RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — As state lawmakers have stalled coming up with a budget, some of the most vulnerable North Carolinians have been caught in limbo.

After the General Assembly couldn’t come up with a budget that would include enough funding for Medicaid, ABA, or behavioral therapy for autism was facing a steep 10% cut for Medicaid reimbursement, higher than other programs facing a 3% cut.

After a lawsuit a judge issued an injunction to keep that funding going, but for families caught in the middle it’s still a difficult road ahead.

Marissa Scheetz from Franklinton, says her son Charlie has been through a lot by the age of 5.

“We kind of suspected about two years old that he did have autism. He wasn’t kind of meeting his milestones and that sort of thing,” she says.

Diagnosed with autism and non-verbal, ABA therapy was a gamechanger.

“He’s really come a long way. He’s starting to be able to communicate his emotions, which is really big from where he came from,” she says.

It’s sometimes been a maze of waitlists, and finding the right fit, and working with Medicaid, but now amid cuts, she’s worried he could lose the breakthrough care that finally helped him open up his world.

“I’m scared for my child. I’m scared that, you know, maybe it won’t necessarily lose all of the services, but it is a potential that he could start receiving cuts,” she says.

DHHS cut Medicaid reimbursements in October, including ABA by 10%, prompting 21 families to file suit to stop the cuts. A judge granting a temporary order.

Former U.S. Attorney Michael Easley, Jr. who worked on the case, says it’s about making sure valuable progress isn’t lost.

“Every month that those kids don’t receive that care is a month that these patterns and habits associated with their autism begin to calcify and can result in them not being able to speak or interact in a way that can allow them to be self-sufficient and productive members of society,” Easley says.

But it’s only temporary and other DHHS cuts are still in effect, until lawmakers can sort out a budget.

State Representative Zack Hawkins (D-Durham) has two sons with autism himself, and is calling on lawmakers to come to the table.

“And so, again, this this injunction is, again, a time to me to pause and just see sort of where we are, what we need and allow so that the department and legislators and others to think about and understand just how critical these services are to families across North Carolina who desperately need care,” says Hawkins.

DHHS did respond in a statement, saying:

“The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will comply with the temporary restraining order related to provider rate reductions for Research Based Behavioral Health Treatment Services. At this time, we are still awaiting the written order to be issued by the Court.

This order makes the need for the General Assembly to fund Medicaid even more urgent. Any reinstatement or reversal of the provider cuts without additional funding from the General Assembly means the program will run out of funding sooner, putting the entire state Medicaid system at risk.

Without additional funding and implementation of the October 1 rate cuts, North Carolina could run out of NC Medicaid funds as early as April 2026. If the NCGA fully funds NC Medicaid, the Department will reevaluate all cuts and take action to reverse or modify cuts to ensure NC Medicaid can operate within the appropriated budget.

We understand these provider rate cuts are devastating to people, providers and communities that rely on NC Medicaid. NCDHHS did not want to take this extremely difficult step of making these significant reductions for NC Medicaid services, however without additional funding from the General Assembly, it was unavoidable.”

As it stands right now, Medicaid rebates are only guaranteed to be funded through April.

Meantime, the next hearing in this lawsuit it set for Monday.

SOUTHEASTERN N.C. (WECT) – Here is a breakdown of the unofficial winners of races across Southeastern North Carolina in the 2025 North Carolina Municipal Election:

NEW HANOVER COUNTY

Wilmington – Mayor

27 of 27 precincts reporting

• Jonathan Barfield: 5,067 votes
• Billy Craig: 7,411 votes
• Bill Saffo: 12,093 votes

Wilmington – City Council

27 of 27 precincts reporting

• Clifford Barnett: 6,647 votes
• Chakema Clinton-Quintana: 11,464 votes
• Richard Collier: 9,350 votes
• Sean Guerrero: 777 votes
• JC Lyle: 11,875 votes
• Kelly Roberts: 6,506 votes
• Cassidy Santaguida: 11,568 votes
• Luke Waddell: 10,571 votes

Carolina Beach – Mayor

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Lynn Barbee: 1,092 votes
• Youssef Hassan: 301 votes

