On February 28, 2011, Iliana Garrido sued the state Medicaid agency regarding the state’s refusal to cover behavioral health services for her autistic 5 year old son, Karls. Her son suffers from severe behavioral problems associated with autism and needs the intensive behavioral services commonly referred to as ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis).

Garrido and her husband cannot afford to pay for the ABA therapy, which typically requires at least 20 hours a week. According to Monica Vigues-Pitan, one of her lawyers from Legal Services of Greater Miami, Inc. (LSGMI), “Karls clearly needs these services in order to treat the symptoms of autism and prevent further deterioration of his condition.”

The suit was filed by Florida Legal Services (FLS), LSGMI and Neil Kodsi, of Alderman & Kodsi. FLS attorney Miriam Harmatz, noted that “the federal Medicaid Program is required to provide coverage for any medically necessary service, which includes behavioral health services like ABA for children under age 21.”