To Whom It May Concern, 

This program has helped my son so much who has ASD. Summer programs has helped him develop academically and socially.  I pray that everyone continues to benefit from the program and what it offers the ones who needs support financially. 

Thank you, 

Rosemane Monestine 

My daughter has been challenged since birth and we've had to undergo numerous therapies, and spent many thousands of dollars over the years to help her adapt.  Programs like this are critical for individuals and families to help pay for some of these therapies and tools to help those who don't have the same path as everybody else.  

Thank you.

This program is very beneficial to our son by allowing him to have access to the different opportunities to interact with other children. And to continue increasing social skills. We appreciate the program tremendously. 

I submit that everyone on the waiver wait list is in need of ISFP funding. How can you really determine one person’s need is greater than another’s?  There is an unfairness about it. How can it be made objective? 

Disagree. The process works well as it is, leave it alone.

Who will have the final say as to who is admitted to the waiver program and when? What will the criteria be? One more complicated thing for providers to face...

I often have people on the CL Waivers and FIS Waivers who cannot tap into their benefits because of complex built in regulations about waiver useage and eligibility. I have had 5 people over the last 2 months on our PDN case load who have been victims of "churn".

I suggest appointing someone to handle Medicaid elegibilities for more complex Waivered cases (the people DMAS seems to be trying to priortize here) who can interface with DSS to better serve current members.  As it is now, Medicaid is lumping all expansion people in with Waiverd individuals for annual eligibility renewals. Why do tracheostomy and ventalated clients need to prove continued elegibility every year? Is this really necessary? 

Leave this process alone please and work on correcting existing issues regarding elegibility of your current members who are already either receiving Waiver services or trying to. 

I think leave it alone. It's hard enough for many just to get the application done. First come first serve is like playing the lottery, but you have a better chance to get some funding while being on a waiver waitlist for years. If you want to make sure funds are used correctly, go back to requiring receipts instead of asking we hold on to them for years and subject to getting lost. Sounds like it will be more red tape and hurdles and the possibility of not filling something out correctly like all the other forms. Thanks but no thanks.

Our family has benefited and received valuable safety and personal use items for our son due to this program. I think it is complicated enough to get aid and the current system is working fine and we have a basic understanding of the steps necessary to apply for and receive funds and assistance and guidance.

Thanks!

Grateful the program will no longer be biased towards those with support and ability to log into a computer the moment the grant applications open. Please consider that the folks truly lost in not being served are those with NO MEDICAID at all. In some jurisdictions individuals on the DD waiver wait list are screened for CCC+ (old EDCD) waivers-- but the interpretation of the qualifying criteria vary vastly across jurisdictions. Please do not prioritize the receipt of IFSP funds based on whether someone has another medicaid waiver (like CCC+). Please look at who is lost deep in the gap with known ID/DD and NO MEDICAID at all! These families have no access to any respite, struggle to find "sitters" (because there are no funds for attendants) for teens, young adults and grown individuals with ID. These caregivers are being rapidly worn down as the caregiving and exhaustion is exponential. These families make hard financial and life decisions-due to not having Medicaid for their loved ones- to pay for therapies and medical costs. The people on the waitlist with no Medicaid should not be viewed as less in need, or any less of a priority- these families have less access, not less need.

Band aid, band aid, band aid--- wasn't IFSP part of the DOJ settlement agreement to start? The band aid for the band aid is broken! Let's just fund everyone with DD and totally eliminate IFSP. No more band aid needed! The time, resources, and energy to fix this distracts from the real issue that this band aid is trying to cover.