Carolina Beach – Town Council

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Vince Losito: 1,041 votes
• Wayne Rouse: 1,122 votes

Kure Beach – Mayor

1 of 1 precincts reporting

Kure Beach – Town Commissioner

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Byron Ashbridge: 385 votes
• Mark Dirks: 358 votes
• Tracy Mitchell: 118 votes

Wrightsville Beach – Mayor

1 of 1 precincts reporting

Wrightsville Beach – Board of Aldermen

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Margaret Baggett: 490 votes
• Hank Miller: 453 votes
• Todd Schoen: 469 votes
• Lee Williams: 58 votes
• David Wortman: 356 votes

BRUNSWICK COUNTY

Bald Head Island – Mayor

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Peter Quinn: 159 votes
• Scott Thomas: 120 votes

Bald Head Island – Village Council

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Debra Drumheller: 82 votes
• Slaughter Fitz-Hugh: 174 votes
• Andrew Hano: 81 votes
• Jesse Hermann: 193 votes

Belville – Mayor

3 of 3 precincts reporting

• Nia Moore: 87 votes
• Chuck Bost: 179 votes

Belville – Town Commissioner

3 of 3 precincts reporting

• Hunter Smith: 208 votes
• Ryan Merrill: 214 votes

Boiling Spring Lakes – Mayor

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Michael Ellis: 472 votes
• Jeff Winecoff: 583 votes

Boiling Spring Lakes – Town Commissioner

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Todd Ausborn: 519 votes
• David Mammay: 401 votes
• Kim Sherwood: 547 votes
• Ernie Siriani: 512 votes

Bolivia – Mayor

1 of 1 precincts reporting

Bolivia – Board of Aldermen

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Jonathan Hayes: 13 votes
• Hannah Hrvol: 11 votes
• Dewey Smith: 14 votes
• Melissa Kay Walters: 12 votes

Calabash – Town Commissioner

2 of 2 precincts reporting

• Shaun Bellamy: 95 votes
• Frank Strungis: 90 votes
• Bill Wilham: 95 votes

Carolina Shores – Mayor

2 of 2 precincts reporting

Carolina Shores – Town Commissioner

2 of 2 precincts reporting

• Jeff Alt: 273 votes
• Jack Brinson: 229 votes
• Andrew Davis: 198 votes
• Walter Goodenough: 75 votes
• Debbie Watts: 507 votes

Caswell Beach – Town Commissioner

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Kathleen Berry: 117 votes
• Martha Dollinger: 89 votes
• Thomas Jarvis: 86 votes
• Connie Silverstein: 67 votes

Holden Beach – Mayor

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Mike Felmly: 172 votes
• Alan Holden: 394 votes

Holden Beach – Town Commissioner

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Chad Hock: 235 votes
• Sylvia Pate: 337 votes
• Keith Smith: 306 votes
• Maria Surprise: 234 votes

Leland – Town Council

7 of 7 precincts reporting

• Leland Hyer: 2,588 votes
• Bill McHugh: 2,401 votes
• Frank Pendleton: 3,142 votes
• Edgar Robbins: 371 votes
• Susan Waleed: 1,763 votes

Navassa – Mayor

2 of 2 precincts reporting

• Jerry Merrick: 123 votes
• Ernest Mooring: 96 votes
• Rose Terry: 162 votes

Navassa – Town Commissioner, District 1

2 of 2 precincts reporting

• Tony Burgess: 72 votes
• Ida Dixon: 111 votes
• Marcell Hatten: 99 votes
• Craig Suggs: 145 votes
• Wanda Jones Willis: 217 votes

Northwest – Mayor

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Sheila Grady: 186 votes
• James Knox: 35 votes

Oak Island – Mayor

6 of 6 precincts reporting

• Christopher Brown: 1,551 votes
• Douglas DeArros: 77 votes
• Liz White: 1,493 votes

Oak Island – Town Council

6 of 6 precincts reporting

• Tommy Brown: 1,296 votes
• Chasey Bynum: 1,391 votes
• Chip Frazier: 765 votes
• Kerri McCullough: 1,024 votes
• Reece Simmons: 332 votes
• Scott Stephenson: 1,175 votes

