Autism Grants: THEY ARE FOR $5,000
Friday, September 4, 2009 I just received some clarification from the head of Title V grants at DDS, Ms. Nancy Holder, that the grants can be for up to $5,000 for children and adults. I apologize for any confusion, but I was also getting the $2,500 reduction in grant amount from DHS staff. Please apply for the full $5,000 no matter what your local DHS caseworker tells you.
The other message from DHS is to please call your local county caseworker rather than the Pulaski County office. The Pulaski County office is getting inundated with phone calls. You can find your local county caseworker by calling 501-682-2277.
Finally, several families have been interested in using the grant for dental bills, private school tuition, and other expenses. I also asked Ms. Holder about this difficulty, and here's her response:
"Individuals who have several needs but are unsure of what to make their priority should list all their needs and the evaluation will take all of them into consideration when making the final determination. An issue we've seen is that requests come in for things that are not specific to autism. These funds must be used for items/services/expenses that families have because their loved one has a diagnosis of autism."
Families should of course list their funding priorities on the application. For instance, a family could have 1) ABA, 2) respite care, and 3) PT therapy their order of priority. DHS grant reviewers will make the final determination about would be covered.
Reader Comments (2)
Thanks so much for updates.
Just trying to help out. Keep us posted if you learn anything.