A.A.A. v. Dep’t of Human Servs.

Appellant in this case was a nine-year-old boy with severe autism, epilepsy, and chronic seizures. The Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) found that Appellant was not dependent in "mobility" and therefore reduced his authorized personal care assistant (PCA) services covered through the Minnesota Medical Assistance program. The district court reversed the Commissioner's decision, concluding that Minn. Stat. 256B.0659 did not require Appellant to be physically incapable of mobility to be eligible for covered services. The court of appeals reversed because Appellant was physically able to begin and complete moving from place to place without assistance. At issue was whether a person who is physically able to move without assistance but lacks the ability to direct his movement to a specific location has a dependency in mobility under the statute. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that the Commissioner's interpretation of the statute was supported by the plain and ordinary meaning of "mobility." View "A.A.A. v. Dep't of Human Servs." on Justia Law