Katie Beckett Program receives federal approval

The Division of TennCare and the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities announced this week that the state’s new Katie Beckett Program, which will extend aid to previously ineligible children with disabilities, has received federal approval.

“This is great news for so many Tennessee families and their advocates,” TennCare director Stephen Smith said. “Tennessee’s Katie Beckett Program is an innovative approach that will benefit children and families in need throughout our state, and we look forward to getting started.”

The Katie Beckett Program will extend aid to children with disabilities or who have complex medical needs who were previously not eligible to receive benefits through Medicaid due to the income level of their parents or guardians or because of the assets their parents own. Tennessee’s Katie Beckett Program has two parts, and, on Nov. 2, TennCare received approval from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for both Parts A and B of the program.

Part A provides Medicaid services to children with the most significant disabilities or complex medical needs, regardless, while Part B is a Medicaid diversion program. Under the Medicaid diversion program, children will receive a capped package of supports of up to $10,000 annually to help meet his or her needs rather than be enrolled in Medicaid.

The program was created after extensive input from families and other stakeholders who were calling for a program that would allow them more flexibility in choosing services for their children. Families were asking to choose from an array of service options rather than be forced to take advantage of limited availability options. Families of children with complex medical needs were also asking for assistance with co-pays and insurance premiums as well as reimbursement for both traditional and non-traditional therapies.

“As the father of a child with intellectual and developmental disabilities, I know the struggles and concerns families face every day to make sure their child gets the care they need,” DIDD Commissioner Brad Turner, who was instrumental in the approval of the program, said.  “This program reflects the input we received from families all over Tennessee, and I’m hopeful it will help provide them with physical, emotional, and financial relief.

The Katie Beckett Program was signed into law by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, in May 2019, after it had been passed and funded by the General Assembly. The DIDD and TennCare have spent the past 18 months gathering stakeholder input, designing the program, hiring and training case managers, and developing systems to ensure a quick and smooth implementation of the program once they received the final approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

According to the state of Tennessee, there are approximately 700 families that have already indicated their interest in applying for the program, and the DIDD and TennCare will be sending out notifications in the upcoming week to inform those families that the program will be ready to take applications soon.

TennCare Connect will have a self-referral form available on their website beginning Nov. 23. Families who are interested in receiving benefits through the Katie Beckett Program are encouraged to begin applying as soon as the site opens, but TennCare is expecting a high volume of applications in the first few days. While both the DIDD and TennCare will work quickly to process the applications and get help to the families, they are asking for patience as a DIDD case manager will need to contact each applicant to follow up and continue the assessment process and direct families through the next steps to receiving the aid they need for their children.

More information about the Katie Beckett Program can be found at https://www.tn.gov/didd/katie-beckett-waiver.html and https://www.tn.gov/tenncare/long-term-services-supports/katie-beckett-waiver.html