Mr. John G. Prosser, II President Neuro Trauma Association of Florida 691 North Squirrel Road, Suite 105 Auburn Hills, MI 48326 Dear Mr. Prosser: March 11, 2011 Rick Scott Governor Thank you for your letter...
Mr. John G. Prosser, II
President
Neuro Trauma Association of Florida
691 North Squirrel Road, Suite 105
Auburn Hills, MI 48326
Dear Mr. Prosser:
March 11, 2011
Rick Scott
Governor
Thank you for your letter of January 4, 2011. Governor Scott’s office forwarded it to the Department of Health for our review and response. The state of Florida and the department have long recognized the acute and long-term needs of individuals who have sustained traumatic brain and/or spinal cord injuries. The state has been recognized as a national model in the development of a statewide coordinated system of services and supports for these individuals. We were the first state in the nation to have a legislatively-mandated trust fund to assist individuals in obtaining critical and essential services necessary to reintegrate them back into the community. The Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Program Trust Fund is also used to provide state match for the TBI/SCI Home and Community-Based Medicaid Waiver Program which provides long-term supports to enable individuals to sustain themselves in their communities.
Although the statewide network of case managers effectively identifies and utilizes all federal, state and community resources, it is not sufficient to address the acute and long-term needs of all individuals who have sustained severe catastrophic injuries. The Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Program is very interested in identifying and exploring other successful funding options utilized in other states including Michigan.
We would appreciate your assistance in providing us with the name and contact information for the individual responsible for the administration of the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association (MCCA) Fund. We are particularly interested in how the MCCA was created, the numbers of individuals currently being served, and the average number of new individuals who apply each year, the average cost per client, the services provided, and how services are coordinated. We are also interested in the cost savings to the state Medicaid program and how this fund may have reduced insurance premiums. We would like to obtain an executive summary or annual report including the activities, outcomes and successes of the program. The Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Program would be interested in coordinating a meeting with individuals within key agencies and programs within Florida state government to meet with a representative from the MCCA. Your assistance in helping us identify this individual would be greatly appreciated.
We appreciate your desire to assist the state of Florida to identify viable funding solutions to address the needs of individuals who have sustained catastrophic injuries. We commend the state of Michigan for its recognition of the issue and its commitment to implement an innovative solution to address this need. We look forward to hearing from you. Please contact me directly at (850) 245-4045.
Thom DeLilia
Bureau Chief
Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Program