Minnesota Autism Payments have gone from $1,099,946 in 2017 to $343,176,474 in 2024, an increase of 34,000% in just a few years.
Evidence and Verdict
For
Minnesota Department of Human Services maintains detailed autism program pages and datasets (including a 2020 children-with-autism data page) that document the EIDBI benefit, diagnostic and procedure coding, and counts of children receiving services, indicating the state tracks autism service use and spending. The DHS autism page and a February 2024 review of the EIDBI benefit set show program-level attention and updates in 2024 that could correspond with growth in utilization and payments.
Against
None of the provided sources cite or confirm the specific dollar figures ($1,099,946 in 2017 or $343,176,474 in 2024) or the claimed 34,000% increase. The DHS data summary notes analyses were limited to managed care claims and excluded fee-for-service, which complicates direct year-to-year dollar comparisons and suggests the available data do not straightforwardly support the precise totals or percentage cited. The PolitiFact and NPR items in the allowed set discuss fraud and funding actions in other contexts but do not corroborate the autism-payment numbers in the claim.
Verdict
The available Minnesota DHS and news sources document that autism services and the EIDBI benefit have been tracked and reviewed (including in 2024), but they do not provide or corroborate the specific dollar amounts or the 34,000% increase claimed, so the claim cannot be verified from the supplied sources.
Sources
PolitiFact | Tim Walz says he takes responsibility for jailing MN ...
PolitiFact | Tim Walz says he takes responsibility for jailing MN ... - Feb 28, 2026
U.S. Attorney’s Office, First Defendant Charged in Autism Fraud Scheme, Sept. 24, 2025
Open sourceDonald Trump said ending fraud could balance the federal budget ...
Donald Trump said ending fraud could balance the federal budget ... - Feb 28, 2026
"If we stop this fraud, this massive fraud, we're going to have a balanced budget," Trump said Jan. 13 at the Detroit Economic Club. We also fact-checked other statements from that speech.
Open sourceTrump administration says it's freezing child care funds to Minnesota
Trump administration says it's freezing child care funds to Minnesota - Feb 28, 2026
There have been years of investigations that included a $300 million pandemic food fraud scheme revolving around the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, for which 57 defendants in Minnesota have been con...
Open sourceGov. Tim Walz signed law giving some Minnesota students ...
Gov. Tim Walz signed law giving some Minnesota students ... - Feb 28, 2026
Walz signed two higher education bills in 2023 and 2024 that covered tuition costs at Minnesota’s public colleges and universities for students whose families earn less than $80,000 annually.
Open sourceDon't get spun by internet rumors. - FactCheck.org
Don't get spun by internet rumors. - FactCheck.org - Feb 28, 2026
Posts Resurface Made-up ‘Congressional Reform’ Bill
Open sourceChildren with autism data 2020 / Minnesota Department of Human Services
Children with autism data 2020 / Minnesota Department of Human Services - Feb 28, 2026
in Fee-for-Service (FFS) for the most months during the year, then they were excluded from this analysis. Only managed care claims were included in analysis. Age was calculated as of December 31,...
Open source