Jenks Mother Worries About Funding For Disabled Son's In-Home Care

A Jenks mother doesn't know what she's going to do to care for her disabled son after learning funding for in-home nursing may be taken away.

That program is funded by Medicaid and TEFRA, which helps children with significant disabilities.

Andee Cooper’s son Kannon is 14 but has the cognitive abilities of a toddler.

She said losing the nursing help would be devastating.

Kannon Cooper looks like a normal teenager. He’s tall, strong, and loves sports. But Kannon has a rare disease called Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome.

“When Kannon was almost four, he started having a ton of seizures out of nowhere," said Andee. "We went undiagnosed for a year and a half.”

Kannon has several seizures a day.

He needs full time help to dress, eat, and do just about everything.

He goes to school but needs a lot of help for that too.

Andee has locks and barriers on doors and windows so he can't wander off.

She also has to monitor him for seizures.

She said Kannon has broken through walls before.

"Five years ago, we got approved for nursing services to be in our home," said Andee.

The nurse helps four times a week. Andee said that changed everything and gave her some more freedom.

“Just last month, we found out those will be stopped because he's being deemed no longer medically eligible," Andee said. “This is not a luxury, it's a necessity.”

Andee said she's filed an appeal and now doesn't know where to turn.

She’s worried about all the other parents with disabled children in Oklahoma who also desperately need this kind of help.

“This one can be catastrophic to his quality of life and mine, because it's the only support we really have," said Andee.

Statement from Oklahoma Health Care Authority: “OHCA did not reduce or deny existing Private Duty Nursing authorizations for two years during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to federal guidance, OHCA has returned to the standard medical necessity review process and educates each parent on the details of the denial, while making available the opportunity to request an appeal if they disagree with the outcome.”