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Providers and advocates urge careful oversight to protect access as DHS tightens EIDBI rules
Summary
Providers and clinical experts told the committee they support fraud prevention but warned that heavy‑handed measures risk reducing individualized clinical oversight and access; they urged DHS to use licensed behavior analysts in inspections and to work with trusted providers on workable safeguards.
Multiple providers and clinical experts testified to the committee that while they support DHS efforts to prevent fraud, the department should balance enforcement with measures that preserve access to high‑quality, individualized care.
James O'Neil, representing the Autism Treatment Association of Minnesota and a provider, said member agencies follow DHS documentation requirements, submit provider agreements and background checks, and welcome audits that provide constructive feedback. "ATAM is committed to fraud prevention, and we respectfully ask DHS and legislators to engage with trusted providers as partners in designing strategies that can both protect taxpayer dollars and ensure children's timely access to care," O'Neil said.
Dr. Eric Larson, a licensed psychologist and behavior analyst, told the committee that aggressive screening can produce false positives that reduce appropriate supervision. He recommended licensed behavior analysts perform direct observations during site inspections and interview parents as part of quality reviews. "This would be done by skilled licensed behavior analysts rather than regulators who do not have the skills to understand what they're seeing during the site visits," Larson said.
Parent advocate Brad Trahan urged accountability and transparency, saying families bear the consequences of oversight failures. "This fraud undermines years of bipartisan work and risks harming the very individuals the system was designed to protect," Trahan said.
Providers asked DHS to calibrate analytics to avoid unnecessarily restricting legitimate services and to share non‑sensitive findings that will help providers meet requirements without giving investigators a roadmap to conceal misconduct.
What’s next: Witnesses asked for continued DHS engagement with provider associations, clarified inspection protocols that use clinical expertise, and timely communication with families about changes that affect service delivery.
