Re: Funding for Specialized Diets?

[Guest guest]

>

> Has anyone found ways to get SCD Diet

> or any diets funded?

>

> we are really overspending on our diets

> for the entire family

> (great results my 3 year old autistic boy is

> so much more alive and chatty now! at

> the raw foods diets of SCD--no cooking!)

>

Celiacs can get tax relief for foods like nut flour in Canada.

Carol F.

[Guest guest]

Jzin asked:

has anyone been able to get their insurance

state, foundations, etc to help fund for diet?.......

.....I am trying to see if my state (CA)'s

California Childrens Services

that fund for PKU diets for phenylketonurics

if they would fund for " immune dysfunction "

" severe allergy/eczema " and " chronic gastrointestinal problems "

diet

My response:

Save all your grocery receipts. For what it is worth if you live in the US it

can be considered a tax write off. Not much thought. Can't remember what we

got last year (everything helps when you are money short!). If go this route

have to able to prove medical necessity if audited.

Any other ideas anybody...we would like to know also??????

Warm Regards to all, Antoinette (one plus months....entire family SCD and

healing/Celiac,ADD<ADHD<ASD and more)

[Guest guest]

The best way to document for taxes is to have a doc write a letter on

letterhead or signed note on prescription pad saying " Recommended for

[child's name] for treatment of [diagnosis with an ICD code]: [name diet

and/or list special food items]. " This note will cover you for items bought

*after* the date of the " prescription " . It is probably wise to have a new

note written and signed about once a year.

Supplements are also tax-deductible if recommended by a health care

practitioner for a medical condition diagnosed by a physician. Again, the

best approach is to get the recommendation in writing as above, substituting

supplement names (and brands if possible) for diet/foods. (The IRS doesn't

want you to know supplements are deductible! To find this info, you have to

read the section on " nutritional supplements " in the list of NON-deductible

items in the IRS booklet on medical expenses!)

For special food items, you can deduct only the *excess* cost compared to

the items you are " replacing " . For example, if you were deducted for fruit

leather " roll-ups " , you'd have to compare the cost of SCD-legal item with

cost of " regular " item from supermarket.

While you're at it, have the doc include " organically grown and

chemically-less-contaminated foods " and " exotic/unusual foods " in the diet

list. Even here in California where organically grown food is pretty easy

to get, it costs about 2.5 times as much to " eat organic " . So by all means,

get this prescribed and then if/when you can afford to buy organic, do so

and deduct the excess cost.

Been there, done that Kayla

P.S. Somewhere, a long time ago, I heard of a foundation that provides

financial assistance for treatment of autistic children. I don't have time

to track down this info now, but will try to sometime in the next month and

will post if I find it.