One year after state lawmakers decided to slash $350 million in funding for pediatric therapy services provided to children with disabilities, Texas is finally poised to move forward with the planned cuts that were delayed for months after in-home therapy providers sued to stop them. They lost that court battle in April but have vowed to continue putting up a fight.
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission intends to begin cutting payments to speech, physical and occupational therapy providers on July 15, targeting providers who see children covered by Medicaid, the federal-state insurer for the poor and disabled.
Children’s advocates and therapy providers are mounting an 11th-hour campaign, seeking once again to delay the cuts. They’ve called on state officials to hold a public hearing for families to air grievances and are asking lawmakers to intervene.
“This move to eke out budget savings on the backs of children with disabilities will undercut the Early Childhood Intervention services provided by community organizations,” wrote Peter Clark, spokesman for the advocacy group Texans Care for Children, in an email. “Not only will the cuts hurt kids, but they will create new costs, such as increased demand for special education services in our schools.”
