US Government Healthplan Refuses Autism Care for Military Children

Managing Editor's Note: Last January we told you about a petition to President Obama demanding treatment for the children of men and women in the armed forces.

MANCHESTER, Conn. (WTNH) -- You're in the military serving your country in Afghanistan and your wife informs you that your 4-year-old daughter has been diagnosed with autism . Then word comes that the military's health care plan will not cover her treatment. What do you do?

What the Manchester woman found was that in the fervor in Washington to cut spending the government was abandoning her and her deployed husband in their biggest hour of need.

In addition to serving in Desert Storm, Sergeant Major William Kenyon of Manchester has had two deployments to Afghanistan, more than two-and-a-half years away from Rachel Margret.

"My daughter was diagnosed in 2010 with autism while my husband was serving a deployment in Afghanistan and I quickly found out what little services were available through the military's health care program called Tricare," said Rachel Kenyon.

Through social media, the couple quickly found out they were not the only ones abandoned by their government...

Read the full story by Mark Davis at WTNH in Connecticut.

Comments

[Angela Warner]

I feel the need to set the record straight as the information in this article is inaccurate. TriCare has a separate program called the Extended Care Health Option and under that there is a Demonstration Program. It is through these 2 programs that military dependents with autism receive ABA tutoring. In these programs ABA is classified as a special education benefit and not as medically necessary treatment for autism. ABA is NOT covered under the basic Tricare program and as such no one but current Active Duty members can access ABA therapy for their dependents. The article states that it is now available to retiree's and other beneficiaries and this is NOT true. The legislation is stalled in the House. In order for it to be written into the National Defense Authorization Act, NOT the "annual defense auth bill" as it was called in the article, (which is typically signed into law around the beginning of the new fiscal year), the legislation has to pass in the Senate and if it's not the exact same language in the legislation going before the Senate for vote (that was passed in the House), then if it does pass it goes to Conference Committee, where people take language from both pieces of legislation and essentially do what they will with it.

We need your continued support to ensure our retired members have the same treatment and care for their children that we who are active duty can access for our children.

Someone commented in the article comments stating that they didn't understand why we active duty (my words) were making such a stink about this... The reason is simple; we refuse to leave our Brother's in Arms behind or as we say in the Air Force, we don't leave our Fellow Wingman hanging.

Semper Fi,
Ang

[@MrsSGMKenyon]

Thank you so much for sharing this story once again.

We have passed the House, but we are in desperate need of support in the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Please continue to sign and share the petition at Change.org.

We can do this together. It is a huge step toward mandated federal coverage for all families in this country.

Thank you,
Rachel Kenyon

http://www.change.org/petitions/congress-make-recommended-autism-treatment-available-to-all-military-children

[FLmom]

I feel ashamed and disgusted after reading this.

[oneVoice]

It takes a strong mother and a group of others in the same situation to make a positive change.So,Tricare now provides the coverage these autistic kids need.The government should
never cut cost on helpless disabled children.Tricare,these
military families do so much for their country,you also have to do your very best for them,nothig less,but the very best.