Caring for Military Kids with Autism Act

Larson, Courtney Call on TRICARE to Collaborate with Military Families, Experts for Development of Pilot Program

(Hartford) – This week Congressman John B. Larson and Congressman Joe Courtney joined in writing a letter to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta calling on TRICARE, the military healthcare program, to collaborate with military families and subject experts on the development of a pilot program which will help military children with autism. The one-year pilot program, included in the final 2013 defense budget authorization, is a modified version of a provision authored by Congressman John B. Larson that would require TRICARE to provide military children with autism greater access to behavioral health treatment.

[Read full Press Release at Larson.House.gov]

[Click on the letter below for the full document.]

“Military families have continually sacrificed so much for our freedom, and deserve nothing less than our full commitment to them. So I am disappointed that, despite broad bipartisan support for amendments in both the House and Senate that would have permanently improved TRICARE policy for military families that have a child with autism, the final defense authorization only includes a one year pilot program to provide access to behavioral health treatment, including applied behavior analysis. The appeals of families like that of Sergeant Major William and Rachel Kenyon of Manchester, have not and will not go unheeded as we pursue a permanent fix. That said, I’m glad the bill authorizes enough funding for the pilot program to provide the care military families need next year, and I’m sure the pilot will make it clear that this is the right thing to do for our servicemen and women.” said Larson. “I’m determined to continue fighting to ensure that our military families, especially those that have children with disabilities, are able to access the care their children need. I will be closely monitoring implementation of this program to ensure it provides access to treatments that families need and will continue to pursue a permanent fix in the upcoming Congress.”

“I especially appreciate the efforts of Senator Gillibrand who worked so hard to get an amendment passed in the Senate,” Larson added, “and also for colleagues in the House like Reps. Joe Courtney, Tom Rooney and Walter Jones who have been such strong supporters of this effort and I know they will join me in continuing to work on behalf of these families.”

Specifically, the language included in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013 (NDAA) creates a one-year pilot in TRICARE to provide greater access to a behavioral health treatment known as applied behavior analysis (ABA), which has been found to significantly help children that have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. The bill requires the Department of Defense to start the program within 90 days and then to report back to Congress on the cost and efficacy of the program at the end of the pilot.

Currently, access to ABA is limited by an annual dollar cap on coverage and is not available for the children of military retirees with TRICARE coverage. Larson introduced the Caring for Military Kids with Autism Act (H.R. 2288) to make ABA available as recommended by doctors to all TRICARE families in response to the appeal of a constituent – Rachel Kenyon, the wife of Command Sergeant Major William Kenyon of the Connecticut National Guard and mother of two – who spoke out at an event about the many struggles that military families with children with autism face with their TRICARE coverage. The inclusion of a one-year pilot program in the conference report comes after both the House and Senate approved bipartisan amendments to the NDAA that would have permanently required coverage of ABA treatments for active military and military retiree families as a health benefit in TRICARE earlier this year.

[To read the article in its entirety, go to TIME.com]

As the Armed Services Committees debate the language of the FY2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), these are the members we need to contact to remind them of the critical importance of our amendment for ABA autism treatments.

U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services  (SASC)

Phone: 202-224-3871

On May 17, the House approved the Larson Amendment (CMKAA) via unanimous consent as part of the FY2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and on November 29, the Senate version called the Gillibrand Autism Amendment to the NDAA was also approved.

Our legislation is now awaiting approval in conference committee with members of both the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.  There, the nature and language of each version of the bill is either rectified and sent to The President for signature, or the amendment is rejected and the NDAA moves on without the care we need for our children with autism included.

The House version had 70 bipartisan cosponsors.

The measure was approved 66/29 in Senate.

Here’s how our Senators voted: