By Twenty-one is an important birthday for Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities and autism. Until they reach 21, Medicaid has to pay for intensive services and supports, including behavioral and occupational therapies. As families reach the “cliff,” the Sharathchandras of Squirrel Hill included, worry about receiving funding to maintain the services their children need to thrive. 13,000 Pennsylvanians are on the waiting list–with 4,500 on an emergency list–for these services. On Tejus Sharathchandra’s 21st birthday, his family not only celebrates his birthday, but that he will be receiving the consolidated waiver funding that ensures he will get services for life.
