Section 24 Services – DENIED!

Been waiting many years for some In-Home Support for the boy.  We’ve moved to 4 different States since he was born.  Each State had a Waiver list as long as The Declaration Of Independence!  Our last State, Virginia, was where I started to really pursue help as that was when the autism was finally diagnosed and my learning bar was raised.  What I found there was that my husband and I basically had to become terminally ill before help would come.  Well, that didn’t happen thank goodness.  Now we have moved home to Maine, the State we will die in, I’m here for good, not going anywhere, paying my taxes, shoveling the insane amounts of snow that are falling around my house!  I apply for the Katie Beckett Waiver – hooray, we are approved after an insane application process.  I find an agency to provide a Case Worker for us – hooray, he comes out to the house and he’s nice.   We fill out the paperwork for Section 24 services and I feel we are a shoe-in as does the Case Worker after all the people I am reading about who receive help and their children don’t even have autism, just Down syndrome.  This is a bit from the web about what Section 24 services are here in Maine as it’s called many different things in many other States:

Services for Children with Disabilities

The Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for providing services for children through age 18 with mental illness, mental retardation, autism, or other developmental disabilities. 

Children’s services include:

• prevention and consultation
• crisis intervention
• individual planning and case management
• family and child supports
• core clinical services
• residential treatment
• behavior management
• life skills development
• social skills training

Sometimes staff refer to some services provided to children as “Section 24” or “Section 65” services. These terms refer to behavior management, life skills development and social skills training. Section 24 is for children with mental retardation or autism.  Section 65 supports children with behavioral or mental health needs.

Family support services include:

• respite
• parent and sibling support groups
• social and recreational activities

Okay, so now that we know what it is – why can’t we receive it?! 

This all started when I finally heard back from our Case Worker today after emailing him twice to find out what the hold up was.  Here’s what he had to say:

Just this morning, I received a packet back from DHHS stating that ”the boy” doesn’t qualify for Section 24 services because he doesn’t have a specific diagnosis of PDD-NOS or Mental Retardation. He also needs a Vineland evaluation.

I am going to contact “Another Agency Worker” as soon as I send this e-mail off to get her to put in her 2 cents to DHHS because as I read the evaluation that you gave me, I see a diagnosis of PDD-NOS (pg2 on the bottom) as well as references to “Borderline range of intellectual ability” 2/3 ’s of the way down page 2. Anyway, I’ll keep trying.

Have a great day!

Um not having a good day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I don’t get it!  The boy underwent a private Leiter-R eval when we lived in Virginia but was unable to finish the complete testing because, surprise!, his autism got in the way!  All noted on testing – she was able to get a brief IQ score for him- again all stated on the form.  Everything I submitted is right there in front of them in writing.  A diagnosis of PDD-NOS from a Neuro-Developmental Pediatrician although I firmly believe that if he was to be evaluated today, three years later, he’d receive a full blown diagnosis of autism, not just PDD-NOS.  Also included was a copy of his Brief IQ testing. 

Why are people in my State receiving In-Home Support when their child’s needs aren’t as complex as mine?  Maybe the powers-that-be should come on over for dinner and a sleepover and then see what they think.  Maybe once they are kicked, hit, head-butted, walloped with a toy, growled at, receive no eye contact what-so-ever, and then ask my child a question and he doesn’t respond then maybe just maybe they’ll reconsider.  Of course I could go to their house if that’s easier for them, I’m really quite flexible!  And when my son escapes in the middle of the night in his underwear out into the cold Maine winter, then maybe they’ll wake up!

 I’m clearly frustrated, don’t know what to do and I’m beat after the snow day we had today.  And did I call the dentist about my tooth?  Heck no!  I was busy being growled at and shoveling out the foot of snow!