It's An Autism Salutes Day!!!

It’s a day for Saluting folks! I LOVE these days, they are just simply the BEST!!!

Senator Diane Feinstein, Senator Mel Martinez, Senator Chuck Schumer, and Senator Richard Durbin! Autism Salutes YOU!

Last month Senator’s Feinstein, Martinez, Schumer, and Durbin introduced a Senate Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 2009, which would have raised the monthly cap on the amount of treatment our military dependent children with autism receive through the Extended Care Health Option (ECHO) program. The amendment would have increased coverage to $5,000 per month.

Unfortunately the Senate Amendment was not chosen to go to vote, along with hundreds of other Senate amendments. With the House and Senate versions of the NDAA ’09 passed and on their way to conference committee, we kept the faith. It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.

The President has signed into law the NDAA ’09. While the cap was not raised to $5,000, some monumental changes were made to the ECHO program. The monthly cap was done away with, and instead a yearly maximum of $36,000 implemented. In other words, if you don’t have services one month, that funding is not “lost” as it was previously. It now “rolls over”! This is a huge change, a definite step in the right direction, and will help our children, while we continue on in this journey!

Congressman Joe Sestak, again, Autism Salutes YOU! It was you who initially took a leadership role for our children!

Our children and our families are grateful to all of our leaders who fought for our children. Thank you!

“It’s great to be great, but it’s greater to be human.”
Will Rogers

You can now read Senator's Feinstein, Martinez, Schumer, and Durbin's Amendment in the Documents Section on the left, and the NDAA 2009 language pertaining to this as well.