Pursuing Health Insurance Reimbursements for Your Child’s Therapies

Advice from an Insurance Law Expert             

Recently, the Skyer Law team participated in an in-house professional development seminar that focused on how our clients may be able to pursue their health insurance plans to obtain insurance payments for their child’s therapies and related services. 

The training was provided by leading insurance attorney, Jodi Bouer, the founding partner of Bouer Law LLC, a national insurance advocacy and litigation firm headquartered in Princeton, NJ.    

The major takeaway:  Although parents should primarily pursue services under the IDEA, they should also concurrently explore accessing health insurance reimbursements for supplemental services outside of an educational setting, which are deemed medically necessary. 

For more information and to seek guidance on whether to pursue reimbursements for your child’s therapies under your health insurance plan or to determine whether you should fight your insurer’s denial of your child’s therapeutic services, please call Jodi Bouer at 609-924-3990.

What’s Next for Your Child with Autism?

Strategies for Success at Home, School and in the Community  

On Wednesday, May 18, the Brooklyn Public Central Library is hosting a conference for family members and caretakers of children and teens with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. 

For more information on this free event, please visit bklynlibrary.org

2015-2016 Settlements Update

We are working diligently to effectuate tuition reimbursement payments for our clients for the 2015-2016 school year. Unfortunately, the New York City Comptroller, who is responsible for reviewing and approving all settlements, is not adhering to the Mayor’s policy to expedite settlements between parents and the NYC Department of Education (See our June 25, 2014 blog to learn more about the Mayor's Policy: de Blasio Policy Update).

This is resulting in a widespread delay in the settlement process. Despite the persistent follow-up undertaken by our staff, the Comptroller’s Office remains non-responsive to our requests to ascertain the status of settlements. 

In the hope of putting additional pressure on the city, we encourage you - the parent - to contact the Comptroller’s Office directly to request that the Comptroller expedite the review of your child’s settlement. Once you reach the Comptroller’s Office you will most likely be told that, since you have retained counsel, it is your counsel that must make contact with the Comptroller’s Office. We know this, but we also know that squeaky wheels get oiled. As a result, we believe that if enough parents make noise, the Comptroller’s Office will have no choice but to listen.

You can reach the Office of the Comptroller at (212) 669-3916. Please provide the Comptroller’s Office with your child’s nine-digit NYC ID Number and Date of Birth.