South Carolina Department of Disabilities & Special Needs 2014-2015 Budget Request & Annual Report

On February 6, 2014, the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs (DDSN) said in a legislative budget request that it anticipates a 14% increase in demand for state-funded autism services due to the new definition of autism in the revised Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-V). Statewide more than 6,500 people have applied for DDSN-funded autism-related services; 920 are eligible because they qualify under the new DSM-V criteria. The increase in demand for services was one of three challenges facing DDSN during the next fiscal year. A new federal Medicaid rule defining community . . .