Child advocates in Maine have warned that proposed Medicaid rule changes by the Department of Health and Human Services could cause children with disabilities to lose access to critical behavioral and developmental services. The department said the changes aim to “update outdated references and clarify vague language,” but the Maine Developmental Disabilities Council and other advocacy groups fear the revisions would reduce eligibility.
Proposed Changes and Their Impact
Under Section 28 of Maine’s Medicaid program, children receive services to help them develop social and life skills—learning how to order food at restaurants, interact with peers, and communicate. Nancy Cronin, executive director of the Maine Developmental Disabilities Council, warned that the proposed changes would leave children with certain diagnoses, such as attention deficit disorder and cerebral palsy, ineligible for services. Erica Boudette, children’s program coordinator for Choices Are For Everyone, Inc., said she believes six of the 15 children in her program would likely lose services if the revisions take effect. “What they are proposing would make it much harder to qualify for services,” Boudette said. “This has a high likelihood of putting a lot of kids in crisis.”
The changes would not impact benefits for children with autism and intellectual disabilities, according to advocates. A settlement agreement between the U.S. Department of Justice and Maine DHHS from November 2024 aimed to improve access to Medicaid services for children; the Justice Department had filed a lawsuit against Maine in September 2024 for failing to provide adequate services for children with behavioral health disabilities.
Ongoing Comment Period
The department has held two public hearings and is accepting written comments through Friday. Amanda Blake, mother of a 4-year-old son with attention deficit disorder who receives Section 28 services, expressed concern about losing them. “He’s gifted academically, but he has no idea if someone is angry or scared because he can’t read faces,” Blake said. “The therapy has really helped him relate to his peers.” A decision on the rule changes is expected by the end of April.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.centralmaine.com/2026/03/09/advocates-say-medicaid-rule-changes-would-cut-disability-services-for-some-maine-kids/