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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The Illinois State Board of Education has reported
3 that today there are more than twice as many children in
4 Illinois diagnosed with autism as there were only five years
5 ago; and
 
6     WHEREAS, It is estimated that fewer than 1 in 10 children
7 with autism receive the level and type of services recommended
8 by the National Research Council; and
 
9     WHEREAS, Families of children with autism bear an enormous
10 financial burden of providing needed services and healthcare;
11 and
 
12     WHEREAS, Public Act 93-773 was signed into law in 2004
13 establishing the Autism Task Force, in order to study and
14 assess service needs of persons with autism spectrum disorders
15 ("ASD") in the State of Illinois; and
 
16     WHEREAS, Public Act 93-773 additionally required the
17 Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Department of Public
18 Aid to determine the availability of federal financial
19 participation in the cost of developing a family support
20 program, which would include medical assistance coverage for
21 children diagnosed with autism, including services to support
22 persons with autism in their homes and communities that are not
23 provided through local school systems, early intervention
24 programs, or the medical assistance program under the Illinois
25 Public Aid Code; and
 
26     WHEREAS, Public Act 93-773 required the departments to
27 determine the feasibility of obtaining federal financial
28 participation and stated that they "may apply for any
29 applicable waiver under Section 1915(c) of the federal Social
30 Security Act"; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, The Autism Task Force met for over 18 months and,
2 on September 1, 2005, delivered a 30-page report which
3 recommended that the Governor and State Legislature should give
4 "the highest priority" to establishment of a children's Autism
5 Waiver program in Illinois; and
 
6     WHEREAS, The Autism Task Force further recommended that,
7 "with the support of the Governor and the Legislature, the
8 Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) and DHS
9 should prepare and submit as soon as possible to the Federal
10 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services an application for
11 an Illinois Children's ASD Waiver"; and
 
12     WHEREAS, Committees of both houses of the General Assembly
13 convened several subject matter hearings on autism in Fall 2005
14 in Chicago and Springfield, including hearings by the House
15 Developmental Disabilities/Mental Illness Committee, the
16 Senate Health and Human Services Committee, and the House Human
17 Services Committee; and
 
18     WHEREAS, Many dozens of parents of children and adults with
19 autism testified before these committees, attesting to the
20 urgent need for services and financial support for families of
21 children and adults with autism; and
 
22     WHEREAS, Illinois has no Medicaid waiver program for
23 children with autism or any developmental disabilities; and
 
24     WHEREAS, A children's Medicaid waiver will provide Federal
25 Match to the State through reimbursement by the Federal
26 government for waiver services; therefore, be it
 
27     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
28 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
29 we endorse the goal of supporting families of children with

 

 

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1 autism directly and providing consumer-directed services for
2 persons with autism; and be it further
 
3     RESOLVED, That we support the goal of establishing a
4 Medicaid waiver or waivers to provide supports and services for
5 families of children with autism; and be it further
 
6     RESOLVED, That we urge the Department of Healthcare and
7 Family Services and the Department of Human Services to apply
8 for a children's Medicaid waiver that includes a minimum of
9 2,000 children with autism and provides for these children to
10 receive specialized autism services, including applied
11 behavioral analysis and analogous habilitative methodologies,
12 in addition to other waiver services and supports that will
13 allow parents to keep their children with autism in their homes
14 and with their families; and be it further
 
15     RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
16 delivered to the Director of Healthcare and Family Services and
17 to the Secretary of Human Services.