2000 Minnesota Statutes

     125A.023 Coordinated interagency services. 

    Subdivision 1.    Citation.  This section and section 
 125A.027 shall be cited as the "Interagency Services for 
 Children with Disabilities Act." 

    Subd. 2.    Purpose.  It is the policy of the state to 
 develop and implement a coordinated, multidisciplinary, 
 interagency intervention service system for children ages three 
 to 21 with disabilities. 

    Subd. 3.    Definitions.  For purposes of this section 
 and section 125A.027, the following terms have the meanings 
 given them: 

    (a) "Health plan" means: 

    (1) a health plan under section 62Q.01, subdivision 3; 

    (2) a county-based purchasing plan under section 256B.692; 

    (3) a self-insured health plan established by a local 
 government under section 471.617; or 

    (4) self-insured health coverage provided by the state to 
 its employees or retirees. 

    (b) For purposes of this section, "health plan company" 
 means an entity that issues a health plan as defined in 
 paragraph (a). 

    (c) "Individual interagency intervention plan" means a 
 standardized written plan describing those programs or services 
 and the accompanying funding sources available to eligible 
 children with disabilities. 

    (d) "Interagency intervention service system" means a 
 system that coordinates services and programs required in state 
 and federal law to meet the needs of eligible children with 
 disabilities ages three to 21, including: 

    (1) services provided under the following programs or 
 initiatives administered by state or local agencies: 

    (i) the maternal and child health program under title V of 
 the Social Security Act, United States Code, title 42, sections 
 701 to 709; 

    (ii) the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act under 
 United States Code, title 20, chapter 33, subchapter II, 
 sections 1411 to 1420; 

    (iii) medical assistance under the Social Security Act, 
 United States Code, title 42, chapter 7, subchapter XIX, section 
 1396, et seq.; 

    (iv) the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of 
 Rights Act, United States Code, title 42, chapter 75, subchapter 
 II, sections 6021 to 6030, Part B; 

    (v) the Head Start Act, United States Code, title 42, 
 chapter 105, subchapter II, sections 9831 to 9852; 

    (vi) rehabilitation services provided under chapter 268A; 

    (vii) Juvenile Court Act services provided under sections 
 260.011 to 260.91; 260B.001 to 260B.446; and 260C.001 to 
 260C.451; 

    (viii) the children's mental health collaboratives under 
 section 245.493; 

    (ix) the family service collaboratives under section 
 124D.23; 

    (x) the family community support plan under section 
 245.4881, subdivision 4; 

    (xi) the MinnesotaCare program under chapter 256L; 

    (xii) the community health services grants under chapter 
 145; 

    (xiii) the Community Social Services Act funding under the 
 Social Security Act, United States Code, title 42, sections 1397 
 to 1397f; and 

    (xiv) the community transition interagency committees under 
 section 125A.22; 

    (2) services provided under a health plan in conformity 
 with an individual family service plan or an individual 
 education plan; and 

    (3) additional appropriate services that local agencies and 
 counties provide on an individual need basis upon determining 
 eligibility and receiving a request from the interagency early 
 intervention committee and the child's parent. 

    (e) "Children with disabilities" has the meaning given in 
 section 125A.02. 

    (f) A "standardized written plan" means those individual 
 services or programs available through the interagency 
 intervention service system to an eligible child other than the 
 services or programs described in the child's individual 
 education plan or the child's individual family service plan. 

    Subd. 4.    State interagency committee.  (a) The 
 governor shall convene an 18-member interagency committee to 
 develop and implement a coordinated, multidisciplinary, 
 interagency intervention service system for children ages three 
 to 21 with disabilities.  The commissioners of commerce, 
 children, families, and learning, health, human rights, human 
 services, economic security, and corrections shall each appoint 
 two committee members from their departments; the association of 
 Minnesota counties shall appoint two county representatives, one 
 of whom must be an elected official, as committee members; and 
 the Minnesota school boards association and the school nurse 
 association of Minnesota shall each appoint one committee 
 member.  The committee shall select a chair from among its 
 members. 

    (b) The committee shall: 

    (1) identify and assist in removing state and federal 
 barriers to local coordination of services provided to children 
 with disabilities; 

    (2) identify adequate, equitable, and flexible funding 
 sources to streamline these services; 

    (3) develop guidelines for implementing policies that 
 ensure a comprehensive and coordinated system of all state and 
 local agency services, including multidisciplinary assessment 
 practices for children with disabilities ages three to 21; 

    (4) develop, consistent with federal law, a standardized 
 written plan for providing services to a child with 
 disabilities; 

    (5) identify how current systems for dispute resolution can 
 be coordinated and develop guidelines for that coordination; 

    (6) develop an evaluation process to measure the success of 
 state and local interagency efforts in improving the quality and 
 coordination of services to children with disabilities ages 
 three to 21; 

    (7) develop guidelines to assist the governing boards of 
 the interagency early intervention committees in carrying out 
 the duties assigned in section 125A.027, subdivision 1, 
 paragraph (b); and 

    (8) carry out other duties necessary to develop and 
 implement within communities a coordinated, multidisciplinary, 
 interagency intervention service system for children with 
 disabilities. 

    (c) The committee shall consult on an ongoing basis with 
 the state education advisory committee for special education and 
 the governor's interagency coordinating council in carrying out 
 its duties under this section, including assisting the governing 
 boards of the interagency early intervention committees. 

    Subd. 5.    Intervention demonstration projects.  (a) 
 The commissioner of children, families, and learning, based on 
 recommendations from the state interagency committee, shall 
 issue a request for proposals by January 1, 1999, for grants to 
 the governing boards of interagency early intervention 
 committees under section 125A.027 or a combination of one or 
 more counties and school districts to establish five voluntary 
 interagency intervention demonstration projects.  One grant 
 shall be used to implement a coordinated service system for all 
 eligible children with disabilities up to age five who received 
 services under sections 125A.26 to 125A.48.  One grant shall be 
 used to implement a coordinated service system for a population 
 of minority children with disabilities from ages 12 to 21, who 
 may have behavioral problems and are in need of transitional 
 services.  Each project must be operational by July 1, 1999.  
 The governing boards of the interagency early intervention 
 committees and the counties and school districts receiving 
 project grants must develop efficient ways to coordinate 
 services and funding for children with disabilities ages three 
 to 21, consistent with the requirements of this section and 
 section 125A.027 and the guidelines developed by the state 
 interagency committee under this section. 

    (b) The state interagency committee shall evaluate the 
 demonstration projects and provide the evaluation results to 
 interagency early intervention committees. 

    Subd. 6.    Third-party liability.  Nothing in this 
 section and section 125A.027 relieves a health plan company, 
 third party administrator or other third-party payer of an 
 obligation to pay for, or changes the validity of an obligation 
 to pay for, services provided to children with disabilities ages 
 three to 21 and their families. 

    Subd. 7.    Agency obligation.  Nothing in this section 
 and section 125A.027 removes the obligation of the state, 
 counties, local school districts, a regional agency, or a local 
 agency or organization to comply with any federal or state law 
 that mandates responsibility for finding, assessing, delivering, 
 assuring, or paying for education or related services for 
 children with disabilities and their families. 

    HIST: 1997 c 397 art 11 s 3; 1998 c 398 art 3 s 2; 1999 c 123 
 s 3; 1999 c 139 art 4 s 2; 2000 c 489 art 10 s 7,8