POLICY

  1. At the meeting to develop the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) the Service Coordinator shall:
    1. Coordinate and participate in the IFSP meeting;
    2. Ensure that the meeting is conducted in the parent's native language or mode of communication, unless it is clearly not feasible to do so, or that an interpreter is present to translate what is discussed;
    3. Seek a consensus by the multidisciplinary team regarding child outcomes. The IFSP team will measure each child's functioning as compared to same-age peers related to the following three outcomes:
      • Positive social-emotional skills, including social relationships;
      • Acquisition and use of knowledge of skills; and
      • Use of appropriate behaviors to meet needs.
    4. Seek a consensus by the multidisciplinary team regarding, functional goals and objectives and an integrated plan to meet the goals and objectives;
    5. If no consensus is reached, the Service Coordinator shall establish a Department of Human Services (DHS) approved service plan (IFSP) that is consistent with DHS guidelines (Early Intervention policies/procedures) that will be reviewed by DHS designated experts (clinical technical assistance consultant(s) under contract by Child and Family Connections offices);
    6. Provide the parents with prior written notice of DHS's proposed service plan (IFSP). The parents may seek mediation or an impartial administrative resolution regarding other requested services; and
    7. Complete the Consent for Release of Information for Children With Identified Hearing Loss form and submit the form to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Vision and Hearing Screening Program at the address identified on the form if the child meets any of the following criteria:
      1. the child presented with an identified hearing loss during initial enrollment;
      2. the child was referred from an IDPH Newborn Hearing Program with a confirmed hearing loss;
      3. an identified hearing loss was confirmed after the initial IFSP meeting; or
      4. the family of a child with an identified hearing loss chose not to accept EI services.
  2. The IFSP is an important document. Those portions of the IFSP completed by hand must be legibly completed in ink.
  3. The IFSP is a confidential document. Photocopies of the completed IFSP must be distributed to the family, providers and other individuals/agencies/physicians as soon as reasonably possible but no more than 15 business days after the completion of the IFSP meeting as directed by the parent's informed, signed consent on Section 7 of the IFSP (Implementation and Distribution Authorization). Note: Assistive Technology and Transportation providers are not required to receive a copy of the IFSP.
  4. The original signed IFSP is maintained in the child's permanent record housed at the Child and Family Connections (CFC) office.
  5. All necessary services for each eligible child as agreed upon by the IFSP team, including the family, must be documented on the IFSP regardless of availability.
  6. DHS shall not pay for services listed on the IFSP that DHS is not required to fund.
  7. Early intervention (EI) funding is the payor of last resort for IFSP services that DHS is required to fund.
  8. A physician's prescription must be obtained prior to direct service provision, routed to the appropriate service provider and a copy maintained in the child's permanent record for each of the following EI services/service providers:
    1. Audiology and aural rehabilitation services provided by licensed Audiologists or licensed Speech-Language Pathologists;
    2. Occupational therapy services provided by licensed Occupational Therapists;
    3. Physical therapy services provided by licensed Physical Therapists;
    4. Speech-language therapy services provided by licensed Speech-Language Pathologists.
  9. Decisions regarding services for each individual child are made by consensus of the IFSP team, including the parents. EI services should be based on a collaborative relationship between families and providers that emphasizes the family's role as central in EI activities. Frequency of therapy should depend on the amount of time necessary for the family to incorporate new techniques into family routines and re-evaluation/ assessment of the child's response to therapy.
  10. The family is the primary foundation of their child's optimum development in all areas. In order for therapy to be successful, it is essential for families to be involved in facilitating carryover to daily living activities. This means that an important goal of therapist-family collaboration is to support the child's participation in the family and his/her functional environment.
  11. Intervention services should be considered as a means of achieving the functional outcomes that have been determined by the IFSP team. Specific strategies should be collaborative and interdisciplinary, avoiding unnecessary duplication of similar activities by multiple therapists.
  12. The inclusion of specific services in the intervention plan should never be based solely on the presence of a medical diagnosis or delay. Services should be linked to specific functional outcomes, regardless of the underlying cause.
