Pa. first to use Medicaid for autism help

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HARRISBURG - Pennsylvania has become the first state in the nation to receive the federal government's permission to spend federal Medicaid dollars on services that enable autistic adults to live more independently, Gov. Rendell said yesterday.

The state received approval earlier this month for a waiver from existing Medicaid rules to spend $20 million a year on home and community-based services for autistic adults.

Federal special-education law requires public schools to provide services for children with autism and other disabilities through age 21, but no similar entitlement has been available in Pennsylvania for adults with the disorder.

"Prior to the establishment of this waiver program, there was nothing designed for people with autism once they reached the age of 21," Rendell said in a statement.

The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have previously allowed states to spend Medicaid money on programs targeting autistic children, but not adults, spokeswoman Mary Kahn said.

Philadelphia Inquirer