TOPEKA — The chairman of a newly created legislative committee on children’s issues says he wants to reduce the number of autistic and developmentally disabled children on the state’s waiting list for services.
"We have children who are disabled sitting at home, waiting for services," said Rep. Mike Kiegerl, R-Olathe. "It’s a shameful disgrace."
Kiegerl is chairman of the House Committee on Children and Families.
Rep. Mike Kiegerl
Previously, the committee met during the interim and included members from the Senate. It’s now a standing committee in the House or will be when the 2011 Legislature convenes next week.
"The very first issue will be the waiting lists," Kiegerl said. "We simply cannot afford to have kids waiting. We cannot have a child who’s diagnosed as autistic and needing speech therapy at age 3 being told they’ll have to wait a year for services."
Funding shortfalls
According to the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, 45 autistic children, ages 0 to 5, are currently receiving Medicaid-funded services; 259 are on the department’s waiting list.
At least 1,420 developmentally disabled children are waiting for similar services; almost 2,000 adults also are waiting.
SRS officials have attributed both waiting lists to shortfalls in funding.
"I know this costs money, but it has to be addressed," Kiegerl said.
Eliminating the autism waiting list is expected to cost an additional $4.9 million, all funds; $2 million, state funds.
Clearing the waiting lists for developmentally disabled children and adults would cost $115.3 million, all funds; $49 million, state funds.
Advocates for the disabled said they welcomed Kiegerl’s agenda.
"We’re all for doing whatever it takes to eliminate or reduce the waiting lists," said Matt Fletcher, a spokesman for Interhab, an association representing 41 community-based programs for the developmentally disabled.
"But we would ask the committee to see this as a universal issue," he said. "It affects children, families and adults. The waiting lists are unacceptable for all ages."
The committee, Kiegerl said, would review the results of a "tracking project" aimed at figuring the costs of requiring health insurers to cover autism-related services.
The project, Kiegerl referred to involves coverage of autistic children within the State Employees’ Health Benefit Plan, which policymakers have used as a testing ground for possible coverage requirements for commercial health insurers.
The Kansas State Employees Health Care Commission is to report to the Legislature its findings on autism coverage costs by March 1, 2012.
"I want to make sure this (coverage) is expanded to the larger population," Kiegerl said.
Adoption and foster care
Kiegerl said he expects the committee also to address several issues involving foster care and adoption.
Rep. Sean Gatewood
"We keep hearing reports that we, the state, seem to be taking children away from their families when it’s unnecessary or that grandparents who would like to take in their grandchildren aren’t allowed to," he said. "I favor adoption when warranted, necessary and in the best interest of the child. But I also think we ought to be looking more at grandparents than we do."
Last year, the joint committee forwarded four bills to other committees. All four stalled.
"I believe that the new governor and the new SRS secretary will be more responsive to the needs we found," Kiegerl said, referring to Governor-elect Sam Brownback and Robert Siedlecki, the incoming SRS secretary.
"There will be more bills (from the committee), but at this point I cannot say what they will be," Kiegerl said.
Rep. Sean Gatewood, D-Topeka, is the committee’s ranking minority member.
"I agree with a large portion of what the chairman is saying," he said. "But the problem I see is that all these things cost money, but we’re not the budget committee. I don’t see where the money is going to come from."