Eligibility Requirments
The following are the procedures and actions that an individual or his/her parent(s)/guardian needs to complete for the intake and eligibility process to be initiated:
The eligibility determination process can be initiated by the individual seeking services or his/her parents/guardian calling Service and Support Administration at 330-297-4100, or emailing the contact information about the individual to: intake@portagedd.org.
Intake Packet (fillable)
Intake Packet (non-fillable)
Upon receipt of the information specified above, the SSA will send an intake packet to the individual or his/her family/guardian. The intake packet provides information about the services offered by the Portage County Board of Developmental Disabilities, additional information that needs to be provided or a release for the SSA to obtain this information, and three forms that require a signature by the individual/parent/guardian and return to the SSA.
These include:
- Consent for Services Form
- Medicaid Billing Form
- Release of Information Form
- Verification of Individual’s Qualifying Diagnosis (e.g., cerebral palsy, autism, down syndrome)
These include:
The SSA will conduct the eligibility assessment after the SSA has received these signed forms, along with:
School District Evaluation Team Report (ETR) indicating a qualifying diagnosis
Medical Evaluation,
Psychological evaluation, or
The eligibility assessment consists of an appointment to meet with the individual and their parent/guardian and, depending upon the individual’s age, administration of either the COEDI (Children’s Ohio Eligibility Determination Instrument) or OEDI (Ohio Eligibility Determination Instrument).
Note: The COEDI is not applicable to individuals below five (5) years of age, children birth-to-two (2) need one (1) deficit, children three-to-five (3-to-5) need two (2) deficits.
The COEDI/OEDI will then be subsequently scored and the individual/parent/guardian will receive a letter from the Director of Service and Support Administration indicating whether the individual is eligible for services and what the next steps are to begin to access services. A person needs three substantial functional limitations to be eligible.
It is the outcome of the COEDI/OEDI that determines whether or not an individual is eligible for services. If an individual is found not to be eligible, the IE Specialist will refer him/her to other agencies that may be able to assist. A denial of eligibility may also be appealed through Board Policy 4.49 – Administrative Resolution of Complaints.