Part VI. Service Funding and Payment Systems
12VAC35-225-210. Use of Part C funds.
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.
Statutory Authority
§ 2.2-5304 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from Virginia Register Volume 32, Issue 10, eff. February 27, 2016.
12VAC35-225-220. Services provided at public expense.
A. The following services shall be provided at public expense and at no cost to families:
1. Child find activities;
2. Eligibility determination and assessment for service planning;
3. Service coordination;
4. Administrative and coordinative activities related to the development, review, and evaluation of IFSPs and interim IFSPs; and
5. Administrative and coordinative activities related to implementation of procedural safeguards and other components of the statewide early intervention system related to child find, eligibility determination, assessment, and development of IFSPs.
B. Localities shall not be required to provide funding for any costs for early intervention services provided at public expense, either directly or through participating local public agencies.
Statutory Authority
§ 2.2-5304 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from Virginia Register Volume 32, Issue 10, eff. February 27, 2016.
12VAC35-225-230. System of payments.
A. The department shall establish and implement a system of payments, including a schedule of sliding family fees with monthly caps, for early intervention services provided under Part C. Under that system:
1. Fees shall not be charged to parents for the services a child is otherwise entitled to receive at no cost, including those listed in 12VAC35-225-220;
2. All early intervention services other than those listed in 12VAC35-225-220 shall be subject to family fees;
3. The inability of the parent of a child with a disability to pay for services shall not result in a delay or denial of services to the child or his family, such that if the family meets the criteria for inability to pay, the child shall receive all early intervention services at no cost to the family;
4. Parents shall not be charged any more than the actual cost of services, factoring in any amount received from other payment sources for that service;
5. Charges for early intervention supports and services shall be consistent regardless of the anticipated payment source, and parents with public insurance or benefits or private insurance shall not be charged disproportionately more than parents who do not have public insurance or benefits or private insurance;
6. All parents shall have the opportunity to submit information to establish ability to pay and a monthly cap for family fees. Parents who choose not to provide the required income information shall be charged for all applicable copayments, deductibles, and the full early intervention rate for services not covered by insurance;
7. The service coordinator shall ensure a family's ability to pay is established and consent for use of private insurance, public benefits, or public insurance is determined at intake for children who are covered by Medicaid or FAMIS and for all other children prior to delivering early intervention services other than those services that must be provided at no cost to the family; and
8. A family's ability to pay shall be reviewed at each annual IFSP and any time the family's financial circumstances change. If the family is unable to provide the required information, it shall be charged for all applicable copayments and deductibles or the full early intervention rate for services not covered by insurance.
B. Family fees collected shall be retained by the local lead agency to support the local early intervention system.
C. Parents who wish to contest the imposition of a fee or the determination of the parents' ability to pay may contest such determinations in accordance with 12VAC35-225-380 A.
Statutory Authority
§ 2.2-5304 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from Virginia Register Volume 32, Issue 10, eff. February 27, 2016.
12VAC35-225-240. Use of public benefits or public insurance.
A. Parents shall not be required to enroll in public benefits or public insurance programs as a condition of receiving early intervention services, and parental consent shall be required prior to using the public benefits and public insurance of a child or parent if that child or parent is not already enrolled in such a program.
B. Parental consent shall be obtained before the local lead agency or the early intervention service provider discloses, for billing purposes, a child's personally identifiable information to the child's assigned managed care organization, or if the child is not enrolled in managed care, to the Department of Medical Assistance Services.
C. In Virginia, use of a child's or parent's public benefits or public insurance to pay for early intervention services shall not:
1. Decrease available lifetime coverage or any other insured benefit for that child or parent under that program;
2. Result in the child's parents paying for services that would otherwise be covered by the public benefits or public insurance program;
3. Result in any increase in premiums or discontinuation of public benefits or public insurance for that child or his parents; or
4. Risk loss of eligibility for the child or that child's parents for home and community-based waivers based on aggregate health-related expenditures.
D. If the parent gives consent for use of his private insurance to pay for early intervention services for a child who is covered by private insurance and by either public benefits or public insurance, the parent shall be responsible for the costs associated with use of the private insurance, as specified in 12VAC35-225-250 E.
E. If the parent does not provide the consent to use or enroll in public benefits or public insurance or to disclose information to the child's assigned managed care organization, or if the child is not enrolled in managed care, to the Department of Medical Assistance Services for billing purposes, the local lead agency must still make available the early intervention services on the IFSP to which the parent has provided consent.
Statutory Authority
§ 2.2-5304 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from Virginia Register Volume 32, Issue 10, eff. February 27, 2016; amended, Virginia Register Volume 37, Issue 17, eff. May 28, 2021.
12VAC35-225-250. Use of private insurance.
A. The private insurance of a family may not be used to pay for early intervention services unless the parent has provided prior consent.
B. Parental consent to use of private insurance to pay for early intervention services shall be obtained when the local lead agency or early intervention service provider seeks to use the parent's private insurance or benefits to pay for the initial provision of early intervention services and each time there is an increase (in frequency, length, duration, or intensity) in the provision of services in the child's IFSP.
C. The consent requirements in subsections A and B of this section shall also apply when use of private insurance is required prior to use of public benefits or public insurance.
D. If a parent is determined to be unable to pay and does not provide consent for use of private insurance, the lack of consent shall not be used to delay or deny any early intervention services to the child or family.
E. If the parent provides consent for use of the family's private insurance to pay for early intervention services, Part C or other funds may be used to pay for copayment or deductible amounts that exceed the family's monthly cap, unless the family has money in a flexible spending account that automatically pays the early intervention service provider or the family for these costs.
