Education board OKs fee plan for First Steps

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The state Board of Education approved a fee schedule Thursday for families taking part in a state program to help developmentally disabled infants and toddlers.

Adoption of the rule setting the fee levels and spelling out what happens to those who don't pay followed passage of a state law in May requiring payment by some families in the First Steps program.

The program provides therapy and other services for about 8,000 developmentally disabled children younger than 3.

The program seemed doomed at the start of this year when Gov. Matt Blunt proposed to cut $23 million of its funding, essentially eliminating it. But parents mounted a massive campaign to save the program and Blunt ended up proposing a plan to keep it, with several changes.

The fees will be required starting early next year and range from $5 to $100 a month based on family income.

People on Medicaid and those making less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level, or $38,700 for a family of four, don't have to pay the fees.

The $100 fee is charged to a family of four earning $154,805 or more.

The new law also requires health insurance companies to cover physical, occupational and speech therapy costs and assistive technology for children, with an insurance cap of $3,000 annually per individual for three years.

With the rule adopted Thursday, those that have private health insurance but won't use it to cover program costs can be charged the highest monthly fee, regardless of income, as can those who don't provide their financial information.

Families that don't pay their fee are warned several times, but will be cut off from the program after 90 days.

Families can ask that their required fee be reviewed if their circumstances change, such as loss of a job.

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On the Net:

First Steps program: http://dese.mo.gov/divspeced/FirstSteps