Doors open for TEFRA

Minnesota families who support their children with disabilities are celebrating changes to the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act (TEFRA), a state assistance program. The revisions, effective this summer, aim to alleviate financial burdens on the families of children with disabilities children who were previously required to pay significant fees under TEFRA.

Medical Assistance (MA) under the TEFRA option provides eligibility for children with disabilities in families that have incomes too high to qualify for MA. The changes eliminate sliding-scale fees that families have faced since 1990, which had increased over time and strained family budgets.

Advocates, including Rep. Heather Edelson, worked to eliminate TEFRA fees, describing them as a "tax on children with disabilities." The modifications aim to ease financial challenges, reduce complexity in paperwork, and provide families with more support for various needs, including equipment, modifications, therapies, and waiver services.

Families previously faced tough choices, such as taking out second mortgages or cutting incomes, and the changes are expected to impact their financial situations positively.