F. Families shall be responsible for paying their insurance premiums.
Statutory Authority
§ 2.2-5304 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from Virginia Register Volume 32, Issue 10, eff. February 27, 2016.
12VAC35-225-260. Written notification.
When obtaining parental consent for the provision of early intervention services or for use of public or private insurance or benefits, or both, the service coordinator shall ensure the parents receive written information on Virginia's system of payment policies, which includes the following:
1. Required notification to parents of children covered by Medicaid including:
a. Parental consent requirements in 12VAC35-225-240 B;
b. The cost protections in 12VAC35-225-240 C;
c. The local lead agency responsibility to offer the early intervention services to which the parent has provided consent even if the parent does not provide consent for use of public benefits or public insurance as specified in 12VAC35-225-240 E;
d. The parent's right to withdraw consent for disclosure, for billing purposes, of a child's personally identifiable information to the child's assigned managed care organization, or if the child is not enrolled in managed care, to the Department of Medical Assistance Services at any time; and
e. Categories of costs to parents as specified in 12VAC35-225-240 D;
2. Potential costs to the parent when their private insurance is used, which may include copayments, deductibles, premiums, or other long-term costs such as the loss of benefits because of annual or lifetime health insurance coverage caps under the insurance policy;
3. The payment system and schedule of sliding fees that may be charged to the parents for early intervention services;
4. The basis and amount of payments or fees;
5. Information on the determination of ability to pay and inability to pay, including when and how the determination is made;
6. Assurances regarding fees and service provision as specified in 12VAC35-225-230 A 1, A 3, A 4, and A 5;
7. The policy on failure to provide the required income information as specified in 12VAC35-225-230 A 6;
8. Policies regarding use of federal or state Part C funds to pay for costs such as insurance copayments or deductibles; and
9. Parent rights as specified in 12VAC35-225-230 C.
Statutory Authority
§ 2.2-5304 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from Virginia Register Volume 32, Issue 10, eff. February 27, 2016; amended, Virginia Register Volume 37, Issue 17, eff. May 28, 2021.
12VAC35-225-270. Billing and collections of family fees, public benefits, and insurance.
A. The local lead agency shall ensure billing for and collection of all family fees for the local early intervention system by:
1. Doing all billing and collection of family fees;
2. Contracting with a single entity to bill for and collect all family fees for the local early intervention system; or
3. Assigning the billing and collection of the family fee to a specific early intervention service provider for each child.
B. Early intervention service providers shall routinely, and no less than one time per month, confirm with families whether their insurance has changed and shall notify the local system manager immediately if a child who has or had Medicaid or FAMIS no longer has Medicaid or FAMIS or does not have the Medicaid early intervention benefit and notify the service coordinator if the child had TRICARE or private insurance coverage and the child no longer has that coverage or the child has newly acquired Medicaid or FAMIS, TRICARE, or private insurance coverage.
C. The local system manager, or his designee, shall provide oversight to ensure Medicaid or FAMIS information is correctly entered into the department's early intervention management information system, ITOTS, to begin and maintain enrollment in the Medicaid early intervention benefit.
Statutory Authority
§ 2.2-5304 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from Virginia Register Volume 32, Issue 10, eff. February 27, 2016.
12VAC35-225-280. Provider billing for early intervention services.
A. In order to receive reimbursement from federal or state Part C funds as the payor of last resort, early intervention service providers shall:
1. Have a contractual relationship with the local early intervention system; and
2. Submit a contact log or contact notes to the local lead agency no later than the 21st of each month for all services provided in the previous month, including any service for which reimbursement is sought from Part C funds.
B. Early intervention service providers shall accept Medicaid reimbursement for medically necessary early intervention services as payment in full.
C. In order to bill Medicaid for early intervention services other than service coordination, the provider shall:
1. Be certified as an early intervention practitioner;
2. Enroll with the Department of Medical Assistance Services and Medicaid contracted managed care organizations as an early intervention provider;
3. Provide services to children who are determined eligible for early intervention services under Part C;
4. Provide covered services as listed on the child's IFSP and, with the exception of the assessment for service planning and IFSP meetings, services that are approved by a physician, physician's assistant, or nurse practitioner; and
5. Comply with all other applicable Department of Medical Assistance Services requirements.
D. In order to bill Medicaid for service coordination, the provider shall:
1. Be certified as an early intervention case manager;
2. Enroll with the Department of Medical Assistance Services and Medicaid contracted managed care organizations as an early intervention provider;
3. Deliver service coordination in accordance with a signed initial early intervention service coordination plan or a signed individualized family service plan (IFSP);
4. Provide at least one activity during the month being billed to the child, the family, service providers, or other organizations on behalf of the child or family in order to coordinate supports and services and assist the family in accessing needed resources and services;
5. Document the contact or communication completely and correctly in accordance with 12VAC35-225-180;
6. Make a phone, email, text, or face-to-face contact with the family at least one time every three calendar months, or document attempts of such contacts;
7. Ensure documented face-to-face interaction between the service coordinator and the family at the development of the initial IFSP and the annual IFSP along with documentation that the service coordinator observed the child during the calendar month that the IFSP meeting was held;
8. Submit the health status indicator questions to the child's physician every six months; and
9. Comply with all other applicable Department of Medical Assistance Services requirements.
E. Children who are dually enrolled in Virginia's early intervention system and in Medicaid or FAMIS shall receive service coordination under the early intervention targeted case management program.
Statutory Authority
§ 2.2-5304 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from Virginia Register Volume 32, Issue 10, eff. February 27, 2016; amended, Virginia Register Volume 37, Issue 17, eff. May 28, 2021.