1999 Minnesota Statutes

     125A.027 Interagency early intervention committee 
  responsibilities. 

    Subdivision 1.    Additional duties.  (a) The governing 
 boards of the interagency early intervention committees are 
 responsible for developing and implementing interagency policies 
 and procedures to coordinate services at the local level for 
 children with disabilities ages three to 21 under guidelines 
 established by the state interagency committee under section 
 125A.023, subdivision 4.  Consistent with the requirements in 
 this section and section 125A.023, the governing boards of the 
 interagency early intervention committees shall organize as a 
 joint powers board under section 471.59 or enter into an 
 interagency agreement that establishes a governance structure. 

    (b) The governing board of each interagency early 
 intervention committee as defined in section 125A.30, paragraph 
 (a), which may include a juvenile justice professional, 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 use of 
 funding by local agencies for these services; 

    (3) implement 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) use a standardized written plan for providing services 
 to a child with disabilities developed under section 125A.023; 

    (5) access the coordinated dispute resolution system and 
 incorporate the guidelines for coordinating services at the 
 local level, consistent with section 125A.023; 

    (6) use the evaluation process to measure the success of 
 the local interagency effort in improving the quality and 
 coordination of services to children with disabilities ages 
 three to 21 consistent with section 125A.023; 

    (7) develop a transitional plan for children moving from 
 the interagency early childhood intervention system under 
 sections 125A.259 to 125A.48 into the interagency intervention 
 service system under this section; 

    (8) coordinate services and facilitate payment for services 
 from public and private institutions, agencies, and health plan 
 companies; and 

    (9) share needed information consistent with state and 
 federal data practices requirements. 

    Subd. 2.    Appropriate and necessary services.  (a) 
 Parents, physicians, other health care professionals including 
 school nurses, and education and human services providers 
 jointly must determine appropriate and necessary services for 
 eligible children with disabilities ages three to 21.  The 
 services provided to the child under this section must conform 
 with the child's standardized written plan.  The governing board 
 of an interagency early intervention committee must provide 
 those services contained in a child's individual education plan 
 and those services for which a legal obligation exists. 

    (b) Nothing in this section or section 125A.023 increases 
 or decreases the obligation of the state, county, regional 
 agency, local school district, or local agency or organization 
 to pay for education, health care, or social services.  

    (c) A health plan may not exclude any medically necessary 
 covered service solely because the service is or could be 
 identified in a child's individual family service plan, 
 individual education plan, a plan established under section 504 
 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, or a student's 
 individual health plan.  This paragraph reaffirms the obligation 
 of a health plan company to provide or pay for certain medically 
 necessary covered services, and encourages a health plan company 
 to coordinate this care with any other providers of similar 
 services.  Also, a health plan company may not exclude from a 
 health plan any medically necessary covered service such as an 
 assessment or physical examination solely because the resulting 
 information may be used for an individual education plan or a 
 standardized written plan. 

    Subd. 3.    Implementation timeline.  By July 1, 2000, 
 all governing boards of interagency early intervention 
 committees statewide must implement a coordinated service system 
 for children up to age five with disabilities consistent with 
 the requirements of this section and section 125A.023 and the 
 evaluation results from the demonstration projects under section 
 125A.023, subdivision 5.  Children with disabilities up to the 
 age of 21 shall be eligible for coordinated services and their 
 eligibility to receive such services under this section shall be 
 phased in over a four-year period as follows: 

    (1) July 1, 2001, children up to age nine become eligible; 

    (2) July 1, 2002, children up to age 14 become eligible; 
 and 

    (3) July 1, 2003, children up to age 21 become eligible. 

    HIST: 1998 c 397 art 11 s 3; 1998 c 398 art 3 s 3; 1999 c 123 
 s 4 

*   NOTE:  The amendment to this section by Laws 1999, chapter 
*123, section 4, is effective July 1, 2002.  Laws 1999, chapter 
*123, section 22.