WEBVTT 00:00.590 --> 00:06.070 There's news stories that we watch sometimes in the news and sometimes we cheer and sometimes we're upset 00:06.070 --> 00:11.710 but a lot of times we never get the whole story and a lot of times we may not be seeing all the 00:11.710 --> 00:18.750 repercussions that are taking place in that story. Well, this particular news story you saw it's up in Minnesota 00:18.750 --> 00:21.410 It's not the one that's really on flames right now 00:21.410 --> 00:28.410 It's the other one the other one about the fraud like the biggest fraud that has ever been discovered like billions of dollars being stolen 00:28.410 --> 00:35.870 For fake daycares you remember this one growing investigation into a fraud scheme involving taxpayer money 00:35.870 --> 00:43.150 That was supposed to be spent on social services a viral video appears to expose that alleged fraud at several Somali operated 00:43.150 --> 00:48.350 Childcare centers in Minneapolis the business is licensed for 99 kids 00:48.350 --> 00:53.710 But when independent reporter Nick Shirley went by this month the place appeared completely empty 00:54.570 --> 00:56.470 There's no one here right now 00:56.470 --> 01:04.990 It's midday on a weekday the video which alleges the daycare is fake says the facility had received four million dollars in state funds 01:04.990 --> 01:09.890 This comes as walls as administration faces allegations of widespread fraud 01:09.890 --> 01:16.070 Connected to state social services. Hello. We'd like to ask where's the money's going answer the question are their children 01:16.590 --> 01:22.910 There's no children inside this building FBI director Cash Patel claims that case is just the tip of a very large iceberg 01:22.910 --> 01:30.890 Now he says he's surging more resources to Minnesota to investigate the Trump administration says it is freezing federal funding for 01:30.890 --> 01:33.150 Childcare in the state and will require 01:33.670 --> 01:40.910 Justification and a receipt or photo evidence from all providers who receive the funding nationwide. I 01:40.910 --> 01:45.350 Think a lot of us were like good. Jeez. I mean our taxpayer money 01:45.350 --> 01:47.350 Going to criminals billions 01:47.350 --> 01:50.010 I mean when they they're starting to talk about the numbers across 01:50.610 --> 01:57.930 Minnesota billions tens of billions maybe hundreds of billions look at this epicenter of fraud Minnesota's empty stomachs fake autism 01:57.930 --> 01:59.750 Therapy and scandal that could stop 02:00.270 --> 02:04.650 Could top two billion dollars wouldn't you love to have that money back in your pocket? 02:04.650 --> 02:06.590 So you could spend it in the right place 02:07.090 --> 02:11.390 But you know, who would that hurt? You know, they shut it down good shut it down 02:11.390 --> 02:19.590 Well, what about all of those daycares and autism centers that we're doing it right that have real children inside of there 02:20.010 --> 02:27.090 It's affecting them too and that has been brought to our attention by Jennifer Larson who runs one of the biggest 02:27.090 --> 02:31.570 Autism facilities up in Minnesota. This is her testifying on that issue 02:32.090 --> 02:36.070 My name is Jennifer Larson. I'm the founder and CEO of Holland Center in Minnesota 02:36.710 --> 02:41.190 I've been an autism provider for over 20 years and started the organization for my son 02:41.190 --> 02:47.890 What started as a small program grew over two decades into four locations that families rely on not just for therapy 02:47.890 --> 02:54.570 But for hope routine and survival and this week Holland and other programs all over Minnesota are collapsing 02:55.170 --> 02:56.790 Not because we committed fraud 02:56.790 --> 03:05.270 But because a crime ring was allowed to operate inside Minnesota's service system and the government's clumsy response is now destroying 03:05.270 --> 03:12.450 Legitimate long-standing providers and devastating families that we serve when services disappear families do not just simply adjust 03:12.450 --> 03:13.950 They face a crisis 03:14.630 --> 03:20.290 For more than two decades Holland has served hundreds of children year after year employed hundreds of clinicians and staff 03:20.830 --> 03:23.250 operated under yearly onsite audits 03:23.250 --> 03:25.910 inspections and documentation oversight 03:26.590 --> 03:32.330 Delivered real services to real children every day. We've always complied with everything the system required 03:32.930 --> 