The West Virginia Department of Health
and Human Resources (DHHR), Bureau for Medical Services is now accepting public
comments on the new Children with Serious Emotional
Disorder Waiver (CSEDW) policy manual until December 1, 2019. The CSEDW is part
of DHHR’s child welfare reform effort and will provide an array of services to enable
children who would otherwise require institutionalization to remain in their
homes and communities.
The CSEDW is a Medicaid Home
and Community-Based Services Waiver program authorized under §1915(c) of the
Social Security Act. The CSEDW provides services that are additions to Medicaid
State Plan coverage for Children with Serious Emotional Disorders who are
enrolled in the CSEDW program, from age 3 up to the youth’s 21st
birthday.
“This waiver aims to keep youth with
diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorders in their homes and
communities when possible,” said Cindy Beane, Commissioner of DHHR’s Bureau for
Medical Services. “As we work towards implementation of this important program,
residents are encouraged to provide feedback on the policy.”
It is anticipated that the CSEDW will
reduce the number of children housed both in-state and out-of-state in Psychiatric
Residential Treatment Facilities (PRTFs) and shorten the lengths of stay for
children who require acute care in PRTFs.
Public comments will be accepted through
December 1, 2019, via email at BMSSEDWaiver@wv.gov. Comments may also be mailed to DHHR’s
Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Unit: Bureau for Medical Services, 350
Capitol Street, Room 251, Charleston, WV 25301.