CASP continues to advocate on the state and federal level to ensure autism service providers are effectively represented. To date in 2023, we have engaged as follows:
STATE ADVOCACY
Licensure
- CASP provided public testimony on the recently filed licensure bill in Arkansas.
- Oregon conducted a public hearing regarding the creation of a provisional licensure for behavior technicians. Read CASP’s public comment here.
Special Education
- CASP provided in-person testimony in the Virginia General Assembly, where CASP member organizations provide critical services for students with severe autism. Read our public comment here.
Medicaid
- CASP member organizations from Connecticut met with House Human Services Chair, Jillian Gillchrest, to advocate for appropriate rates for services they provide to Medicaid-enrolled children. Find our rate analysis here.
- Illinois is in the process of rulemaking regarding Medicaid coverage of applied behavior analysis. CASP provided written comments here.
- New York updated their Medicaid ABA Policy Manual to appropriately recognize technicians. You can find the updated manual here. Additional information was provided at our January 30, 2023 New York provider meeting.
- Hawaii legislators are considering coverage of adults with autism under Medicaid. Additionally, CASP provided public testimony regarding rates for coverage of Medicaid-enrolled children.
- CASP is working with member of our Pennsylvania community to advocate for viable rates under Medicaid there for adult services as well as for children. Read the results of our recent Pennsylvania provider survey here.
FEDERAL ADVOCACY 2023
TRICARE
- CASP continues to advocate for access to meaningful applied behavior analysis services that are based on generally accepted standards of care. Learn more here.
- As part of this advocacy, CASP continues to visit the Hill regularly meeting with members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees. We most recently were on the Hill in February 2023 and are scheduled to return March 15-17.
Autism CARES
- CASP will be working to on behalf of our member organizations, as the Autism CARES Act will be considered for reauthorization in 2023.
- The Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education and Support (CARES) Act of 2019 reauthorized and expanded the provisions first introduced in the Combating Autism Act of 2006. The Autism CARES Act ensures support for research, services, prevalence tracking, and other government activities. The 2019 legislation increased the annual authorized federal spending on autism efforts to $369.7 million through 2024. New provisions also expanded the focus of government activities to include the entire lifespan of people on the autism spectrum and require a report to Congress on health and well-being. This legislation also reauthorized and expanded the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), including requirements for additional community stakeholders to serve on the committee.
Stay up to date on CASP's advocacy and public policy activities here.
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