03:38.530 Yet within the last month the state has withheld over four hundred thousand dollars and Medicaid funds for my own program 03:38.530 --> 03:45.350 And that number grows every single day what happened in Minnesota had nothing to do with the ethical long-standing autism providers 03:45.350 --> 03:51.630 What did happen was organized criminal networks that exploited autism services by opening fake centers 03:51.630 --> 03:58.590 Billing for children that did not exist billing for services never delivered and stealing millions of taxpayer dollars in the process 03:58.590 --> 04:03.930 These are not minor compliance issues. They are criminal enterprises 04:04.970 --> 04:08.590 Families trusted that the government was protecting the integrity of the system 04:09.410 --> 04:14.070 It failed now instead of doing the obvious thing and targeting criminal actors 04:14.070 --> 04:19.370 The response has been to freeze everyone's payments that decision does not punish the criminals 04:19.370 --> 04:24.870 It punishes innocent children and families autism therapy cannot be paused without consequences 04:24.870 --> 04:31.250 Loss of services can erase years of progress in weeks and abrupt disruption of services can cause lifelong 04:31.250 --> 04:38.250 Consequences in these children. This is not abstract harm. It is daily trauma for families already carrying an extraordinary burden 04:38.250 --> 04:40.110 I built Holland for 20 years 04:40.930 --> 04:42.330 Families built their lives 04:45.530 --> 04:48.410 Around the care that we provide 04:48.410 --> 04:51.390 All of that is risk of destruction today 04:51.390 --> 04:57.110 Not by fraud but by clumsy government response that failed to distinguish between criminals and caregivers 04:57.110 --> 05:00.850 But families and children should never pay the price for government failure 05:01.250 --> 05:01.930 Thank you 05:04.490 --> 05:09.790 Well, there's repercussions to everything that happens in government and this is one of those stories 05:09.790 --> 05:16.410 It's my honor and pleasure to be joined now by one of the most powerful autism moms. I've ever met Jennifer Larson 05:19.190 --> 05:27.450 Jennifer hi, it's it's great to have you on I wish it was under better circumstances. This is a really really terrible story 05:29.110 --> 05:34.710 So I guess my first question would be as this fraud story 05:34.710 --> 05:38.010 Started breaking loose all over Minnesota 05:38.790 --> 05:45.870 People taking advantage making up autism centers or a center of it that had nobody in it and things like that 05:45.870 --> 05:49.690 Did you foresee as that was happening? Uh-oh 05:49.690 --> 05:55.650 This could cause a problem. Did you put you did you imagine you could get pulled into this? 05:56.790 --> 06:01.150 You know at first when a lot of the center started popping up 06:02.030 --> 06:05.510 I thought great because I did the same thing for my son 06:05.510 --> 06:10.210 I started a center because I wanted a program that was right for him and there wasn't enough programs 06:10.210 --> 06:12.150 And we've had a waiting list for five years 06:12.150 --> 06:16.170 So I was very supportive when I started to see some of these centers pop up out of the blue 06:16.170 --> 06:20.110 and in fact some of them reached out to me for support and advice and 06:20.110 --> 06:22.850 To consult and that was years ago 06:22.850 --> 06:28.890 But then as it continued and where we went from, you know, a few of them to 300 to 400 centers 06:29.990 --> 06:32.130 It seemed there was a red flag there 06:33.250 --> 06:35.590 There is a high prevalence of 06:36.250 --> 06:40.270 Autism in the Somali community and so it didn't raise a red flag right away 06:40.270 --> 06:46.370 But after and it's not just Somalis, but after 300 to 400 centers. It didn't make a lot of sense 06:47.050 --> 06:48.930 What was going on in our state? 