this program is we can do unconventional things like have the insurance pay for a mother's helper. Help buy things not normally covered by insurance.

Otherwise I have not found any other services offered. I do however realize that I am setting presidence for future families which is hard because some days I just don't have the fight in me.

Florida has horible services. When Marcus was 3 he was "dumped" from 0-3 and transfered into the school system.We lost speech services, and 1/2 of our OT and PT. My insurance is no help. It is a constant fight. My husband "makes too much" to get any other services, and the med waver is a 8-10 year waiting list. I have 5 children and I stay at home. I have a degree but can not work. Where would I place Marcus? We are really in a rock and a hard place.

I am in FL too and that time between 3 and 5 does stink here. There were some programs in the public schools but none that applied to my child's needs.

Julie, maybe you can check with your commissioner and ask about programs, grants, etc. Also try your local hospitals. Insurance stopped covering OT and PT for my son but I called my commissioner ( I am in Broward County) and got into a grant for OT and PT
2x/week. Now I heard a hospital also has one. They don't advertise this stuff, you have to seek it out and even then, it is hard to find. Good luck!

Just curious about a waiver? What is it and where do you go to get it?

My son was with erly intervention from 2 - 3 and now gets speech from the school system 2x per week for 30 min. However we are in the process of evaluations with developmental pediatrician and I am expecting (from her comments) that she is going to want to increase speech therapy and add OT and maybe PT.

I am just preparing myself for a fight with the insurance company. I would love any other info. VEry new at this and not sure where to look.

amy

__________________
Amy B.

Hi Amy and welcome,

The waiver is a state program under the disabilities division. You apply with the division in your state. Most states have a waiting list. Then you need an evaluation. It usually takes a psychologist or higher to diagnois and make recommedations for services. That goes back to the state and then you have a home interview to determine more about needs. Then it goes back to the state and they make a decision. The process took six months for us and by the end I was crazy!

However, we have 28K and unfortunately very little services. I hope this help you find more services. Let me know if I can offer more assistance.

This is all information based on Wyoming. We don't have a wait list and tons of money in the State, just no services in the rural area.

April