EDCD Waiver and Autism

Tomorrow we meet with an individual who will be conducting a UAI screening to see if Noah qualifies for the EDCD Medicaid waiver. I am nervous about this process and how it is going to go. This particular waiver was originally intended for the Elderly. It has since been made available to individuals that have disabilities, including autism. The person must meet certain criteria--- they must be dependent in ADLs and IADLs (activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, feeding, toileting etc.) and have a serious medical need that could result in nursing home placement. If a person receives the EDCD waiver, they are allowed to receive respite services and they qualify for Medicaid. This is the key. If Noah received Medicaid, it would cover the ABA therapy he is in need of. It would pay all of our out of pocket expenses such as copays. It would pick up where insurance leaves off (or in our case, what it never covered originally).

Noah does nothing for himself without our help. He does not attempt to dress or undress himself. He does not feed himself yet. He isn't potty trained. He does not brush his own teeth or hair or groom himself in any way. He is completely dependent on us. So, I am pretty certain he qualifies in that department. I think his diagnosis of autism should qualify him for medical need as this disorder requires intensive weekly therapy (speech, occupational and ABA). So.... I am praying that this screening goes well and that Noah qualifies for help. If this were to go through, it would be such a huge weight off of our shoulders. He would get the therapy he needs and we wouldn't have to work 80 hours a week or sell all of our belongings to pay for therapy. If this doesn't go through, we will continue to trust that God will handle it.

UPDATE: The screening went okay. Not sure what to expect. They didn't ask that many questions about Noah but did state something to the effect of "it shouldn't be a problem" when I inquired about qualifying. We will receive a letter in two weeks to let us know their decision.