Military Families Fight for Autism Help

As Congress and the President spend taxpayer cash as fast as it comes off the press, thousands of military families waging the toughest kind of fight are frustrated by a nation which professes gratitude for those who serve, but refuses to fully fund therapies proven to help disabled military kids.

"We are sending the parents of these children to war. We have a moral obligation to care for the medical needs of these families here at home," says Karen Driscoll, a Marine Corps wife.

While Driscoll's husband fought in Iraq she was battling Tricare, the defense department's health insurance company, to increase benefits for children like her son Paul, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three.

Driscoll and other parents argue the military's limited coverage amounts to giving a cancer patient a week's worth of chemo therapy when doctors know a full month of treatment is needed to stop a tumor.

"They (Tricare) are not recognizing the medical necessity of these effective treatments," says Driscoll, whose son is now 11-years-old.

The therapies Driscoll is talking about are intensive, often expensive techniques like applied behavior analysis, which multiple studies have proven dramatically improve the intellectual development of autistic children if administered early and often.

It's hard evidence the nation's military hierarchy disputes.

In the debate surrounding the current defense authorization bill - the Department of Defense argues A-B-A therapy is educational, not medical.

When Tricare doesn't pay, some military families have managed to borrow or beg enough money to pay for treatment out of pocket, but most simply do without.

"I weep for them, I just weep for them," says Laurilee Etterbeek, wife of an Army chaplain wounded in Iraq and decorated for valor.

Over the years the military has refused to pay for much of the intensive treatment the Etterbeek's deemed essential for their two autistic children.

"If it hadn't been for the care my husband and I have been able to give our children they would have had to be institutionalized, especially my son Alexei and probably for the rest of his life," Etterbeek says.

The battle has financially broken the Etterbeeks and yet with only minimal help from the nation Chaplain Etterbeek still loyally serves, Alexei and daughter Anastasia now have a solid chance at productive lives.

"They can grow up and become functioning independent adults. They arn't going to be like you and I, but they can hold a job," says Laurilee.

It's why military parents of autistic children contend America can choose to spend millions now or shell out billions for long term care later.

"We can reach a level of independent functioning where the children can lead productive lives, pay taxes and become contributing members of society," adds Driscoll.

Which gets us back to all that taxpayer cash. On capitol hill, house lawmakers have said yes to more money for military kids with autism, while the senate's version of the same defense spending bill says no.

As negotiators from both sides consider the issue, they're faced with a critical question - Should America be sending thousands of troops deeply burdened by disability related medical bills into battle?

The Defense Department estimates the cost of improving benefits for the more than 13,000 military dependents with autism at $50 million next year, rising to more than $200 million over the coming decade.