06:50.110 --> 06:54.810 And so as this, you know, just a couple of weeks ago is this really started breaking loose 06:55.370 --> 07:00.490 You then must have been caught by surprise that there was that level of fraud taking place 07:00.490 --> 07:03.710 In and around you in the state of Minnesota 07:06.490 --> 07:10.550 Everybody in Minnesota heard about the daycare fraud probably ten years ago 07:11.530 --> 07:15.570 And then it just kind of went away on the news and I you know good for Nick Shirley 07:16.130 --> 07:19.870 But you know, I don't have the time or energy to go investigate every autism center 07:19.870 --> 07:23.370 So I I'm not going or he did. I'm not a you know, citizen journalist 07:23.370 --> 07:28.550 But I don't I don't think most Minnesotans are surprised by the fraud 07:28.550 --> 07:31.670 I think they're surprised by the level and magnitude of the fraud 07:32.350 --> 07:32.830 because 07:33.750 --> 07:36.350 Living here. It's kind of become one of those 07:37.050 --> 07:37.530 unfortunate 07:39.270 --> 07:42.270 Issues in Minnesota that just exists and where we live 07:43.570 --> 07:49.270 So any sense it yeah, I get what you're saying and we have to be careful. There's you know 07:49.830 --> 07:54.510 Accusations of racial issues around this that get tagged on this which aren't right 07:54.510 --> 07:57.270 And I do want to point out because you lightly mentioned it 07:57.270 --> 08:03.470 Early on in my investigation as I was traveling with Vax one of the anomalies that really stood out was this massive 08:03.470 --> 08:06.950 Autism spike in the Somali community up in Minnesota 08:06.950 --> 08:12.010 I've said the CDC should have built one of the biggest centers in the world inside of 08:12.010 --> 08:15.470 Minnesota since the that Somali, you know 08:16.030 --> 08:21.170 Group had the highest rates recorded at that moment anywhere in the world. It didn't make sense 08:21.170 --> 08:25.350 They were my understanding is they were bringing in, you know, which doctors to try and do 08:25.350 --> 08:29.810 Seances on their children because they had never seen it. They didn't have a word for autism 08:29.810 --> 08:32.190 So that's a story that you and I have discussed 08:32.710 --> 08:36.750 Prior to all of this that's also at the center of this discussion 08:36.750 --> 08:42.730 But unfortunately that problem was taken advantage of and then turned into this giant money 08:43.250 --> 08:45.790 Wandering theft in Minnesota 08:47.190 --> 08:50.590 Yes, and it's it's it's nothing to do with their community 08:50.590 --> 08:55.910 I think you know that many of our advocates Andy Wakefield Mark Blacks on myself 08:55.910 --> 09:00.930 Patty Carroll have tried our hardest to help that community as much as we can and serve that community 09:00.930 --> 09:04.650 So there's nothing to do with that. It's just that and they started to pop up 09:04.650 --> 09:10.610 I didn't think it was the problem that it was becoming because of the high prevalence is all I'm trying to say 09:10.610 --> 09:15.410 It gave cover, right? It was like that this is happening for a reason and it should look we need that many centers 09:15.410 --> 09:20.850 This is the thing and when we really talk about it people have no idea how many autism centers 09:20.850 --> 09:26.690 We need in this country. We have no idea how big an issue this is because if it's not right inside of our household 09:26.690 --> 09:30.490 We don't know what it's like to take care of these kids and that's the work that you're doing 09:30.490 --> 09:33.530 So how many facilities do you have and how many? 09:34.510 --> 09:38.890 Children and people are you treating like you're you know working with that have autism? 09:39.870 --> 09:46.090 I have four locations and we have about 200 kids and some of them come 09:46.090 --> 09:50.890 You know as their school replacement basically that's what my son did for many years 09:50.890 --> 09:55.150 And then others are kind of inpatient or outpatient kind of going in and out for speech out here 09:55.150 --> 09:57.170 Whatever they need behavior services or consulting 09:58.250 --> 10:03.090 So yeah about 200 I serve right now and then I have about 115 employees 10:03.790 --> 10:06.490 Wow, I mean so it's a I mean to me 10:06.490 --> 10:10.910 That's a big operation certainly bigger than the work that we do here with I can 10:10.910 --> 10:17.870 You've been dedicated to it one of the as I've said before one of the most dedicated people in this movement on this issue 10:18.750 --> 10:24.490 So when this happened when they suddenly just froze funds did they essentially just blanket? 