Kansas legislators object to diversion of $24 million to disability services for frail older people and people with brain injuries that had been earmarked for benefit of Kansans with intellectual or developmental disabilities stuck for years on a bloated waiting list.
Max McCoy
State officials say Kansas’ shift to 18th from last in the nation in an assessment of mental illness and access to behavioral health care is a direct outcome of investment in quality care.
Complying with a federal policy designed to avoid conflicts of interest could cause “massive system disruption” for Kansans who have intellectual and developmental disabilities, an advocate told legislators.
Advocates warned legislators at a hearing that brain injury waivers could soon see waitlists and patients could see delays in providing necessary care because of insufficient funding after the legislative budget failed to allocate millions.
A Kansas House committee has been gathering testimony on a wide range of reform options for Kansans with disabilities. That includes a four-year plan endorsed by advocates to invest $13.6 million to help people with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
Kansas officials have settled a lawsuit over delays in providing mental health evaluations and treatment for incarcerated individuals in county jails.
Amid the heavy snowfall and more severe weather in the forecast for Lawrence, city commissioners on Tuesday discussed but took no action to expand emergency sheltering options for people experiencing homelessness.
State officials want to promote ABLE savings accounts for Kansans with intellectual and developmental disabilities who are on the state’s waiting list for Medicaid services.
Some Kansans with disabilities are having to wait more than 10 years for government help due to a “monumental problem” with backlogged service requests.
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
After what critics call decades of underfunding, mental health reform is underway in Kansas. Here’s a Q&A on what it means for Bert Nash and its clients.
