Parents of minor children with an intellectual or developmental disability have been pushing Arizona’s Medicaid program to allow them to permanently be their child’s paid caregiver. Late last month, the group behind this effort had a big win.
AHCCCS published its most recent Paid Parent Caregiver proposal to include both attendant care — so things like dressing and bathing — and habilitation, which is more about functioning in the community. Two important services for parents and their minor children.
"So this is a huge win for the disability community as a whole," said Brandi Coon, the co-founder of Raising Voices Coalition, a disability advocacy group that has been fighting for this. Under AHCCCS’s original proposal, services like habilitation were not going to be covered. "And with their amended proposal, it really gives the opportunity for families to customize the care plan that their children receive, and who provides those services. And so it's not limiting who can be a provider, but really expanding it."
AHCCCS will submit this latest proposal to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid for approval.
