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County Disability & Special Needs says Medicaid waiver backlog leaves 20,000 statewide, ~543 locally waiting
Summary
Beth Cody of Beaufort County Disability & Special Needs told the Community Services Committee the department serves hundreds countywide but faces long Medicaid-waiver waiting lists — she cited about 20,000 people on waiting lists in South Carolina and estimated roughly 543 in Beaufort County.
Beth Cody, who presented for the county's Disability & Special Needs department, described the department's programs, staffing and the constraints the agency faces in serving residents with intellectual and related disabilities.
Cody said the department has 113 staff who provide early intervention, case management, residential services and an adult day program. She described early intervention services for about 200 children ages birth–5, case management serving "over 600 individuals" across Beaufort County, residential services supporting 51 individuals, and an adult day program serving 93 people. On funding, Cody said the department is "primarily funded through Medicaid waiver billing" and noted that waiting lists statewide are long; she said "more than 20,000 people are on waiting lists in South Carolina at this point," and later estimated about "543" local cases based on her calculations.
Committee members asked how the county can help alleviate the waiver backlog; Cody urged meeting with state delegates to highlight the county's needs and noted that expanding waiver slots requires federal and state matching dollars. Council members in the room mentioned potential complementary federal grant supports and that the county will coordinate with district staff and the new county grant writer to pursue funding where appropriate.
Cody asked council members to visit the department's day program and residential homes to better understand services and needs. The presentation closed with council praise for the department's work but no committee action was taken at the meeting.
