Hi,

My name is Kari, my son Benjamin is 4yrs old with Autism and Oral
Apraxia. He was diagnosed at age 2 and continues to make
gains;however, he is currently non-verbal.

Ben currently attends a center based ABA/VB 20 hr. a week program in
MN, called "The Lazarus Project of MN." He started in Dec. 07 and is
making gains faster than ever. We are currently funding his program
under Minnesota Medical Assistance, otherwise known as TEFRA.

My husband just received a job opportunity in Mettewa, IL. We are
considering a move, but are finding that state funding for Intensive
ABA or in-home therapy is difficult to obtain and a long waiting
list. I am e-mailing all of you in hopes of finding out what we may
be up against if we move to IL.

Here are a few of the unanswered questions we need to figure out in
order to decide if a move to IL is possible:

1- Can Medical Assistance in IL be used for ABA or Intensive In-Home
Therapy?

2- Do you need to be a resident of IL for a certain time frame before
you can apply for MA?

3- Does your state work on a waiver program? If yes, how long of
wait before you can start receiving services?

4- If MA can be utlized for MA, what are the waiting periods for
service?

5- Is In-home or center based ABA/VBA available in IL. What is the
general wait time for service.

6 - Any other information you think may be helpful in considering our
move?

Thank you for all your help. I have found from experience that
parents going through the same experience are the best place to go
for advice. Thank you for taking time to respond.

I can be reached by responding to this e-mail. Or you can e-mail me
at rkbrmildebrandt@....

Sincerely,
Kari