  13. Acute rehabilitative therapy is not developmentally based process, but is a medically based service outside the EI arena. Once the condition has become subacute or chronic, the therapy treating the developmental delay can and should be provided by the EI Program.
  14. Evaluations, eligibility determination and IFSP development may occur on the same day if the following criteria apply.
    1. All required intake activity has been previously completed with the family, a review of existing records has occurred and the appropriate composition of the evaluation team has been determined. NOTE: See Intake, Evaluation Authorizations and Initial and Annual Eligibility Determination Sections of this manual for steps that must be completed prior to the development of the IFSP.
    2. The family has been contacted and has agreed to the completion of evaluations, eligibility determination and the development of the IFSP on the same day. NOTE: A minimum of two disciplines is required to complete evaluations to determine initial eligibility and to re-determine eligibility on an annual basis. Arena or team evaluations may be used. However, the evaluators should be carefully selected to ensure that each evaluator is addressing an identified area of concern. Use developmental information obtained through the Referral and Intake processes to help determine the most appropriate composition of an evaluation team for each child.
  15. If a family agrees to allow evaluations, eligibility determination and IFSP development to occur on the same day, the Waiver of Written Prior Notice form must be completed on that day in the presence of the family and the following information must be documented in writing:
    1. The evaluation team's determination regarding eligibility;
    2. The reason for the team's decision;
    3. The procedural safeguards available to the parent, including the right to refuse EI service; and
    4. The parent's consent to waive written notice of eligibility determination and written prior notice of the IFSP meeting. NOTE: Service Coordinators should carefully observe the family and ensure that they are adequately informed and emotionally prepared to proceed with the development of the IFSP. If the Service Coordinator feels that the parent(s) needs time to consider the evaluation findings or does not have sufficient support to proceed, the Service Coordinator should immediately stop the meeting and work with the family and providers to reconvene the team at a later date that is convenient to the family.

PROCEDURE

the list styles have changed due to the original list not being available in this format

  1. The Service Coordinator must review existing records to identify whether additional information is needed to determine the child's current health status and medical history and, if so, complete the Consent for Release of Information form in order to acquire the additional information and to release that information to members of the IFSP team. A separate form containing an original parent signature must be completed to acquire and to release information for each entity that information will be acquired from or released to.
  2. The Service Coordinator must review existing records and evaluation reports to identify whether additional information is needed to determine the child's functioning levels, unique strengths and needs and the services appropriate to meet those needs in the five developmental domains (cognitive development; physical development including vision and hearing; communication development; social-emotional development; and adaptive self-help skills) and, if so, arrange for additional evaluation/assessment activities, as described in Initial and Annual Eligibility Determination.
  3. Within 45 days of referral the Service Coordinator must arrange for a meeting to be held at a time and place convenient for the family in order to develop the IFSP. Central locations may be used when scheduling IFSP meetings in order to maximize attendance and facilitate timeliness. This meeting must include the child's parent/guardian and other family members by parental request, the Service Coordinator, a person or persons directly involved in conducting the evaluation/ assessments, and others such as an advocate or person outside the family by parental request. Send a copy of the IFSP Meeting form letter 30.F36 to the family and all entities that will participate in the IFSP meeting. File a copy of the letter in the child's CFC permanent record.
    1. Transportation services to evaluations and IFSP meetings may be authorized pre-IFSP. However, it is important to note that parents who require reimbursement for transporting their child using their private auto should enroll as a Transportation provider with the State.
  4. Provide reasonable prior written notice to the family and other participants of this meeting.
    1. Providers are required to attend the entire IFSP meeting in order to receive  authorization for payment. If a person directly involved in conducting theevaluation/assessments cannot attend the meeting, make arrangements for the person to participate in the meeting by telephone conference call. Using a laptop computer authorize provider participation as follows.