10:24.730 --> 10:29.770 I mean it was I guess when I saw the headline I was like they can't really just be freezing everything 10:29.770 --> 10:34.030 That's just probably a headline, but they literally the Trump administration 10:34.030 --> 10:40.690 It was a federal decision to just freeze or his HHS freezes all childhood payments to Minnesota after viral fraud 10:41.270 --> 10:44.850 Allegations, did you get a call? Did you get a warning? How did you find out? 10:45.410 --> 10:51.410 So here's the confusion. I think that was for the daycares, okay that the Trump administration did that 10:51.410 --> 10:56.710 What happened to us was actually a wall's decision. Oh really 14? Yes 14 categories 10:57.690 --> 11:03.050 Of Medicaid funding 13 of which are disabled children and adults its transportation 11:03.050 --> 11:09.530 It's adult housing. It's all 13 of the 14 like I said are disabled he picked 14 categories and said stop 11:09.530 --> 11:14.250 We're gonna put these through pre-payment review. It's called at Optum's AI and 11:15.650 --> 11:19.790 Optum an insurance company who you know their job is to deny claims 11:20.330 --> 11:22.510 suddenly got all our claims and 11:22.510 --> 11:28.010 I mean until today and I did get some money today the last date of service that I got paid on was December 5th 11:28.010 --> 11:35.830 They withheld all the claims for everybody regardless of who they were that I've been in business over 20 years that I've had audits every 11:35.830 --> 11:39.710 Year on site. I've been like it and all the other providers like me 11:39.710 --> 11:45.050 I mean, I know I know a lot of really great providers in the trade group. I'm in and everybody got 11:45.670 --> 11:49.870 All their claims got held for no reason at all. No, there was no 11:50.330 --> 11:54.690 I'm sure there's no issue, but they just held everybody because they didn't know what they were doing and then 11:54.690 --> 12:01.770 Went two cycles and we started to raise alarms, obviously because my payroll is 250,000 every two weeks 12:01.770 --> 12:08.030 Wow, and this is a yeah, and it's a company that's then margins. I've never paid myself in 20 years 12:08.030 --> 12:11.090 It's not we're not like rolling in dough to be able to like bake 12:11.090 --> 12:16.530 That just gives you a sense of the cost of autism, which is something I've talked about before people have no idea 12:16.530 --> 12:20.690 That's for for 200 kids 150 outpatient 12:20.690 --> 12:23.070 So 350 all in 12:23.070 --> 12:25.410 $250,000 every two weeks 12:26.270 --> 12:33.750 Yeah, and so my Medicaid payment basically covers my payroll and then the rest of it has to cover my rent and anything else that I have 12:33.750 --> 12:38.850 To pay for right you have all your business expenses. So when they cut off when they cut us off 12:39.830 --> 12:43.670 You know, we can't make our payroll and a lot of the companies here have already gone under 12:43.670 --> 12:50.410 They've just had to shut down I last week finally said look who wants to go on unpaid leave because we can't afford this 12:51.970 --> 12:58.350 We finally did get paid some this week for the first two cycles, but now they're two weeks behind 12:58.350 --> 13:01.370 So I'm gonna always be $300,000 in debt 13:02.210 --> 13:05.550 Because they're just hope withholding payments. Well, and let's be honest 13:05.550 --> 13:08.270 We've been working on this story with you for the last few days 13:08.270 --> 13:13.650 You literally said on your show on Thursday if this payment doesn't come through 13:13.650 --> 13:17.090 I'm going to have to shut the doors on this facility 13:17.090 --> 13:22.390 So we're lucky that the story is not as gruesome as we were planning on thank God 13:22.390 --> 13:27.210 I want to you know say that thank God some of that funding came through this very morning 13:27.210 --> 13:31.210 But I want to just talk about for people that don't know what that would be like 13:31.210 --> 13:37.170 I mean, I think we just had a freeze here in Austin, Texas and our kids weren't in school for five days 13:37.170 --> 13:40.770 You know, is that you know when you shut down a school? 13:40.830 --> 13:45.870 Even if it's for short periods of time with children that are autistic or on the spectrum 13:46.290 --> 13:48.910 What does that do for that type of? 13:50.410 --> 13:50.810 Person 13:51.910 --> 13:53.990 Like I said in my it's a complete crisis 13:54.770 --> 14:00.910 And you know, I've had parents calling me crying. What can we do? What how can we help and you know, they're doing the best 14:00.910 --> 14:04.450 There's not a lot they can do because it's just such a big gap of money 14:05.290 --> 14:11.210 You know, and they're scared to death. I have some pair. I have a parent whose child has been discharged from five other locations 14:12.530 --> 14:18.950 And now is spelling at my location and doing wonderfully and they're scared to death and these these kids 14:18.950 --> 14:22.870 They