Autism Group Calls On State To Help Fix Barriers To Treatment

An autism non-profit is calling on state leaders to address several significant barriers they say prevent children diagnosed with autism from receiving the services they need.  

“There are over 11,000 children in West Virginia with autism but only about 400 of those children receive any access to evidence-based Applied Behavior Analysis services, and ABA is the gold standard and most recommended treatment for children with autism,” Mountaineer Autism Project president Susannah Poe said.  

Among the reasons behind the low figures, she said, is the low reimbursement rate provided through Medicaid in West Virginia, and the high number of children in the state who are insured through Medicaid.  

“There are roughly 20 ABA centers in our state, and less than half of them will take Medicaid payments, which is an enormous barrier in a state like West Virginia, ” Poe said.  

That, said Poe, creates a workforce problem: there aren’t enough board-certified analysts in the state, and surrounding states with higher reimbursement rates pay higher salaries.  

To complicate matters, she said the Board of Medical Services (BMS), under the state’s Department of Human Services, was conducting a study of its reimbursement rates earlier this year but hasn’t released the rates.  

“We are respectfully demanding BMS to release that study and share what it found about these rates to see if they’re sufficient to ensure children covered by Medicaid to make sure that those children can actually get care,” Poe said. “We understand they have those findings, they have not released them.” 

DoHS did not respond to a request for information or comment.