Today's digest covers waiver waitlists in the Midwest, a Senate push for a home care benefit, new housing models in North Carolina, and federal data on students with disabilities. Each item links to the original reporting.
Today's deep dive
Ohio Medicaid audit: what it means for I/DD providers. We read the state auditor's full Oct. 15 report on the Ohio Department of Medicaid and pulled out what matters for waiver providers: claim-payment data, vendor contracts, county eligibility problems and the department's response.
More news today
Midwest families wait years for HCBS waivers. The Midwest Newsroom profiles families in Kansas, Missouri and Iowa waiting for home and community-based services waivers. It cites KFF figures showing about 650,000 people on HCBS waitlists nationwide, up 7% from 2025, and more than 13,000 people on Iowa's health and disability waiver list as of October. Source: KCUR
Senate Finance Democrats ask how a universal home care benefit would work. An 81-page request for information, published Oct. 16, asks how a home care benefit could fit into Medicare and Medicaid, including questions on eligibility and the caregiver workforce. Home care trade groups say they plan to comment. Source: Home Health Care News
North Carolina pilots test new housing options for adults with I/DD. The nonprofit HOPE NC runs three Triangle-area housing pilots in Durham, Raleigh and Chapel Hill. Each has a community facilitator who checks in with residents, and many residents use Innovations or 1915(i) waiver services. Source: North Carolina Health News
Nearly 1 in 5 public school students has an IEP or 504 plan. Federal civil rights data for 2023–24 shows students with disabilities make up 19% of public school enrollment, up from 17% two years earlier. Students with IEPs account for 68% of students secluded and 73% of those physically restrained. Source: Disability Scoop
FDA clears another autism diagnostic aid. The FDA cleared Neurora, a tool that analyzes video and audio from standard assessments of children ages 18 months to 12 years to inform clinicians' autism diagnoses. The CDC says the median age of autism diagnosis is just under 4. Source: Disability Scoop