HR1053 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1053 LRB094 19988 DRJ 57432 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Illinois State Board of Education has reported that today there are more than twice as many children in Illinois diagnosed with autism as there were only five years ago; and

WHEREAS, It is estimated that fewer than 1 in 10 children with autism receive the level and type of services recommended by the National Research Council; and

WHEREAS, Families of children with autism bear an enormous financial burden of providing needed services and healthcare; and

WHEREAS, Public Act 93-773 was signed into law in 2004 establishing the Autism Task Force, in order to study and assess service needs of persons with autism spectrum disorders ("ASD") in the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Public Act 93-773 additionally required the Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Department of Public Aid to determine the availability of federal financial participation in the cost of developing a family support program, which would include medical assistance coverage for children diagnosed with autism, including services to support persons with autism in their homes and communities that are not provided through local school systems, early intervention programs, or the medical assistance program under the Illinois Public Aid Code; and

WHEREAS, Public Act 93-773 required the departments to determine the feasibility of obtaining federal financial participation and stated that they "may apply for any applicable waiver under Section 1915(c) of the federal Social Security Act"; and

WHEREAS, The Autism Task Force met for over 18 months and, on September 1, 2005, delivered a 30-page report which recommended that the Governor and State Legislature should give "the highest priority" to establishment of a children's Autism Waiver program in Illinois; and

WHEREAS, The Autism Task Force further recommended that, "with the support of the Governor and the Legislature, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) and DHS should prepare and submit as soon as possible to the Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services an application for an Illinois Children's ASD Waiver"; and

WHEREAS, Committees of both houses of the General Assembly convened several subject matter hearings on autism in Fall 2005 in Chicago and Springfield, including hearings by the House Developmental Disabilities/Mental Illness Committee, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, and the House Human Services Committee; and

WHEREAS, Many dozens of parents of children and adults with autism testified before these committees, attesting to the urgent need for services and financial support for families of children and adults with autism; and

WHEREAS, Illinois has no Medicaid waiver program for children with autism or any developmental disabilities; and

WHEREAS, A children's Medicaid waiver will provide Federal Match to the State through reimbursement by the Federal government for waiver services; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we endorse the goal of supporting families of children with autism directly and providing consumer-directed services for persons with autism; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we support the goal of establishing a Medicaid waiver or waivers to provide supports and services for families of children with autism; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the Department of Healthcare and Family Services and the Department of Human Services to apply for a children's Medicaid waiver that includes a minimum of 2,000 children with autism and provides for these children to receive specialized autism services, including applied behavioral analysis and analogous habilitative methodologies, in addition to other waiver services and supports that will allow parents to keep their children with autism in their homes and with their families; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the Director of Healthcare and Family Services and to the Secretary of Human Services.