[{"_1":2,"_124":-5,"_125":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6380113,"mediaKeyId","2133239-88829b3d81a3cc5c62136e6a4660a01a","parentId",2133239,"title","Panel hears plan to broaden Medicaid coverage for applied behavior analysis; department flags cost and workforce concerns","audioSeconds",635,"startMs",2938000,"endMs",3573000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2133239-88829b3d81a3cc5c62136e6a4660a01a&start=2938&end=3573","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2133239-88829b3d81a3cc5c62136e6a4660a01a/thumbnail_2938000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6380113/North-Dakota/Panel-hears-plan-to-broaden-Medicaid-coverage-for-applied-behavior-analysis-department-flags-cost-and-workforce-concerns","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6380113-f5799f7f3bf64a013fc68e746151e7b3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771094606&Signature=fPvMMgYFTACX8-nYsiXZf~32sFV-plMt0TwVrx1xikbhqeJOVkCrxtuywF334AvX5-jyttF5fRdEiFjyECYXX7~do21JJL5A~VGlbOgl~WuwUpzcqoTwkx6t6bdeVw29HOFLf~k4dIlw68YzCobgFkdFZCYs192Is9sbzbVuVjFLNamn9yzx7I-KLE8cG5aB5RnrGTdmXr0yMMeXAhON3Tg8VWwg6hVNmNjayyDVmDXGGpMty5UqaG~8TA8OwrgHyG498OJUrllw9LCYn6lkK-ggSeR0QQqxQjS0mHS5jNK71DHwG7umebG1Yvv~xHeFQuh-2YbO-sSvUh17NjsIyA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Senate Human Services, ND","date","2025-01-20T00:00:00Z","article","The Senate Human Services Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 2190, which would broaden Medicaid coverage of applied behavior analysis (ABA) beyond children with autism to include assessment and treatment of common behavioral problems across the lifespan for individuals with a variety of psychological and medical diagnoses.

Supporters including Roxanne Romanek of Designer Genes of North Dakota and Chelsea Florie, Burleigh County human services zone director, described ABA as an evidence-based, individualized approach that can help people with Down syndrome and youth in foster care who present complex behavioral needs. Romanek said restrictive eligibility has left families without services available in other states: \"Expanding coverage to include these population aligns with principles of equity and inclusion, ensures that no family is left behind simply because their loved one's diagnosis falls outside a certain criterion.\" Florie described cases in legal custody where ABA stabilized placements and reduced the need for residential care.

Sarah Acre, executive director of the Division of Medical Services (neutral testimony), said current Medicaid covers ABA for children under 21 with autism and that expanding the service as written would not be in the governor's budget. The department estimated total funds cost of approximately $13,967,000 using diagnoses submitted by behavioral-analysis providers and claims-data assumptions; it estimated an additional $853,613 to expand to adults with autism. Acre also warned that evidence of ABA efficacy is not established for all listed diagnoses, that provider supply and geography already limit access for children with autism, and that program integrity concerns have arisen in other states (Minnesota investigations cited). The department recommended service authorization, authorization monitoring and resources for program integrity.

