Virginia Law

A. The department shall develop and implement a public awareness program that focuses on the early identification of infants and toddlers with disabilities and provides information to parents of infants and toddlers through primary referral sources.

B. Local lead agencies and early intervention service providers shall collaborate with the department to prepare and disseminate information to all primary referral sources, including a description of the early intervention services available, a description of the child find system and how to refer a child under the age of three years for eligibility determination or early intervention services, and a central directory.

C. The department, local lead agencies, and early intervention service providers shall collaborate with and assist primary referral sources in disseminating the information in subsection B of this section to parents of infants and toddlers, especially parents with premature infants or infants with other physical risk factors associated with learning or developmental complications.

D. Local lead agencies shall develop and implement local public awareness and child find procedures that include the methods to be used for planning and distributing public awareness materials and the roles of agencies and persons in the community involved in public awareness and child find activities.

E. The department shall maintain a central directory that shall be accessible to the general public through a toll-free number and the Internet. The central directory shall include accurate and up-to-date information about:

1. Public and private early intervention services, resources, and experts available in Virginia;

2. Professional and other groups (including parent support and training and information centers) that provide assistance to children with disabilities and their families; and

3. Research and demonstration projects being conducted in Virginia relating to children with disabilities.

F. The department shall implement a comprehensive child find system that is consistent with Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 USC § 1411 et seq., and ensures that all children with disabilities who are eligible for early intervention services in Virginia are identified, located, and evaluated for eligibility determination, including:

1. Indian children with disabilities residing on a reservation geographically located in Virginia, including coordination, as necessary, with tribes, tribal organizations, and consortia;

2. Children with disabilities who are homeless, in foster care, and wards of the state;

3. Children who are the subject of a substantiated case of child abuse or neglect; and

4. Children who are identified as directly affected by illegal substance abuse or withdrawal symptoms resulting from prenatal drug exposure.

G. The department shall ensure that the child find system is coordinated with all other major efforts to locate and identify children by other state agencies responsible for administering the various education, health, and social service programs relevant to children with disabilities and their families, including Indian tribes, and with the efforts of the:

1. Preschool special education program through the Department of Education;

2. Maternal and Child Health program, including the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (42 USC § 711) under Title V of the Social Security Act;

3. Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT) program under Title XIX (42 USC § 1396 et seq.) of the Social Security Act;

4. Programs under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (42 USC § 15001 et seq.);

5. Head Start and Early Head Start programs;

6. Supplemental Security Income program under Title XVI (42 USC § 1381 et seq.) of the Social Security Act;

7. Child protection and child welfare programs, including programs administered by, and services provided through, the Department of Social Services, as the foster care agency and as the state agency responsible for administering the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) (42 USC § 5101 et seq.);

8. Child care programs in Virginia;

9. Programs that provide services under the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (42 USC § 10401 et seq.);

10. Virginia's Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) system;

11. Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) authorized under Title XXI (42 USC § 1397aa et seq.) of the Social Security Act;

12. Virginia Newborn Screening Program;

13. Virginia Congenital Anomalies Reporting Education System (VACARES); and

14. Care Connection of Virginia.

H. The department and local lead agencies shall use interagency agreements, memoranda of understanding, or other mechanisms, as needed, to minimize duplication of child find efforts among the programs listed in subsection G of this section and to ensure that there will be effective use of the resources available through each public agency and early intervention service providers in Virginia to implement the child find system.