don't they they need the stability there, you know, their whole day 14:23.730 --> 14:28.430 You know, they get their behaviors their aggression and everything goes off the rails when they don't have their routines 14:29.250 --> 14:34.410 Yeah, I know that I'm a mom, you know, I mean, I know my son and he's pretty chill sometimes 14:34.410 --> 14:40.330 But you know when these kids they have their routine and they know what they need and they they need to have that stability 14:41.210 --> 14:46.670 I mean that that routine is part of what you work on right is is getting them into a routine if that routine breaks 14:47.490 --> 14:51.270 In some instances, you know, I was just talking to some folks that work here 14:52.550 --> 14:56.550 With us that you know have children at home that are dealing with this 14:56.550 --> 15:02.150 They're like once you break the routine sometimes you have to start all over again a year's work or more 15:02.150 --> 15:07.170 You're back to ground zero trying to build back the trust and all of those issues 15:07.170 --> 15:15.390 So, you know, let me ask a harder question because as we sit here watching all this fraud taking place 15:16.410 --> 15:20.570 How easy is it to commit fraud in Minnesota? 15:20.850 --> 15:25.640 Is it just like nobody's paying attention to the amount of money you're bringing in because I know that you're on 15:26.070 --> 15:29.970 The up and up as you said you're buried, you know, I've seen your facility 15:29.970 --> 15:31.730 It's incredible the work that you do 15:31.730 --> 15:38.630 But obviously you have an insight none of us have is there just a laxadaisical government there that just throws money at you 15:38.630 --> 15:39.850 And never asks a question 15:42.710 --> 15:47.110 I've talked to my billing people about this because with all this pre-payment review 15:47.110 --> 15:51.770 I really wanted to understand in-depth each of our claims because they were being held and 15:53.150 --> 15:56.610 My billing people will say there's no way this didn't happen 15:58.190 --> 16:01.210 Without you know help because if we bill 16:01.750 --> 16:07.170 Maybe 15 minutes on accident for a child over the allotted time we get flagged 16:07.850 --> 16:10.570 Which rarely happens, but sometimes you know, you make a little error 16:11.070 --> 16:13.490 How they were billing for kids that didn't exist 16:14.130 --> 16:17.910 How they were billing 24 hours a day with one therapist with eight kids 16:18.450 --> 16:23.230 How they didn't have on-site audits like we had every single year somebody comes in sits down and says 16:23.230 --> 16:26.810 I want to see these files of these kids for this time on this day 16:27.490 --> 16:30.650 And then they want to see the kids and if they're not there you you know 16:30.650 --> 16:32.890 Well, this kid's sick and you need to say where is the kid? 16:33.830 --> 16:38.110 So the amount of scrutiny we go through on a daily basis for 20 plus years 16:38.650 --> 16:43.430 To make sure that every single thing we have to bill when we bill we have to document every 15 minutes 16:43.990 --> 16:46.490 And so I don't know. I mean it's 16:47.470 --> 16:48.430 It's astounding 16:49.430 --> 16:50.630 It's to say the least 16:51.210 --> 16:52.550 That this was allowed to happen 16:53.270 --> 16:54.470 with three to four hundred 16:55.370 --> 16:58.270 Centers that weren't serving children with disabilities 16:58.270 --> 17:03.170 And what could you think about a more awful thing to be doing than pretending to serve disabled children? 17:03.890 --> 17:06.890 I can't and I you know, I know you're being careful 17:06.890 --> 17:09.030 But what it sounds like to me is 17:09.530 --> 17:14.050 If you are having to have scrutiny over every 15 minutes that's happening with a child 17:14.050 --> 17:17.650 They know if the child's been sick or missed a day and they're all over you 17:18.190 --> 17:19.850 How as you put it 17:19.850 --> 17:25.310 Is billions of dollars flowing into centers that have no kids in it and some kid with a video camera 17:25.800 --> 17:28.890 Can prove that that looks like government corruption 17:28.890 --> 17:36.050 That looks suspect and I hope an investigation gets into any government officials that are involved in that in your state 17:36.050 --> 17:39.350 In every state in this country. It is time to clean this stuff up 17:39.350 --> 17:42.430 I mean, you know, we're all it's hard for a lot of people out there 17:42.430 --> 17:48.970 Especially parents that