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(9) Birth to Three Program

ISSUE:

The Birth to Three Program entitles all eligible infants and toddlers who have a disability or a developmental delay to receive a wide range of services. It is a national program to assist each state in establishing a statewide system of early intervention services for children with developmental delay from birth to three years of age and their families.

• Both federal law and state rules require that early intervention services be provided to the maximum extent possible in the child's natural environment, a setting that is natural or normal for the child's age peers who have no disabilities.
• Federal and state dollars fund the Program. Medical Assistance and the families' private insurance also pay a portion of the costs.
• The last two biennial budgets did not provide funding increases.
• Counties are forced to request shortfall funds annually to compensate for increasing caseloads while maintaining services.
• Counties have been forced to provide fewer services or have had to increase county funding.
• The Department of Health and Family Services has been exploring restricting eligibility and recovering some of the costs of the Program by charging families.

POSITION:

The WCDD supports an increase in funding for the Birth to Three Program for children with disabilities and their families. The WCDD opposes changes in the definition of eligibility for the Program and opposes an increase in costs to parents through the "ability to pay" formula.

LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVES:

The Council supports the following legislative initiatives:

• Increase of $2 million in state funds in each year of the biennium to increase funding for the Birth to Three Program entitlement.

Back to WCDD Home Page > Introduction

1. Introduction
2. Birth to Three
3. Campaign Finance Reform
4. Children's Long Term Care Redesign
5. Community Aids
6. Community Integration Program
7. Community Options Program
8. Dental Care Access
9. Direct Service Workforce Shortage
10. Education of Students with Disabilities
11. Employment
12. Family Care Program
13. Family Support Program
14. Independent Living Assistive Technology
15. Medicaid Card Services
16. Mental Health: Fairness in Insurance
17. Mental Health: Services & Supports
18. Protecting People with Disabilities from Abuse
19. Respite Care
20. Specialized Transportation
21. State Centers for the Developmentally Disabled
22. Voting Reforms
23. Welfare Reform & People with Disabilities