WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-MN) today introduced bipartisan legislation to reverse the current crisis of parents being forced to take the drastic step of relinquishing their custody rights to the state in order to get mental health care for their seriously ill children.

“It is absolutely unacceptable that parents who can’t afford basic treatment for their mentally ill children are sometimes forced to give up custody to get their children the treatment they desperately need,” said Ramstad.

“Keeping children with their families is not only the right thing to do, it’s also the cost-effective way to get them the help they need,” said Ramstad. “Parents should not be forced to institutionalize their children, especially when they can provide a loving environment in their own homes.”

Services to treat severe mental disorders in children are extremely expensive and private insurance tends to run out after a few months, leaving parents unable to afford the cost. Affected children often remain ineligible for Medicaid because their parents’ income and assets keep them from qualifying for assistance. With no other way to get their kids treatment, parents are forced to choose between custody or care.

The General Accounting Office (GAO) reported in April that parents in 19 states placed 12,700 children in state welfare or juvenile justice agencies in 2001 to obtain mental health services for them. And that estimate is considered low, because 31 states did not respond to the survey.

Ramstad’s legislation provides competitive grants to states, conditioned on the existence of state laws or policies to ensure that children receive appropriate mental health services and parents do not have to relinquish custody of such children.

 

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