I have to take my 9 month old to a child psychologist… you’re kidding, right?

So I got a call from Wendy’s case manger for the Katie Beckett Waiver, where we are trying to get Medicaid for her. Not only did she call me a liar, she told me I have to take my 9 month old to a psychologist. First off, she told me I didn’t fill out the original paperwork, that I had made a really bad copy and sent it in. Which, I most certainly did not do. Why would I make a copy of the papers she sent me? When I told her I did not do that, that I had my doctor fill out the papers she sent, she kept saying, I disagree, I disagree, you can speak to my manager, which I did. So there are going to be new copies sent to me and I have to have the doctor fill them out, again.


As if that’s not a big enough pain, because Wendy’s pediatrician is in Athens, she also told me I had to send in therapy notes (which I already have, from Wendy’s oral therapy) and a letter from a psychologist because Wendy’s pediatrician put down that she has developmental delays. Of course she has developmental delays, she’s a preemie with a chromosome abnormality! And developmental delays are in all of her charts because of that fact. However, her case manager is saying that for Wendy to be eligible for the Katie Beckett Waiver, that she has to go to an actual child psychologist.


Call me crazy, but that really upsets me. I don’t want any doctor or psychologist analyzing my 9 month old unless it is medically necessary, which it is not. It was hard enough for us to read the report from the physical therapists saying Wendy was behind in all areas, however, once a therapist came to our house and saw her interact with me, she said the report was completely wrong. A baby does not act the same in an odd environment with a complete stranger trying to hold them. I don’t want to have to read another report saying how behind my child is and how mentally retarded she’s going to be. Because at 9 months old, you can’t tell how she’s going to act in the future. Every child develops differently, and just because Wendy isn’t at the same level as some other 9 months old, doesn’t mean there is something wrong with her. I’m just really opposed to the idea of having her evaluated at such a young age. All of her doctors have recommended not to have her tested until she’s at least 2-3 years old because of the fact that she’s a preemie and that the tests have no validation at this point. But it doesn’t look like I have much of a choice.


Funny how easily they give out Medicaid to so many other people, but we’re having this much of a problem getting it for Wendy.