Virginia Regulatory Town Hall View Comments

Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services

State Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services

Guidance Document Change: Public Comment Requested on DRAFT Revisions to the DBHDS Guidance Document # Part C 9, the Early Intervention Practice Manual. Specifics: Revisions are proposed for chapters 7, 11, and 12; there is a form attached to Chapter 11 and Chapter 12. The revision to the Infant and Toddler Connection of Virginia Practice Manual (Chapter 11 – Finance and Billing, page 20) eliminates the reference to specific dollar figures for the fixed allowable amounts on the fee appeal form. The amounts previously referenced were established ten years ago and are being raised to reflect current costs and ensure families can accurately deduct these expenses with minimal paperwork. Since these amounts will change over time, the specific dollar amounts will be detailed on the fee appeal form, which is referenced in the Practice Manual. The manual itself will continue to address the process used by and documentation required from the family in appealing their monthly fee cap for early intervention services. [Note: As combined in the Adobe Acrobat file, Chapter 7 begins on page 1 as viewed in Adobe, Chapter 11 starts on page 55, and Chapter 12 on page 96.] Background: This manual provides guidance on the regulatory requirements for Virginia's early intervention services system that are designed to protect the health, safety, and welfare of children with disabilities from birth through the age of two and their families to assure access to appropriate early intervention services. • The current manual can be viewed here (https://infantva.org/Pr-PracticeManual-Forms.htm). • The Requirements for Virginia Early Intervention System (“Early Intervention Regulations”) are available here: http://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincode/title12/agency35/chapter225. • A noncontroversial regulatory action amending the regulations will become effective on May 28, 2021. The text of those changes may be viewed here (https://townhall.virginia.gov/L/ViewXML.cfm?textid=15025) and will be incorporated in the full regulations in the link above.

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6/16/21 11:10 am

Commenter: Carol Burke

Early Intervention Practice Manual - Fee Appeal Form

Suggest considering some changes to the Fee Appeal Form so families understand what is required to complete the form; families are often given this form so they can use it as a reference as they collect their documentation. For example, the first sentence could be interpreted to mean that the only documentation required is if the expenses exceed the allowable amount; actually, documentation is also required for all items without an allowable amount.

CommentID: 99159