This past week news broke about families' concerns with some services in the intellectual and developmental disabilities waiver. Families also alleged there was fraud with billing and documentation. Any substantiated fraud must be swiftly dealt with, and any systemic issues leading to it corrected.

I'm thankful that families made their concerns about services known. In the past, families have often seemed hesitant to share concerns about services through state systems because they were afraid of retaliation. I hope the state systems will partner with families and everyone else involved to develop resolutions that work and have an accountability trail. The conversations that began with Medicaid during the public comment period for the waiver renewal application were promising, and the final waiver application left the door open for revisions. So I hope families will keep being clear about their concerns, and the Division of Medicaid will continue the conversations it began.

These junctures can be hard and scary. They can also pave the way for real change. Families know what their children experience daily, and that knowledge can offer great insight into what would be most helpful.

This week we share more opportunities for families and all of our readers to give input into services and plans. We hope you will respond to these and share them with others:

• Community Feedback Survey about Mental Health and Substance Use Services in Mississippi (Closes April 30) 
• Mississippi Community of Practice on Whole Child Equity and Adolescence: Questionnaire for Youth (Closes April 17)
• Mississippi Community of Practice on Whole Child Equity and Adolescence: Questionnaire for Adults   (Closes April 17)
• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced that the agency's draft Strategic Plan is now open for public comment (Closes April 27) 

On April 20 at noon CDT all families are welcome to join us for our Virtual: Bring Your IEP and Other School Questions. We will virtually hold the Families as Allies Board Quarterly Board Meeting on April 20 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. CDT. All meetings are open to the public and include time for public comments.

On April 26 at 10:00 a.m. CDT, there will be a virtual Status Conference Regarding the United States vs. Mississippi Mental Health Lawsuit focused on the most recent monitoring report. The Zoom link will be announced closer to the date. Please check our events calendar for more trainings, meetings and conferences. 

Let's continue to work together to move things forward for our children.