are you know footing the bill, you know, even the medicare medicare doesn't cover all of the things 17:48.970 --> 17:52.270 It takes as you know to raise a child with autism 17:52.270 --> 17:55.350 I mean, it's it's an astronomical expense 17:55.830 --> 17:59.330 Let alone just what it takes to be at home to not be able to get to your job at times 17:59.330 --> 18:06.510 All of the way that it affects you and to think that you're paying taxes that are just going to 18:07.630 --> 18:10.590 Fraud like this. It's it's really disturbing 18:12.090 --> 18:12.570 So 18:13.090 --> 18:17.330 Is there light then today as as you're seeing these payments you're going to be behind 18:17.330 --> 18:22.790 You know something I can't imagine 300 000 every two weeks. It's a lot of money 18:23.410 --> 18:28.250 But is there communication opening up? Do you feel like they're going to get this fixed? 18:29.510 --> 18:30.870 I think dhs 18:30.870 --> 18:35.370 There was a hearing yesterday and they're trying to say that they're up to date on their billings 18:35.370 --> 18:37.150 Which they're not because we're all two weeks behind 18:37.710 --> 18:40.070 I think they it was a knee jerk reaction 18:40.070 --> 18:42.330 They didn't actually think about the collateral damage 18:42.330 --> 18:46.550 They didn't think about the fact that we can't bankroll 90 days of payroll 18:46.550 --> 18:49.070 We are you know that this isn't this isn't 18:49.950 --> 18:53.210 Well, who can I don't know what industry can bankroll 90 days of payroll 18:53.210 --> 18:58.730 But you know, I think they are actually seeing the light and regretting what they've done and I hope they reverse it 18:58.730 --> 19:01.450 I did get the first two cycles like I said, but 19:02.290 --> 19:06.650 Uh, it was one was over the holiday. So it was lower. Anyway, um, I'm still in trouble though 19:06.650 --> 19:11.370 Because all my landlords at least gave us reprieve like january. They said, okay, we get it 19:11.370 --> 19:12.990 But now on my biggest center 19:12.990 --> 19:17.210 I owe a hundred thousand dollars in rent because I didn't pay january and I need february 19:17.210 --> 19:20.750 That's a hundred thousand dollars right there that I don't have because I didn't get that I'm 19:20.750 --> 19:21.930 behind 300 19:22.690 --> 19:28.530 And so it's a catch-up game that's going to be really hard to catch up on. I mean, I do have a little breathing room 19:28.530 --> 19:30.650 Like you said, it's not like I'm closing on monday now 19:31.110 --> 19:31.510 but 19:32.190 --> 19:37.810 It's not going to be an easy road unless they actually repair the damage that they're doing to us daily because every day 19:38.290 --> 19:42.610 I I found more behind you've been deeply involved in politics 19:42.610 --> 19:50.170 It's one of the things when I met you you were a founder of the canary party and attempt to sort of bring this autism issue into politics 19:50.730 --> 19:55.190 To have politicians discussing it. You and I have gone to state capitals 19:55.890 --> 20:00.930 Deeply involved with the republican party. I think I can say that you've been you know, I think your name is on enough things 20:00.930 --> 20:01.690 I can say that 20:01.690 --> 20:08.190 Safely was this a learning experience just about government? I mean big government and what happens 20:08.810 --> 20:12.330 Is it hard to fix problems like this like fraud? 20:14.010 --> 20:16.970 Or do you just think this is just total ineptitude? 20:18.610 --> 20:20.490 I'm just scared that it could happen again 20:21.310 --> 20:22.350 You know, I mean 20:22.910 --> 20:28.810 Having a business and it's interesting and I try not to read comments on articles and things where I'm things are posted 20:29.290 --> 20:32.690 That you know, if you do rely on the government for it's for me 20:32.690 --> 20:37.430 It's 60 of what we bring in and they can just blanket pull it out like that from you 20:38.330 --> 20:41.010 I I just don't know if it's how 20:41.670 --> 20:46.570 I can feel comfortable going forward in an industry where that can happen 20:46.570 --> 20:52.110 Well, I don't know why it could happen again. They can just say no, we're not going to pay you again and and then what do you do? 20:52.750 --> 20:56.530 um, so I I think I think I what what it taught me is 20:57.470 --> 20:57.890 um 20:58.670 --> 21:04.970 Well, it's taught me a lot actually and it scares me it scares me a lot for minnesota and a lot of the states 21:05.510 --> 21:07.350 california