As a professional whose literally helped people all around the country I can tell you New Jersey is one of the best in terms of State Medicaid Waiver Supports. Stay away from Connecticut, Florida, and Texas. Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania are pretty good too. It all depends on what support you need. In ALL cases, if you move AFTER your child leaves High School plan on your child being put on a waiting list. In Connecticut that list could be 25+ years.
I am pleased to see notes about the bases on which people compare administrative groups. I fear that too often people say that LEA1 < LEA5 or SEA r > SEAp on the basis of vague, subjective assessments.
I’d be interested in hearing folks list the criteria or standards that should be used to compare administrative groups. Alternatively, what is it that we want states and localities to provide?
A very important issue, for sure! My autistic son is set up now but is having trouble finding work. Getting him set up took forever. He was already qualified for benefits, but figuring out how to access them and not break any rules was a nightmare. My ex-husband and I put so many hours into it! The agency that was supposed to be helping us acted like we were trying to defraud them. My ex and I are both college-educated, and we couldn't believe how difficult all the paperwork and things we were expected to do on our own were. I'm in CA, by the way.
I am aware that in Massachusetts our benefits are some of the best, but before anyone moves, please research the reality of disability services. It took 2 years to sign up for DDS (Department of Developmental Services) which will fund day programs, respite, etc. Once qualified for benefits, parents discover that there are no day programs to be found in and around the greater Boston area. A director of a center, that is close to where I live with my daughter and a natural place for her to go, told me that they have still not brought back 30 clients who were part of their day program pre-Covid. DDS has a self-directed program which "allows" clients (or their parents) to set up services for themselves. This is time consuming and difficult because it includes finding employees and devising a program. It is, however, the way we are going until day program space opens up in a few years.
A fancy transition program on Cape Cod told a friend that she should move. The school told her that in NJ, everybody is on their own, while Mass has much better services. Now, this school might be wrong, but that's what people are hearing. This friend is planning on moving.
As a professional whose literally helped people all around the country I can tell you New Jersey is one of the best in terms of State Medicaid Waiver Supports. Stay away from Connecticut, Florida, and Texas. Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania are pretty good too. It all depends on what support you need. In ALL cases, if you move AFTER your child leaves High School plan on your child being put on a waiting list. In Connecticut that list could be 25+ years.
I put together a FREE checklist for families considering a move to another state. You can download it here - https://truenorthdisabilityplanning.com/free-tools/moving-with-special-needs-child
I am pleased to see notes about the bases on which people compare administrative groups. I fear that too often people say that LEA1 < LEA5 or SEA r > SEAp on the basis of vague, subjective assessments.
I’d be interested in hearing folks list the criteria or standards that should be used to compare administrative groups. Alternatively, what is it that we want states and localities to provide?
A very important issue, for sure! My autistic son is set up now but is having trouble finding work. Getting him set up took forever. He was already qualified for benefits, but figuring out how to access them and not break any rules was a nightmare. My ex-husband and I put so many hours into it! The agency that was supposed to be helping us acted like we were trying to defraud them. My ex and I are both college-educated, and we couldn't believe how difficult all the paperwork and things we were expected to do on our own were. I'm in CA, by the way.
I am aware that in Massachusetts our benefits are some of the best, but before anyone moves, please research the reality of disability services. It took 2 years to sign up for DDS (Department of Developmental Services) which will fund day programs, respite, etc. Once qualified for benefits, parents discover that there are no day programs to be found in and around the greater Boston area. A director of a center, that is close to where I live with my daughter and a natural place for her to go, told me that they have still not brought back 30 clients who were part of their day program pre-Covid. DDS has a self-directed program which "allows" clients (or their parents) to set up services for themselves. This is time consuming and difficult because it includes finding employees and devising a program. It is, however, the way we are going until day program space opens up in a few years.
A fancy transition program on Cape Cod told a friend that she should move. The school told her that in NJ, everybody is on their own, while Mass has much better services. Now, this school might be wrong, but that's what people are hearing. This friend is planning on moving.