School Based Services (SBS)

I received a consent form in the mail listing the services Dane receives from the school district.  It said that the school district has been accessing Medicaid reimbursement for medically related services provided for Dane.  The WI Medicaid School Bases Services Benefit offers a way for my local school district to receive federal funds to help pay for IEP special education programs and related services in the IEP.  SBS allows the school district to bill Medicaid with no cost to families.

This program has been available to school districts in WI since 1995 and changes have occurred over that time.  The most recent is that the WI Dept. of Public Instruction notified WI schools of a change in federal law obligating school districts to obtain parent consent prior to accessing Medicaid SBS benefits.  Prior to the change, parents gave consent to the school district to bill Medicaid when parents signed up for the WI Medicaid Assistance Program.  The school system now needs to ask parents directly for written consent.  In this process the school needs to ask for my consent directly but will not result in denial or limitation of community based services provided outside the school district.

I had to cancel the case worker observation for Dane because he had his therapy.  The observation will also be his annual ISP were we tell her how he is acting or if anything new is going on.  Tuesdays are such a rush getting home from work and getting Dane out of school 20 minutes early to make it to his therapy appointments 40 minutes from home.  I have been making it a routine to get McDonalds drive through because he is hungry after school.  I usually waited until after his therapy to get him something to eat but it's fast and its food.  I try not to buy the Happy Meals but when I do get the kids one it really makes them happy.  For Halloween they got a happy meal bucket they can use for trick or treating.  That would have been nice to know they can get something they will actually use.  Allyson calls it her Easter basket.  I keep correcting her but it's funny to hear her call it that.