HB1586

House Bill 1586 amends Arkansas law regarding the Medicaid waiver for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Specifically, the bill clarifies the diagnostic requirements for a child to qualify for the waiver. Under the current law, a child must be diagnosed by at least two qualified professionals of different types. The amendment explicitly requires that both professionals must independently conclude that the child meets the diagnostic criteria as defined by the most recent edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The bill intends to standardize and clarify the verification process for accessing Medicaid-funded autism services.