      1. IFSP MEETING - OFFSITE if providers attend the IFSP in person; or
      2. IFSP DEVELOPMENT - ONSITE if due to extenuating circumstances, providers are not able to participate in person and must participate in the IFSP meeting by phone.
      3. Do not provide authorization prior to the meeting. The time allowed for billing on the authorization must equal the time that the provider was actually present at the meeting.
    2. Providers will accept responsibility for phone charges for IFSP meeting conference calls if done for their convenience.
    3. If an evaluation completed prior to a child's referral to EI was used to assist in determining EI eligibility and the provider who completed the evaluation is enrolled in the EI Services System, the provider should be encouraged to attend the IFSP meeting. If the provider is not enrolled or if the enrolled provider is not available to attend the IFSP meeting, a member of the clinical technical assistance team or a credentialed evaluator should review the evaluation and attend the IFSP meeting.
  5. The Service Coordinator will coordinate development of the IFSP as follows:
    1. Coordinate and participate in the IFSP meeting;
    2. Ensure that the IFSP meeting is conducted in the parent's native language or mode of communication unless it is clearly not feasible to do so or that an interpreter is present to translate what is discussed;
    3. Seek a consensus by the multidisciplinary team regarding child outcomes. The IFSP team will measure each child's functioning as compared to same-age peers related to the following three outcomes:
      1. Positive social-emotional skills, including social relationships;
      2. Acquisition and use of knowledge of skills; and
      3. Use of appropriate behaviors to meet needs.
    4. Discuss previously distributed evaluation and assessment reports/results;
    5. Seek a consensus by the multidisciplinary team regarding functional goals and objectives and an integrated plan to meet the goals and objectives;
    6. If no consensus is reached, the Service Coordinator will not complete a service plan prior to consultation with DHS designated experts in order to establish a DHS approved service plan, and shall then provide the parents with prior written notice regarding the proposed IFSP;
    7. Complete the hard copy and electronic sections of the IFSP as indicated in the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) Form Instruction document;
    8. Using a laptop computer, generate IFSP meeting authorizations according to the parameters outlined in Procedure 4.1 above and give the providers in attendance their authorization numbers;
    9. Obtain the parent's informed, signed consent to implement services on Section 7 of the IFSP (Implementation and Distribution Authorization). Include the child's Primary Care Physician (PCP) in this section under the area that allows other individuals/agencies to receive a copy of the IFSP and any revisions made to the IFSP. It is important that the PCP be aware that the child was referred to EI, is provided information on the status of the referral and receives a copy of the IFSP if the child is deemed eligible or when a new IFSP is developed;
    10. Complete the Consent for Release of Information for Children With Identified Hearing Loss form and submit the form to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Vision and Hearing Screening Program at the address identified on the form if the child meets any of the following criteria: 1) the child presented with an identified hearing loss during initial enrollment; 2) the child was referred from an IDPH Newborn Hearing Program with a confirmed hearing loss; 3) an identified hearing loss was confirmed after the initial IFSP meeting; or 4) the family of a child with an identified hearing loss chose not to accept EI services.
    11. Work with the family to ensure that prescriptions for services are obtained prior to direct service provision for EI services as required by EI, licensure and/or by insurance as necessary; and
    12. Print the IFSP with approved EI service authorizations and distribute to the family, EI providers and any other entity identified on Section 7 of the IFSP (Implementation and Distribution Authorization) as soon as reasonably possible, but no more than 15 business days after the IFSP meeting. Include a copy of the Insurance Report to EI Service Providers and a copy of the Family Fee Report to the family. Note: A copy of the IFSP must be provided to every member of the IFSP team, with the exception of Assistive Technology and Transportation providers. Send service authorization(s) and a copy of the Insurance Report to Assistive Technology providers and service authorization(s) to Transportation providers.
  6. The Waiver of Written Prior Notice form must be completed in the presence of the family, documenting in writing the evaluation team's determination regarding eligibility, the reason for the team's decision, the procedural safeguards available to the parent, including the right to refuse EI services, and the parent's consent to waive written notice of eligibility determination and written prior notice of the IFSP meeting.