The Kansas Department on Aging and Disability Services has announced proposed changes to three HCBS waiver programs and has opened a public comment period from 1/26/15 through 2/25/15. The final proposal is summarized in the linked document: HCBS Transition Plan and Proposed HCBS Program Changes and Request for Public Comments. 

The final summary of the proposed changes in the HCBS renewals effects the following programs:  Autism   Technology Assisted (TA)  Severe Emotional Disturbance (SED).

Public comment opportunities include meetings February 4th and 5th from 10-12 and 2-4 in Wichita and Topeka, teleconferencing, email, mail, and fax.  See the document above.

SED Waiver changes includes: parents signature indicates their preferences were reflected in the Plan of Care, adding consumer's preferred outcomes to the Plan of Care, identifying less intrusive methods that were tried but not successful, adding a provision that - if there is a waiting list - eligible military families may bypass the waiting list, and significant added layers to the SED eligibility process. 

The current process is that the Community Mental Health Center (CMHC) completes the functional assessment and determines if a consumer is clinically eligible for the SED waiver. In the proposed process the CMHC will complete the functional assessment and send the information to KDADS for the clinical determination. Once a consumer is found to be clinically eligible for the waiver the Department of Children and Family will assess if that consumer if financially eligible to be on the waiver. Once a consumer is found to be both clinically and financially eligible for the waiver the CMHC will develop the Plan of Care and submit it to the Managed Care Organization (MCO) for review and approval. After the Plan of Care is approved by the MCO the CMHC will provide the waiver services to the consumer.