Committee members discussed workforce capacity, efficacy and fraud risks and asked agency staff and stakeholders to work on targeted language and fiscal safeguards. No committee vote was taken on SB 2190 during the session.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Human Services Jan 20, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Senate Bill 2190 would expand Medicaid coverage for applied behavior analysis to treat behavioral problems across the lifespan; advocates said the change boosts equity while the Medicaid division warned of substantial fiscal impact and workforce and program-integrity concerns.","taxTitle","Human Services, Senate, Legislative, North Dakota","taxId",28905,"location","North Dakota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6380117,"Committee advances bill to clarify confidentiality and communications for Children's Advocacy Centers",3850,2287000,6137000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2133239-88829b3d81a3cc5c62136e6a4660a01a&start=2287&end=6137","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2133239-88829b3d81a3cc5c62136e6a4660a01a/thumbnail_2287000.jpg","/articles/6380117/North-Dakota/Committee-advances-bill-to-clarify-confidentiality-and-communications-for-Childrens-Advocacy-Centers","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6380117-d18be4dd367d8fafe1898998484fccbd/orig.mp4?Expires=1771094606&Signature=FZs9OawUg58~CO7kyLL5zWWys5R5eS0-a2RtyeAGQBbIbcMplbQrYCxJ~JC-MhGspF4gmesNFWV9JLioolukAMY-Lv7qqttYSIaOHizBSTnEp48WR4k1tYwUSZQzBhU3bAVQkNVCqoDt9kyaQqXUMFYJmwvYWQ0ISTGNu6mk4GmQEWpg7bZ~x7ddjElMnC5~A8fsEhbySvIJxWPYtNVQoKNp5qPxvLRqpFZGrxXCqRASUnCd1AVRUqq0M-qbVS0wnF7FFS6EQjMdViDpnh-kjY1ziYXGSx3yX-bWx8rtVnYcXxs9MrnbVPmv2rbisQlJUU4jwz0E-P4Ho-x87z6C7A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Human Services Committee voted to give Senate Bill 2173 a do-pass recommendation after hearing testimony from children's advocacy center leaders, human services zone directors and the state's attorneys association.

Greg Kosowski, executive director of the Children's Advocacy Centers of North Dakota, told the committee the bill updates the statutory definition of a children's advocacy center (CAC), replaces the term \"full\" with \"accredited\" to align with the National Children's Alliance, and clarifies that confidential communications include both records and verbal communications used during multidisciplinary case discussions. \"This addition would be clarifying how verbal communication is confidential,\" Kosowski said.

Several witnesses, including Chelsea Florie, zone director for Burleigh County Human Service Zone, and Jonathan Byers of the North Dakota State's Attorneys Association, described existing coordination among law enforcement, human services, prosecutors and CACs and supported the bill as drafted. Florie said CACs are used when criminal aspects of a report are present and that legal custodial decisions and court orders remain the authority of human services zones. Byers explained that parents typically receive the results of an investigation but do not automatically receive the identity of the mandated reporter.

One written opposition was recorded; proponents said the bill did not alter consent or referral processes and that the changes would protect victims by allowing confidential multidisciplinary communications and appropriate sharing with prosecutors, courts and other CACs when necessary for continuity of care.

The committee vote to give SB 2173 a do-pass recommendation carried on a recorded voice roll call; the clerk recorded a 6-0 vote in favor (Chairman Lee, Vice Chair Weston, Senators Rohrs, Hogan, Van Osteen and Clemens voted aye). The bill will proceed to the next stage per committee procedure.","Senate Bill 2173, which updates the definition of children’s advocacy centers and explicitly protects confidential verbal communications among multidisciplinary partners, received committee support and a due-pass recommendation after testimony from CAC leaders, human services zone directors, prosecutors and supporters.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6380121,"Providers, prosecutors and zones urge clearer timing for emergency mental-health holds; committee hears 72-hour option",1042,1284000,2326000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2133239-88829b3d81a3cc5c62136e6a4660a01a&start=1284&end=2326","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2133239-88829b3d81a3cc5c62136e6a4660a01a/thumbnail_1284000.jpg","/articles/6380121/North-Dakota/Providers-prosecutors-and-zones-urge-clearer-timing-for-emergency-mental-health-holds-committee-hears-72-hour-option","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6380121-a5ab3a9fee6aed40991aa0852198ad26/orig.mp4?Expires=1771094606&Signature=NWb06Z1DykuZ8MaESkk2QnPnUd67IueM1S6Jc7uBWXC1TtIIiD5AJLUSGl386-NsgptqTjcx7sTTAFjZIOErlc2rfvRN8mov9OPJGT-UoXEKFNBewBFDPi2I95uNO3yIBRZgNxQsf0BnqfB6y4NTtNC3yhyMwChuyrWtCDQtLQLg28980UzDFJkWhtyWlmKMugpWQ6r5K~VE~Unm2yKI292Z3Bnn4wv0yGyixP5F53Fqt046uwX7gcZzd-qoXyA88MMzwoE1jN~EhC1TgYUL5gFYpv95Z7SXswrScsa8n0g~xOOMy~ErhM9Beq3RiNEkAugnrb3Gg3RlPF6AWhORXg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Providers, prosecutors and human services zone directors told the Senate Human Services Committee that North Dakota’s 24-hour emergency mental-health hold can be impractical in rural areas and asked for statutory clarity or expansion to a 72-hour hold.

