To Care For Their Child, They Gave Up Custody

Travis at age 3, one month before the accident

July 5, 2001 -- More than a decade ago, a car accident in Richmond, Va., left three-year-old Travis Ashe with serious brain damage. Though Travis recovered physically, he became an explosive little boy who had to be watched 24 hours a day, and Richard and Cathy Ashe struggled to pay for the care their son required. Two years ago, they decided that turning his custody over to the state was the only way they could get Travis the medical care and round-the-clock supervision he needs.

Today, Travis Ashe is 14, an energetic boy with dancing brown eyes -- and he lives in a group home, an hour’s drive away from his parents. The state makes most of the decisions about his life: where he lives, who he lives with, and what kind medical care he receives. His parents see him once a week and must get permission to take him on outings. If county officials determine that they can't care for Travis nearby, they could even send him to a home or institution out of state.

The Ashes aren’t the only parents who’ve had to give up custody of a child to get day-to-day care paid for. There are no hard numbers on how many families nationwide have made the same decision. But in one recent poll of parents whose children have serious mental illness, one out of four said government workers had suggested that they make their children wards of the state, so that the government would have to pay for their care and treatment.

Travis at age 13, with his mother

Richard Ashe is angry that he and Cathy had to give up custody to get Travis’ care costs covered: “I think it stinks,” he says. Critics contend that government programs and private insurers discriminate when they set tight payment limits for children with severe mental disabilities -- limits they don’t set for children with long-term physical illnesses.

Listen to Joanne Silberner's report.

Listen to Julie Rovner's report.

Links and Resources:

• Read All Things Considered's coverage of Self Determination.

• Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law

• Bazelon List of Resources for the Disabled

• The Center for an Accessible Society

• National Mental Health Association

• National Alliance for the Mentally Ill

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