25,000 Signatures Needed to Help End Autism Therapy Discrimination Against Military Families
Managing Editor's Note: This is a petition request so military families can receive services for their children. You do NOT to be in the military to show your support and sign the petition. To learn more about autism and the military please visit CMKAA.org and Autism Salutes. Click HERE to read & sign the petition.
WASHINGTON D. C., VA JANUARY 5, 2012
We need twenty-five thousand (25,000) signatures for a White House petition related to autism therapies by February 1, 2012. The goal of the petition is to ensure that autism therapies are accessible to all military dependents with autism (not currently the case.)
We have legislation introduced in the House, we do not have legislation in the Senate. Without Senate legislation, or getting the attention of the White House through this petition, there is little to no hope that the discrimination against military families and their dependents will cease.
What military families are asking for from our government is no different than what we are asking states to do in the form of autism insurance mandates; provide coverage for autism treatment without barriers to care and without discrimination.
Make Autism Therapies Accessible to All Military Dependents with Autism.
1 in 88 active duty military dependents has autism. (Most recent stats available - 2007) Less than 10% are receiving proven therapies such as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).
TRICARE military insurance segregates ABA into Extended Care Health Option (ECHO) which itself is secondary to discriminatory enrollment in Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP).
We ask President Obama to direct the DoD & TRICARE to place ABA therapies within TRICARE standard care as medically necessary, removing the arbitrary dollar cap and making therapies accessible to dependents of retirees.
Our brave men and women of all branches of service deserve to have access to the care their dependents with autism require; regardless of whether they are active duty, have retired from decades of service, or are medically retired due to injury or disease.
To sign the petition please visit :https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/make-autism-therapies-accessible-all-military-dependents-wautism-tricare-medically-necessary-remove/chcgvKdB
Please share the petition with family and friends for those who serve the country. Thank you.
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Sample email to your state representative. (Find your state representative’s contact information here: https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml)
“I am requesting [add your Rep's name here]‘s support of H.R. 2288 – Caring for Military Kids with Autism Act (CMKAA). Tens of thousands of our military dependent children are living with autism. One in eighty-eight children of active duty service members are affected and less than ten percent of those dependents are getting the autism therapies they need.
Currently, TRICARE military insurance segregates proven autism therapies such as Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) into a separate arm of care called the Extended Care Health Option (ECHO) and places a dollar cap on ABA – essentially limiting the number of hours per week to less than half what is typically recommended for a young child newly diagnosed.
ECHO enrollment is secondary to completing the application process for the Exceptional Family Members Program (EFMP) – another barrier to care. Often precious months to years are lost navigating through these processes, when proven therapies are shown to have greater success at the earliest possible intervention.
The Caring for Military Kids with Autism Act eliminates the dollar cap on ABA while also removing barriers to care by providing ABA under the umbrella of TRICARE Standard care. It also extends these vital services to the dependents of retirees who have made a career commitment to our nation’s freedom and security.
I support the Caring for Military Kids with Autism Act because [add your own personal comments here].
Thank you,
[Your Name, Address, Phone, Email]“
More information on this subject can be researched here: http://cmkaa.org/2011/12/03/one-click/
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Current military-autism information and support can be found at the American Military Families Autism Support (AMFAS) website: http://update.amfas.org/
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i support
Posted by: dawn bartel | January 31, 2012 at 07:00 PM
please help these families and children
Posted by: sally vanden elsen | January 29, 2012 at 11:50 AM
I support!
Posted by: Megan Ott | January 26, 2012 at 01:27 PM
Thank you so much for your help and support. If this bill passes, it will be such a tremendous blessing for so many families.
Angela
Posted by: Angela | January 24, 2012 at 02:23 AM
I support
Posted by: Orville Allen Kelly | January 23, 2012 at 07:32 AM
I have tried many times and left messages with ECHO and never got a hold of anyone nor did they call back. Improvements definitely need to be made!
Posted by: Heidi N | January 11, 2012 at 06:24 PM
Kim, Thank you for helping get the word out. Our military families thank you. It's not only concerning for those who are retiring, but also kiddo's like my son who progress and then regress and are on the verge of not qualifying at times, but still greatly need ABA. I made a deal with God long before Jenny made her's... I vowed I would do what ever I could within my power to make sure no other family ever had to endure what our's did at the hands of the military. My son is recovering. Need I say more?
Please sign the petition. It took me 3 minutes and I have slow internet.
Ang
Posted by: Angela Warner | January 11, 2012 at 04:04 PM
Thank you so very much for highlighting this continued struggle our military families are facing!
Posted by: Rachel @MrsSGMKenyon | January 11, 2012 at 03:44 PM
Thanks so much for the support! My son's father was injured on his second year-long tour in Iraq, was forced to medically retire at the age of 25, and now my 3 year old son with severe autism cannot receive ANY autism therapies! With this bill, he and thousands like him will receive necessary autism therapies!
Posted by: Angela | January 11, 2012 at 01:12 PM
Nice job guys....our military families appreciate it!
Posted by: Jeremy H | January 11, 2012 at 10:24 AM
Thank you Age of Autism for looking out for military families. The threat of losing ABA coverage when a servicemember retires is very worrying. Thank you for your support!
Posted by: SarahS | January 11, 2012 at 09:35 AM