Proposed DSS Rule Sparks Concern Over Child Therapy Funding

(Sioux Falls, SD) — LifeScape is warning a proposed South Dakota rule change could cut its Medicaid funding by ten-million dollars a year, potentially affecting services for more than 33-hundred children and families. The nonprofit provides specialized therapies for kids, including helping them walk, talk, and eat, and says an 80-percent funding cut would be “devastating.” The Department of Social Services says the rule would modernize hospital reimbursement to align with industry standards, but LifeScape argues its programs don’t fit a one-size-fits-all model. Leaders with the nonprofit plan to work with DSS before the public comment deadline on September 20th, with the legislature set to review the rule on October 7th.