POLICY

  1. Referrals shall be accepted by phone, by written correspondence or in person.
  2. Referrals must be entered into Cornerstone based upon the date of receipt. Any referral received on a date that the Child and Family Connections (CFC) office is closed must immediately be entered into Cornerstone on the first business day thereafter and must reflect the actual date of receipt. Example: The referral was received on a Saturday morning when the CFC was closed. On Monday, when the CFC is open for business the CFC will enter the referral using Saturday's date. The date of the referral begins the 45 day intake period allowed to complete the initial Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP).
  3. Information obtained by a CFC is considered confidential under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). If the CFC is unable to locate the family, the CFC may contact the referral source to inform them that the family has not been contacted and to request additional contact information. Once the family has been located, information about the referral may not be given to the referral source without a signed consent for release of information. If the referral source wants to know the outcome of its referral, the referral source should seek consent from the family and provide a copy of a signed consent for release of information to the CFC at the time of referral. Information about referrals may also be given to the referral source if the CFC obtains consent from families using the Consent for Release of Information form.
  4. Primary referral sources are required by federal rule, 34 CFR 303.321(d)(2)(ii), to make referrals to the Early Intervention (EI) System no more than two working days after a potentially eligible child is identified. When contacted by the CFC, families have the option to decline services. Primary referral sources include:
    1. Hospitals, including perinatal and post-natal care facilities;
    2. Physicians;
    3. Parents;
    4. Child care programs;
    5. Local educational agencies;
    6. Public health facilities;
    7. Other social services agencies; and
    8. Other health care providers.
  5. Upon receiving a referral, CFCs shall ensure that evaluation in all five developmental domains (cognitive development; physical development, including vision and hearing; language, speech and communication development; social-emotional development; and adaptive self-help skills development), eligibility determination, and development of the initial IFSP are completed with the family within 45 calendar days. The 45-day intake period begins on the date that the referral was received and can be extended by documented family request. Service coordination, evaluation, assessment, eligibility determination and IFSP development, review and updating and procedural safeguards shall be provided at no cost to families.

PROCEDURE

  1. Verify the following general eligibility requirements and send Ineligible Based on General Eligibility form letter #30.F04 if the child does not meet general eligibility requirements:
    1. Review the date of birth to verify that the child is under age three.
    2. Review the child's place of residence to verify that the child is currently living in Illinois. Children residing in private residential facilities that are not funded in part or in whole by State or federal monies and have no service standards established that address the developmental needs of the children 0-3 in their care may be enrolled in the Part C EI Program and receive any and all needed EI services.
    3. If the child is 33 months to 36 months, discuss EI age requirements and transition to 3 - 5 services. Proceed with 0-3 referral and/or referral to 3 - 5 services upon family request.
    4. If the child is 36 months or older refer to 3 - 5 services if appropriate.
    5. If the child does not currently reside in Illinois, provide information regarding how to access services in the state of residence as part of the ineligibility letter.
  2. Verify that the child resides in the CFC region using the child's address or zip code or child's placement address or zip code if in foster care.
    1. If address is NOT in your region, ensure that the referral is immediately directed to the appropriate CFC.
    2. If address is in your region, proceed to 3.0.
  3. Refer to the Cornerstone Reference Manual for instructions on how to enter referral information into Cornerstone.
  4. Add or edit the child's enrollment information.
  5. If the child's legal guardian is the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), complete the Participant Medicaid/Insurance Record in Cornerstone.

NOTE: Cornerstone identifies DCFS wards by their Recipient Identification Number (RIN) provided by All Kids. This screen is completed for all children following eligibility determination. However, for reporting purposes, it is important to complete this screen at this point for those children who are DCFS wards.