State Rep. Pauline Wendzel’s legislation that will help ensure children with autism continue to receive vital services without interruption now heads to Governor Whitmer after the Senate unanimously passed the legislation and the House concurred with minor changes.
“There’s so much good we can do for the people we serve when we focus on real issues, and this bill is a perfect example of it,” Rep. Wendzel said. “I want to thank my colleagues for their overwhelming support and Director Wier for her tireless advocacy.” Rep. Wendzel continued, “This commonsense and overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation is on its way to the governor, and I hope she’ll sign it into law so we can help even more children receive access to the vital services they need.”
The current process of requiring annual re-evaluations to receive Medicaid ABA services is time intensive. It requires families to undergo a lengthy process year after year even if the child still needs ABA services. The current process can tie up large portions of Michigan’s diagnostic capacity, making it difficult for individuals to receive an initial diagnosis. If a child is currently enrolled in and receiving ABA services and misses their annual re-evaluation, the child can see their services paused.
Under Rep. Wendzel’s bipartisan legislation, the re-evaluation procedure is eliminated if a qualified licensed practitioner completed the initial evaluation or unless it is deemed medically necessary. Without Rep. Wendzel’s legislation, Michigan will remain the only state in the nation that requires this redundant procedure.
House Bill 4059 now advances to the governor for her consideration.
