Virginia Law

A. Funds available under Part C shall be used for the following activities:

1. To implement and maintain a statewide system of early intervention supports and services for children with disabilities and their families;

2. For direct early intervention supports and services for children with disabilities and their families that are not otherwise funded through other public or private sources; and

3. To expand and improve supports and services for children with disabilities and their families that are otherwise available.

B. Federal Part C funds and state general funds designated for early intervention services under Part C shall be used as the payor of last resort and shall not be used to satisfy a financial commitment for supports and services that would otherwise have been paid for from another public or private source, including any medical program administered by the U.S. Department of Defense, but for the enactment of Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

C. The department and local lead agencies shall identify and coordinate all available resources to pay for early intervention services, including federal, state, local, and private sources.

D. The service coordinator shall coordinate the funding sources for early intervention services in each IFSP.

E. If necessary to prevent a delay in the timely provision of appropriate early intervention services to a child or the child's family, funds available under Part C may be used to pay the provider of early intervention supports and services (excluding medical services) and for functions associated with the child find system, eligibility determination, and assessment for service planning pending reimbursement from the agency or entity that has ultimate responsibility for the payment.

F. The department shall establish an interagency agreement with each participating state agency to ensure the provision of, and establish financial responsibility for, early intervention supports and services; to establish procedures for achieving a timely resolution of intra-agency and interagency disputes about payments for a given service or disputes about other matters related to Virginia's early intervention system; and to ensure that no early intervention supports and services to which a child is entitled are delayed or denied because of disputes between agencies regarding financial or other responsibilities.

G. Local lead agencies shall develop interagency agreements, contracts, or memoranda of agreement with as many early intervention service providers as possible to meet the needs of children with disabilities and their families and shall allow families to have access to any certified early intervention service provider in the family's payor network who agrees to comply with all Part C requirements and is working in the local early intervention system area.