Ocean Isle Beach – Mayor

1 of 1 precincts reporting

Ocean Isle Beach – Town Commissioner

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Polly Bristow: 168 votes
• Mark Robertson: 230 votes
• Wayne Rowell: 209 votes

Sandy Creek – Mayor

1 of 1 precincts reporting

Sandy Creek – Town Council

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Johanna Didrill: 26 votes
• Austin Lentz: 19 votes

Sandy Creek – Town Council, Unexpired Term

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Rebecca Wilkins: 23 votes

Shallotte – Mayor

5 of 5 precincts reporting

• Art Dornfeld: 331 votes
• Walter Eccard: 249 votes

Shallotte – Board of Aldermen

5 of 5 precincts reporting

• James Bellamy: 399 votes
• Eugene Vasile: 382 votes

Southport – Mayor

2 of 2 precincts reporting

• Rich Alt: 848 votes
• Joe Pat Hatem: 1,208 votes

Southport – Board of Aldermen, Ward 1

2 of 2 precincts reporting

• Robert Carroll: 920 votes
• Mike Crosbie: 908 votes
• David Miller: 763 votes
• Karen Mosteller: 987 votes

Southport – Board of Aldermen, Ward 2

2 of 2 precincts reporting

• Nelson Adams: 365 votes
• Katie Boyd: 0 votes
• Bonnie Bray: 793 votes
• Paul Gross: 860 votes

St. James – Town Council

2 of 2 precincts reporting

• Dennis Barclay: 895 votes
• Jim Board: 1,069 votes
• Peter Cudlip: 286 votes
• Ray Irvin: 576 votes
• Jeffrey Lewis: 625 votes
• Bill Miller: 895 votes

Sunset Beach – Mayor

3 of 3 precincts reporting

• Shannon Phillips: 1,321 votes
• Nicholas Peters: 547 votes

Sunset Beach – Town Council

3 of 3 precincts reporting

• Sean Arnold: 1,127 votes
• William Brougham: 896 votes
• Katie Bordeaux: 1,482 votes
• Gerard Byrnes: 667 votes
• Richard Dysinger: 684 votes

Sunset Beach – Town Council, Unexpired Term

3 of 3 precincts reporting

• Michael Hargreaves: 600 votes
• Christie Batchelor: 1,264 votes

Varnumtown – Mayor

1 of 1 precincts reporting

Varnumtown – Board of Aldermen

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Lori Galloway: 37 votes
• Jeremy Ridenhour: 26 votes

PENDER COUNTY

Atkinson – Mayor

1 of 1 precincts reporting

Atkinson – Town Commissioner

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Hector Ramos: 25 votes
• Penny Stith: 21 votes

Burgaw – Mayor

1 of 1 precincts reporting

Burgaw – Town Commissioner

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• James Malloy: 126 votes
• Myura McDuffie: 116 votes

St. Helena – Mayor

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Robert Barnhill: 28 votes

St. Helena – Town Council

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Neil Benton: 31 votes
• Judy Katalinic: 25 votes

Surf City – Town Council

2 of 2 precincts reporting

• Hugh Canady: 680 votes
• Andy Pleil: 1,000 votes
• Jillian Rodrigues de Miranda: 466 votes
• Jeremy Shugarts: 184 votes

Topsail Beach – Mayor

1 of 1 precincts reporting

Topsail Beach – Town Commissioner

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Alex Arab: 137 votes
• John Best: 178 votes
• Nancy Thomason: 179 votes
• Tim Zizack: 110 votes

Watha – Town Commissioner

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Joseph Craig: 8 votes
• Samuel Miller: 11 votes
• Rachel Stadsvold: 10 votes
• Ken Fountain: 15 votes

BLADEN COUNTY

Bladenboro – Mayor

2 of 2 precincts reporting

Bladenboro – Town Commissioner

2 of 2 precincts reporting

• Jeff Atkinson: 94 votes
• Cris Harrelson: 87 votes
• Gregory Sykes: 86 votes
• Joey Todd: 60 votes

Clarkton – Town Commissioner

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Stephen Hester: 32 votes
• Troy Mitchell: 41 votes
• Write In: 53

