[rehab] Medicaid Payments for O&M Services

[Marks, Jim]

The Montana Legislature is considering a bill that would require Medicaid to pay for orientation and mobility services for qualified children in K-12 education.  It may overlap to adult services as well.  The primary advocate for the bill is an Orientation and Mobility Instructor working for her local school district.

While it's nice to have new funding streams for services, I'm concerned about the medicalizing of blindness rehabilitation services.  It would be a shame to involve medical doctors in things like buying a long white cane when the docs know almost nothing about blind rehab.

What have other states done?  Are there issues/pitfalls to consider?

Thanks in advance for your replies.




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Jim Marks
Disability Transitions Programs Director
Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services
jimmarks at mt.gov
http://vocrehab.mt.gov
(406) 444-2591

"The legitimate purpose of society and its governments is not to govern people and to promote the good life for them, but to empower them to govern themselves and to provide the good life for themselves and their fellow humans."  Justin Dart