SchaferAutismReport: A Lifeline For Military Families

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Subject: A Lifeline For Military Families

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

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Vol. 12 No. 141p

In This Issue:

•

FINANCES

A Lifeline For Military Families

•

•

•

PEOPLE

One Dad’s Fight Against Autism

Mom of Drowned Autistic Girl Files Lawsuit Against Palm Springs School

District, Cerebral Palsy Groups

Parents of Girl Who Starved To Face Trial

•

•

•

•

RESEARCH

Study Finds Young Children Can Develop Full-Blown OCD

PUBLIC HEALTH

FDA: Another Government Regulatory Disaster -- II of III

MEDIA

McCarthy Slams Peet Over Vaccines

PETA Campaign Angers Some Autism Groups

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FINANCES

A Lifeline For Military Families

By Chuck Hagee for the Gazette. is.gd/3oTY

Retired military families who have children

with autism will have their health care benefits protected if bipartisan

legislation introduced by Virginia Congressman P. Moran (D-8) and

Florida Congressman Jeff ® is enacted into law.

Designated as the " Military Family

Autism Equality Act, " HR3690 will provide retired military families

with children with autism the same health care benefits as families of

active duty service members with children with autism. Department of

Defense statistics indicate there are an estimated 8,784 retiree families

that will benefit from this legislation.

" Caring for autistic children is

expensive. Military families, already stretched thin by the high costs

associated with the disease and long deployments overseas, are often left

with a choice no parent wants to face: provide expensive treatments for

their child or keep their family clothed and fed. This legislation will

eliminate that painful decision, " Moran said.

" This bipartisan bill to extend needed

medical coverage for children of military retirees with autism is long

overdue and I'm pleased Congressman Moran and I were able to address this

issue together. Autism is an insidious disease inflicted upon our children

and we should live up to our obligation to serve the children of those who

have served this nation, " said.

Active duty service members with an autistic

child have access to benefits through TRICARE which provides $2,500 a month

(a max of $30,000 per year) for Applied Behavioral Analysis, a proven

treatment for the symptoms of autism. Unfortunately, the day an active duty

military person retires their dependents lose access to the ABA health

benefit, according to Moran and . This occurs whether the retirement

is voluntary or forced at the end of their career obligation.

According to a February 2007 study by the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 150 children under the

age of eight have autism or a related disorder such as Asperger syndrome,

Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, or pervasive

developmental disorder not otherwise specified.

" All those affected by autism should be

able to receive appropriate, medically necessary care. The Autism Society

of America strongly supports this legislation which would provide quality care

to families that have made tremendous sacrifices for our country, "

said Lee Grossman, president and CEO, ASA.

The cost savings from autism treatment is

clear, according to Moran and . A Harvard School of Public Health

report found that without effective intervention, approximately 90 percent

of individuals with ASD require lifelong care costing an estimated $3.2

million over an individual child's lifetime. ABA therapy has been shown to

be effective in reducing this cost to less than 50 percent and reducing the

cost of lifelong care by two-thirds.

" Our soldiers risk their lives on the

battlefield in service to their country. It is incumbent upon us to care

for them and their families when they return home. For retired military

families with an autistic child, this benefit is a lifeline for their

child's future and the family's financial future, " Moran said.

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