Dublin – Mayor

1 of 1 precincts reporting

Dublin – Town Commissioner

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Richard Sibbett: 15 votes

East Arcadia – Town Commissioner

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Lillian Graham: 40 votes
• Pamela Graham: 42 votes

Elizabethtown – Town Council

2 of 2 precincts reporting

• Brenda Clark: 212 votes
• Paula Greene: 458 votes
• Penny Johnson: 41 votes
• Bobby Kinlaw: 320 votes
• Herman Lewis: 303 votes
• Rufus Lloyd: 328 votes

Elizabethtown – Town Council (Unexpired Term)

2 of 2 precincts reporting

• Bruce Dickerson: 438 votes
• Robert Hester: 149 votes

Tar Heel – Mayor

1 of 1 precincts reporting

Tar Heel – Town Commissioner

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Steve Dowless: 14 votes
• Derek Druzak: 15 votes

White Lake – Town Commissioner

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• James Barefoot: 163 votes
• Tim Blount: 159 votes
• Paul Evans: 147 votes
• Richard Shaw: 172 votes

COLUMBUS COUNTY

Boardman – Mayor

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Eric Williamson: 20 votes

Boardman – Town Council

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Donald Britt: 20 votes
• Tevis Britt: 19 votes
• Crystal Rogers: 20 votes
• James Smith: 20 votes
• Minnie Turbeville: 20 votes

Bolton – Mayor

1 of 1 precincts reporting

Bolton – Town Alderman

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Daniel Brown: 67 votes
• Barbara Jo Graham: 54 votes
• Gary Graham: 40 votes
• Kelvin Thurman: 12 votes

Brunswick – Town Commissioner

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Tammy Blackmon: 42 votes
• Curtis Hill: 53 votes
• Ricky Mason: 34 votes
• Alonzo McArthur: 31 votes

Cerro Gordo – Mayor

1 of 1 precincts reporting

Cerro Gordo – Town Council

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Tracey Blackwell: 24 votes
• Jeffrey Greene: 24 votes
• Lisa McKee: 18 votes
• Debra Prince: 7 votes

Chadbourn – Town Council

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Shannon Britt: 117 votes
• Avala Nealy: 143 votes
• Rashad Roberts: 188 votes
• Andrew Worley: 85 votes

Fair Bluff – Mayor

1 of 1 precincts reporting

Fair Bluff – Town Commissioner

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Bradley Cutrell: 116 votes
• Clarice Faison: 137 votes
• Grayson Jarvis: 118 votes
• John Phillips: 63 votes

Lake Waccamaw – Mayor

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Greg Jacobs: 319 votes
• Chad Smith: 30 votes
• Matthew Wilson: 262 votes

Lake Waccamaw – Town Commissioner, East Ward

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Jerry Hinnant: 311 votes
• Scott Hyatt: 296 votes

Lake Waccamaw – Town Commissioner, West Ward

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Curtis Andrews: 285 votes
• Frank Carroll: 78 votes
• Charlyne Jacobs: 242 votes

Sandyfield – Town Council

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Perry Dixon: 56 votes
• Leonard Hall: 58 votes

Tabor City – Town Council

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Bryan Culbertson: 45 votes
• Chris Fowler: 235 votes
• Lamont Grate: 235 votes
• Mitchell Strickland: 112 votes

Whiteville – Mayor

3 of 3 precincts reporting

• Brandon Acker: 32 votes
• Terry Mann: 367 votes
• Brittany Payne: 47 votes
• Mike Schachnuk: 96 votes

Whiteville – City Council, District 1

2 of 2 precincts reporting

• Helen Holden: 173 votes
• Vickie Pait: 230 votes
• Linda Smith: 235 votes

REFERENDUMS

Holden Beach Pier Bond ($7.3 million for new pier)

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Yes: 211 votes
• No: 351 votes

Sandyfield Malt Beverage Election

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Yes: 47 votes
• No: 31 votes

Sandyfield Unfortified Wine Election

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Yes: 45 votes
• No: 33 votes

Sandyfield Mixed Beverage Election

1 of 1 precincts reporting

• Yes: 47 votes
• No: 30 votes

Click here to watch WECT’s live election coverage.

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