New supports for families with children who have a severe emotional disturbance are available in Kansas.

State-wide implementation of the Home and Community-Based Services waiver for children and youth with serious emotional disturbances began in January. A meeting with children's mental health advocates and Community Mental Health Center staff to discuss implementation issues, share ‘best practices' ideas for implementation, and to identify ways to improve the waiver program has been set for Thursday, May 21 in Topeka. The meeting will be held at the Security Benefit Group Building, Room 4WB, 700 Harrison.

Connie Hubbell, commissioner of Mental Health & Developmental Disability for the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, said the meeting was set to bring many of the players in the process together.

"This is an opportunity to visit with directors of children's mental health services, Community Mental Health Center directors, advocates and families and share information and brainstorm about ways to streamline and simplify the project," she said.

The waiver funds an expanded array of community-based mental health services. The overall goal of the waiver is to allow children and youth with serious emotional disturbance to live with their families and be included as productive members of the community.

As of April 28, there have been 107 families authorized for participation in the waiver. The Kansas waiver is for children and youth under age 22 who without community-based services would be admitted to a state mental health hospital.

Anyone can make a referral for the waiver. Referrals need to go to one of the 30 Community Mental Health Centers across the state. Two kinds of eligibility must be established: mental health needs (also known as clinical eligibility), and financial. CMHCs will work with the child, family and others to establish clinical eligibility based on the child's mental health status and need for services. Local SRS Area Offices will determine the child's financial eligibility for the waiver. The waiver permits financial eligibility to be based on the child's income.

The waiver utilizes a wraparound process to establish each individual child's plan of care. The expectation is that a strengths-oriented, child-centered, family-driven and community-based plan of care will enable the child to make gains in his or her ability to live successfully with their family and in the community.

Mental health services are specifically funded through the waiver, but coordination with other community services and resources is also important. For example, success in school is a crucial part of the child's ability to living in the community. The waiver service planning process encourages participation by educators and places a priority on planning for the child's success in school.

Children and youth served in the waiver are Medicaid eligible, which includes health insurance coverage for physical and mental health services. In addition, the waiver reimburses four new mental health services: wraparound facilitation, parent support and training, respite care, and independent living services.

Page Last Updated: May 29, 2001