April 2016
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Federal Benefits Will Soon Cover Autism Care for Children

Thursday, March 31, 2016

Employees of the federal government will soon have autism spectrum analysis and treatment for dependents covered under their employee benefits. Since 2013, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has encouraged carriers to cover treatment for children on the autism spectrum, but “coverage has been uneven for this intense one-on-one therapy that is becoming a leading form of treatment for these children,” OPM acting director Beth Cobert said. “We continued to receive letters from federal families desperate to get this coverage for their children. We heard from federal families who had to pay out-of-pocket for this expensive treatment just because of where they lived,” she added. According to an OPM fact sheet, coverage was only available in 31 states, an inconsistency Cobert and colleagues are seeking to rectify. According to Chris Smith, a Republican representative from New Jersey and co-chair of the Congressional Autism Caucus, the requirement is a milestone that will help families across the country. “We know that early diagnosis and intervention services are critical to the long term development of a child with autism,” he said. “In addition to universal and early detection screening, interventions such as ABA therapy are important tools that help provide children with ASD an opportunity to live to their full potential.”

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