and a lot of the blue states because 21:08.390 --> 21:11.470 If anything can be learned from this for the states that haven't 21:12.050 --> 21:13.370 Pulled their medicaid is 21:13.950 --> 21:17.070 Don't do what minnesota did and don't shut down the real people who are 21:17.070 --> 21:19.930 Surveying real children and real adults and have real 21:20.510 --> 21:26.130 Disabilities don't do that do something else if there's any lesson to be learned from this regardless of what happens with me 21:26.710 --> 21:29.850 But that's that's what I I think I think it's government 21:31.190 --> 21:36.890 Isn't paying attention to the people and it like again, it wasn't it wasn't cms that did this 21:36.890 --> 21:40.650 It was governor walls that did this and that keeps kind of getting confused unfortunately 21:41.290 --> 21:46.610 Yeah, I didn't I glad I we cleared that up because I didn't have that right. I was like bobby 21:46.610 --> 21:49.110 Where are you at? What are you doing? This is one of our own 21:49.950 --> 21:54.150 Bobby I'm texting bobby too. I'm like, come on somebody help me help me out here 21:54.930 --> 21:56.130 Speaking of bobby 21:56.970 --> 22:01.890 Speaking of bobby, let's move to I think probably the greatest headline of the week 22:01.890 --> 22:05.370 Um, is the new inter agency 22:06.210 --> 22:06.570 autism 22:08.120 --> 22:12.870 Coordinating committee sitting with you at that hearing behind you was your son kaden 22:13.490 --> 22:16.890 Um, who has has been with you all along the way 22:17.340 --> 22:22.850 He is now one of the members of a government agency that's going to be helping to decide 22:23.440 --> 22:28.490 Where billions of dollars in funding around the autism issue is going to go 22:28.490 --> 22:35.670 Uh, kaden larson is a non-speaking adult with autism is currently enrolled at normandale community college in minnesota studying mathematics 22:35.670 --> 22:39.250 Kaden serves as a board member of children with autism deserve education 22:39.250 --> 22:47.050 Which connects families with grants for medical service education therapy larson also works the communications for all and spellers freedom 22:47.050 --> 22:53.790 Foundation which aim to bring spelling and typing as a method of communication and education to socio economically challenged communities 22:54.260 --> 22:57.410 and public schools this is one of the great stories 22:58.230 --> 23:04.170 Of all time. I mean, you know, let's just talk about spellers for a second. You had a son 23:04.170 --> 23:07.650 He would walk with you. I met him always beautiful 23:08.310 --> 23:14.230 Beautiful smile, but I didn't you know, you know, where I want to say was it five or six years ago? 23:14.510 --> 23:18.070 He we didn't know what his communication level was or 23:18.070 --> 23:21.170 What his education level was I don't want to misstate the amount of years 23:21.170 --> 23:26.570 We're in because i'm losing track of time, but describe prior to spellers where you were at with kaden 23:27.570 --> 23:32.450 It's 2020 um right when covered was hitting when we started spelling, but um 23:33.090 --> 23:38.550 Prior to that, uh, you know, I always knew he was in there. I just couldn't reach him 23:38.550 --> 23:44.130 I believed he was there, but he had no way to communicate even with an ipad even you know the buttons 23:44.690 --> 23:50.730 He just never got it. Um, they thought he had the intellect of a four-year-old. That's what you know, psych testing would tell me 23:51.470 --> 23:56.250 um, and so no, you know, I I spent 20 years just guessing what he wanted and 23:57.010 --> 24:02.110 you know, I'm trying to make it through um, and he's lovely and and this is uh, you know 24:02.110 --> 24:03.850 spelling started in 2020 24:05.030 --> 24:05.990 and um 24:05.990 --> 24:11.870 And you know this del it's saved his life and I was speaking with people about that about his cancer in 2022 24:12.630 --> 24:15.950 um, but let's just a little bit because this is I mean, so he 24:16.490 --> 24:20.010 Basically told you I'm having issues that you wouldn't have known 24:20.670 --> 24:22.690 Otherwise right is able to communicate 24:23.750 --> 24:27.830 Well, he had some issues during his cancer that if he couldn't tell me 24:28.550 --> 24:34.750 Um, he that weren't presenting a fever that he would have died and his oncologist is on saying that because 24:35.330 --> 24:41.830 He had infections that hurt, you know to urinate another thing and he and if he couldn't tell