Ty Hegland, CEO of Prairie St. John’s, a 132-bed acute psychiatric hospital in Fargo, described long transport distances and volunteer ambulance reliance that can leave little or no time remaining on a 24-hour hold by the time a patient reaches an assessment facility. “Quite often when they present to an ER, an ER provider is called in, provider assesses them, makes a determination to put them on hold, and then the journey for traveling to that referring facility starts,” Hegland said, later adding that transport times sometimes reach seven hours and that “quite often what happens based upon the transportation realities is that patients present, and there's no time left on the hold.”

Hegland and other witnesses asked the committee for three clarifications: start the statutory hold when the patient presents to the receiving assessment facility, exclude holidays from the hold clock, and exclude weekends. Hegland said the overall aim is to allow sufficient time for psychosocial assessments and medication stabilization, processes that can take multiple days. Several witnesses noted that Minnesota’s 72-hour hold law complicates cross-border care for residents near the state line and that 33 states permit 72-hour holds or processes in some form.

Committee members pressed witnesses on practical and legal details: whether law enforcement will transport without a legal document, how the patient's legal status is defined while in transport, and whether extending the hold would increase costs for facilities or create unintended consequences. Hegland and others said they consult frequently with law enforcement and that clarity would reduce reliance on back-to-back holds, which providers avoid.

No formal amendments or votes were taken on SB 2171 during the hearing. Committee members asked the Department of Human Services and the Division of Medical Services to return with suggested drafting options, fiscal implications, and operational language — including whether a 72-hour statutory hold is feasible and how payment or hospitalization eligibility would be determined.","Hospital and provider representatives urged the Senate Human Services Committee to clarify when the statutory 24-hour involuntary hold begins and to consider a 72-hour hold, citing rural transport times and lab/testing delays; the committee heard fiscal and operational questions but did not vote on SB 2171.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6380126,"Senate Human Services Committee keeps hearing on physical therapy informed-consent bill open until students can testify",230,670000,900000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2133239-88829b3d81a3cc5c62136e6a4660a01a&start=670&end=900","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2133239-88829b3d81a3cc5c62136e6a4660a01a/thumbnail_670000.jpg","/articles/6380126/North-Dakota/Senate-Human-Services-Committee-keeps-hearing-on-physical-therapy-informed-consent-bill-open-until-students-can-testify","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6380126-fb64c8af4fcdb9de5e0f69e22856c8fd/orig.mp4?Expires=1771094606&Signature=TTLfgXFcA-98BdLW9erbSZXt16dnG~VZBETNXoTHprf8Yy4XgGR87IlSmoZF37bnEJ6sRzHLUOr4Fepwj1LhM6jvqXnmE7rBojySawOqqBZEvfwmcXxvvMNL4f9ZcR8yo9T8G8rK5ugMGqGK2-i70p69jB~z0qWfvo~-XbljXaF8m2oYEBRWvfX7t3cwt3ed~1uKqcKfuM8a3rFigsjUcudpZ8Xs1r2TbsGLtl0JVP43drV~UoxeYtJ-yuPhBc5JCR4uLuqFjK~IJapjPhrowpA2yLkRhUIvxn-AQH-uxxorO3eQ1pvodwUX0WvdgWLHc-uczXYLt8NG90~-zDOS6w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Human Services Committee kept open the hearing on Senate Bill 2169, a bill relating to patient informed consent in physical therapy, after sponsor Senator Randy Burkhard asked the panel to delay final testimony so students could appear.

Senator Randy Burkhard, sponsor and a state senator from Minot, told the committee he had planned to bring physical therapy students from the University of Mary but there was a scheduling mix-up. \"We were planning on bringing the students to the capital next Monday, 27th. So I would respectfully request that you continue this hearing to Monday, 27th,\" Burkhard said. The committee chair agreed to keep the hearing open to allow the students to testify.

