This month marks the 13th anniversary of Shayan's Settlement. Arzu Forough, Washington Autism Alliance founder and other families in similar situations advocated to clarify Washington State’s Mental Health Parity Act for those diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Shayan’s Settlement became the benchmark of insurance coverage for all children, adolescents and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the state of Washington.
Since its signing in 2011, Shayan’s Settlement has mandated coverage of medically necessary ASD screening, diagnosis, and treatment, including Behavior therapy. It applies to Individual Plans, Fully Insured Large Group Plans, and Fully Insured Small Group Plans, and coverage is not limited by age, dollar, or number of visits.
Services covered by Shayan’s Settlement are:
- Screening and Diagnosis
- Neurodevelopmental Therapies (speech, occupational, and physical therapies)
- Behavior Therapy including Applied Behavior Analysis
- Pharmacy Care
- Psychiatric Care
- Psychological Care
- Therapeutic Care
- Any care for individuals with developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders, that is demonstrated, based upon best practices or evidence-based research, to be medically necessary
Washington Autism Alliance continues to advocate and help Washington families navigate services and support for Washingtonians of all ages with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including Autism. Please join us as we continue to build a community of supporters by becoming a member of WAA. With a WAA membership, you gain access to our Insurance Portal resources to navigate private insurance as well as Medicaid, and our Special Education Legal Library. You can also access our WAA Online Academy, which houses recordings of our monthly informational sessions on topics like Co-Occurring Diagnosis, Autistic Burnout vs Depression, DDS and a lot of other important topics for individuals and families in our community.