YOUR AGENCY’S LETTERHEAD
Dear Family Member
We needto inform you about a decision by the Department of Public Welfare (DPW) that may significantly impact the services we are able to provide to your child and all children on the autism spectrum. In August 2012, the directors of the Bureaus of Autism Services and Children’s Behavioral Health Services issued a letter that stated, in part:
Act 62, (also known as the Autism Insurance Act) calls for Behavior Specialists to be licensed within one year of the regulations being promulgated in order to bill either private insurance or Medial Assistance for the Behavior Specialist service. This means individuals working with children with Autism to ‘design, implement, or evaluate a behavior modification plan’ who desire to bill for the services should plan on becoming a licensed Behavior Specialist prior to May 26 2013.
We have always been committed to quality autism intervention services through our training, credentialing, and supervision of staff. In addition, our autism services have been delivered and approved through our DPW facility license, annual license reviews, and contracts with Medicaid and commercial insurance plans. The DPW requirement that all of the Behavior Specialist Consultants (BSCs) working at (NAME OF YOUR AGENCY) must have or obtain their own personal professional Behavior Specialist or other similar license by May 26. 2013 may dramatically reduce the staff available to provide BSC services in our organization and around the state. We have been working with staff to provide training, documentation, and other information in our efforts to help them apply to the Medical Licensing Board for their license prior to the deadline.
It is apparent that the state will not reconsider this mandate affecting Medical Assistance and private insurance coverage. It is also apparent that the Medical Licensing Board was taken by surprise and has not been able to process applications in a timely manner. (NAME OF YOUR AGENCY) has been working with scores of other autism service providers across the state to reconsider this unprecedented mandate before we informed and alarmed families. We now feel it is our ethical and clinical obligation to tellyou that because of DPW’sposition, it may become necessary to make significant reassignments in staff, reduce, or even discontinue Behavior Specialist Consultant services to your child.
(NAME OF YOUR AGENCY) will continue to support our staff in efforts to obtain their state license and to press leaders of DPW to reconsider.We will ask our local legislators to intervene in this matter. We will keep you informed of developments and any actions that (NAME OF YOUR AGENCY) will take and will work with (NAME OF BH-MCO)to minimize any disruption in services to your child. Should you have questions about this notification, please contact (agency staff person and phone number) or your member services representative at (NAME OF BH-MCO) and phone number.
Sincerely,
(PROGRAM DIRECTOR OR CASE MANAGER AT YOUR AGENCY)
(NAME OF YOUR AGENCY)
Cc: file, BH-MCO at agency discretion