me mom this 24:41.830 --> 24:44.750 You know, I feel this way he would have died because he had no white count 24:45.450 --> 24:50.930 Um, yeah, so no, he see he um, yeah, he's a he's a trooper and he is so proud to be on iac 24:51.430 --> 24:57.630 You should see him this morning. It's so so absolutely over the top. I couldn't be more proud also, but 24:58.070 --> 25:00.230 Yeah, well, it's an amazing story 25:00.230 --> 25:07.730 It's a great team of people that that bobby kennedy has put together there so many of our friends that you know some great scientists doctors 25:08.550 --> 25:11.850 Um, you know, there's there's many that i'm sure wish they could be on there 25:11.850 --> 25:18.190 I don't want to say it is a dream team. There's some people like you out there here in my own company that I wish 25:18.190 --> 25:21.370 We're on that but it's a really great step in the right direction 25:22.030 --> 25:28.170 Uh, so as you look at this work that you've been doing you're right there on the ground for with children 25:28.170 --> 25:31.450 You've taken care of your own you've been involved in politics 25:32.230 --> 25:36.250 Uh, what is your feeling now about what kennedy is doing? 25:36.610 --> 25:42.450 Do you have hope that we're going to start seeing some light at the end of the tunnel on this journey? 25:43.970 --> 25:44.410 Oh 25:44.410 --> 25:51.090 100% I think bobby's doing all the right things. I am supportive of everything he's done. I'm supportive of the people he's working with 25:51.090 --> 25:53.090 I'm supportive of of 25:53.610 --> 25:58.670 What they did for hep b what they're gonna what they're doing with all the with the schedule what he's done with the food pyramid 25:58.670 --> 26:04.430 He's been doing amazing things that we all know for 20 years have been the right things to do and finally 26:04.970 --> 26:06.590 for those of us who've been 26:07.290 --> 26:11.790 Screaming in the wind and you know victimized and you know called crazy 26:11.790 --> 26:13.730 You know tin foil people 26:14.370 --> 26:19.770 Hey, guess what like you were saying in your last segment. There's there's no proof. There's no proof 26:19.770 --> 26:25.590 There's no double blind studies all this. I I'm so happy. He's suing the academy of pediatrics 26:25.590 --> 26:28.670 I know a doctor here in the twin cities who had to leave his practice 26:29.370 --> 26:30.850 because he um 26:30.850 --> 26:32.110 was being 26:32.770 --> 26:37.370 Victimized by his practice saying if you don't do this you're going to be fired and so then he just left 26:37.370 --> 26:44.130 So I think this is he everything. He's doing it. I 100 support. I do have I do finally have hope 26:44.130 --> 26:45.850 I just think the administration 26:46.410 --> 26:47.970 We got to get through the midterms 26:48.450 --> 26:54.650 And we got to keep we've got to keep bobby there and we got to keep the power on the right side of the issues 26:55.570 --> 27:01.650 Well, great. Well, I you know I look forward to talking about that more and this is going to be a very important year 27:02.260 --> 27:07.950 If you'll stick around for off the record, which is just a little interview I do after the show 27:07.950 --> 27:12.370 I'd love to actually talk to you about adults. What's going to happen to these children? 27:12.790 --> 27:18.710 Are there enough centers out there as parents are aging out where they can't take care of these children? 27:18.850 --> 27:21.390 I know it's a huge issue. I'd like to know your perspective on that 27:21.940 --> 27:27.150 But before we do that if people want to help with your work or donate or get involved 27:27.150 --> 27:29.910 What's the best way to contact you and help out? 27:32.490 --> 27:38.770 Well any help is appreciated. It's it's a rough time. I just go to info at hollandcenter.com 27:38.770 --> 27:42.490 That's my just our mail and my my staff can direct them 27:43.510 --> 27:49.330 Um, yeah, it's it is a tough time. So I appreciate anybody who wants to support. All right 27:49.970 --> 27:53.730 Well, this is an issue that's close to us and we have a very active audience. So I'm sure 27:54.410 --> 27:59.270 They're gonna help you out and and keep us posted if anything shifts that this goes negative in any way 27:59.270 --> 28:04.010 I'm gonna scream bloody murder and I'll help you do it. So we'll make sure that we get this worked out, right? 28:04.510 --> 28:08.750 Okay. All right. Take care Jen. I'll talk to you soon. All right. Okay. Thank you