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Treatment options expanded

Published (4/6/2012)
By Sue Hegarty
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Parents of children who are deaf, deaf blind or hard-of-hearing and who need mental health treatment will have more options for where they can seek treatment for their children.

Current law limits public health cost reimbursement for the specialized mental health services to facilities located in Minnesota or in bordering states.

Sponsored by Rep. Kathy Lohmer (R-Lake Elmo) and Sen. Michelle Benson (R-Ham Lake), a new law will allow parents of deaf, deaf blind or hard-of-hearing children who need mental health treatment to seek residential treatment in any state that meets a set of criteria.

Signed April 2 by Gov. Mark Dayton and effective Aug. 1, 2012, the new law requires the chosen facilities to meet the following criteria: be located in a state that is a member of the Interstate Compact on Mental Health; accept clients who use American Sign Language as their first language; and be licensed by the state in which it is located.

Proponents said the additional options will save public money, too, because of lower residential treatment rates in other states.

HF2253*/ SF1861/CH148

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