Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Disability Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee hears testimony on bill to change daily cap for Individualized Home Supports to monthly limit
Summary
House File 3375 (as amended) would replace a hard daily cap on Individualized Home Supports with training with a monthly aggregate cap to give people day‑to‑day flexibility; providers, family members and advocates testified the change protects people with complex needs and preserves person‑centered care.
Representative Curran asked the committee to lay over House File 3375 with an adopted A1 amendment that changes an annual/daily structure to a monthly cap for Individualized Home Supports with training (IHS‑T). The amendment keeps overall authorizations intact for most people but allows day‑to‑day flexibility and removes a three‑hour consecutive limit for IHS‑T.
Sarah Grass Room, senior director for state and federal policy at a provider association, told the committee the IHS‑T service is highly individualized and that the previously enacted 6‑hour daily cap and three‑hour consecutive rule can force disruptive splits in care. "This is an extremely personalized service," she said, and the proposed monthly aggregation would preserve person‑centered scheduling while maintaining accountability.
Providers reinforced those concerns. Jeremy Went, an executive director of a community‑based provider, described examples where the three‑hour/6‑hour clock would interrupt essential work — such as medication coordination with pharmacists — and risked creating post‑service audit flags under electronic visit verification requirements. He said removing the consecutive‑hours limitation and adopting monthly flexibility reduces those operational and compliance risks.
Family testimony underscored the stakes: Mark Stirring, parent and guardian of an adult who receives intensive daily supports, described how 24‑hour, consistent, skilled care has kept his son safe and thriving. "Limiting the number of hours of care would be catastrophic for him and other individuals with high complex medical and behavioral challenges," Stirring said.
Committee members asked for follow‑up with the Department of Human Services about implementation details and how the department will reconcile the change with federal approvals and billing rules. Representative Curran said the department will continue to work with providers while the bill is laid over.
Outcome: The committee adopted the A1 amendment by voice vote and laid HF 3375 as amended over for possible inclusion.