Burkhard said the bill addresses consent forms and asked the committee to note a drafting typo in the bill (the word \"consent form\" had been mistyped in the draft). No other testimony was offered in favor or opposition during the session. The chair closed oral testimony for the moment but said the record and the hearing would remain open until the next Monday so the students could appear.

No formal vote was taken on SB 2169 during the session. The committee did not adopt any amendments during the sitting and explicitly kept the hearing open to allow further testimony at the next scheduled date.","Sponsor Senator Randy Burkhard asked the Senate Human Services Committee to continue the hearing on Senate Bill 2169, relating to physical therapy patient informed-consent forms, so university students planned to testify can appear; the committee kept the hearing open until the next scheduled Monday.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":117,"_47":118,"_49":119,"_51":120,"_53":121,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":122,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":123,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6380109,"Community-provider groups urge state funding or flexibility for accreditation costs; bill would provide grants to offset expenses",1308,6112000,7420000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2133239-88829b3d81a3cc5c62136e6a4660a01a&start=6112&end=7420","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2133239-88829b3d81a3cc5c62136e6a4660a01a/thumbnail_6112000.jpg","/articles/6380109/North-Dakota/Community-provider-groups-urge-state-funding-or-flexibility-for-accreditation-costs-bill-would-provide-grants-to-offset-expenses","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6380109-a892fa78b0f470dc036222af5505c277/orig.mp4?Expires=1771094606&Signature=oI-BNZNwYBtYxTngL2Smd74UaTsgUDRQCt~6aMrmVVHiaiDGKLU9EquSU2apLYOdcJWSVNkkt7pZAP6fi6bzLvz252Ujrxxsh8HTAbsE86HBYJnmnljqIxT-pQibAF8FQADjrjEg7C9Jfk4OuNMR~U9yH-1~DhRLLxIBxz0mSEuuOWitR2ZMq8pTZnDEgnBAGt8fOcnRMNrZRvSMJg--YO14diX44eKDerwxQBOOmtOIUQWFbyC~y2ab8wjgHy88w0CcHQMsiRs4L6YZ0QIMEe6-C9JzLWvHPw70LFpxthiY~B4xABdPkXTKcAOEdWFHJkMmigWMcxEefGbdr9oR6g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Community provider representatives told the Senate Human Services Committee that mandated accreditation for organizations serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities imposes substantial financial and administrative burdens and asked that the state either reimburse accreditation costs or make accreditation optional.

Angela Denias, executive director of the North Dakota Association of Community Providers, said accreditation used to be state-funded and that the requirement remains onerous. \"If the committee chooses to retain mandatory accreditation, we ask that the state fully fund the cost,\" she said, and suggested limiting accreditation to DD services if the state resumes reimbursement. Providers including Community Options, Poppies Promise and the Vocational Training Center described accreditation costs in the range of $25,000 to $40,000 depending on organization size and warned that some accrediting bodies now require evaluation of the entire organization (including unrelated services), raising costs further.

Several providers supported an appropriation to offset the accreditation burden or asked that accreditation be optional. The Department of Health and Human Services told the committee that additional details are needed, including whether funding should be limited to DD-service elements or include other provider activities and asked for time to provide fiscal analysis and clarify which accrediting entities are approved for the department's rule. Committee members asked the department to report back on approved accrediting organizations and on the program costs and scope of any state-funded reimbursement.

No committee vote was taken on SB 2192 during the session; members asked the department to provide further fiscal detail and options.","Senate Bill 2192 would appropriate funds for accreditation grants to community providers. Providers told the committee accreditation can cost $25,000–$40,000 or more and that recent changes require accrediting bodies to evaluate entire organizations; they asked the committee to either make accreditation optional or restore state reimbursement.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Panel hears plan to broaden Medicaid coverage for applied behavior analysis; department flags cost and workforce concerns

Committee advances bill to clarify confidentiality and communications for Children's Advocacy Centers

Providers, prosecutors and zones urge clearer timing for emergency mental-health holds; committee hears 72-hour option

Senate Human Services Committee keeps hearing on physical therapy informed-consent bill open until students can testify

Community-provider groups urge state funding or flexibility for accreditation costs; bill would provide grants to offset expenses