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Assembly committee hears proposal to create FASD treatment assistance program for children
Summary
A bill to establish a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder treatment assistance program within Nevada's Aging and Disability Services Division was introduced and discussed; presenters said the measure builds on a 2023 pilot and would leverage Medicaid while the state assesses additional funding needs.
Assembly Bill 6 would create a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) treatment assistance program in the Aging and Disability Services Division of the Department of Health and Human Services, presenters told the Assembly Ways and Means Committee.
Samantha Jaime, health program manager with the Autism Treatment Assistance Program, told the committee AB 6 "establishes the fetal alcohol spectrum disorder treatment assistance program within the aging and disability services division" and would amend statutory language to allow the division to provide and coordinate services for children diagnosed with FASD through age 13.
Jaime said the measure would build provider capacity by identifying and training clinicians in evidence-based practices and would align eligibility with Families Moving Forward, an evidence-based intervention targeted at children ages 3 through 13 who exhibit behavioral challenges. "Early intervention during these developmental years maximizes impacts and ensures lasting improvements for children and their families," Jaime told the committee.
Ricky Raab, deputy administrator for Aging and Disability Services, said the division expects to rely on Medicaid for applied behavior analysis and other services already covered by Medicaid and to "assess potential budget needs for services beyond Medicaid coverage." He told members the division plans to build the program structure first and does not plan to seek interim resources from the Interim Finance Committee; instead, the agency would return to the legislature in a future biennium with data and a budget request if necessary.
Committee members asked whether the division had capacity to implement the program using current resources; Raab said the division planned to leverage existing Medicaid-funded services and build provider capacity "at this point" without an interim request. There were no public witnesses who testified for or against AB 6 during the hearing.
If moved forward, AB 6 would formalize support for children who participated in the AB 422 pilot established in 2023 and provide a statutory framework for continuing Families Moving Forward services statewide, according to presenters. The hearing record shows the committee closed the public hearing with no immediate action taken on the bill.
