Source: https://www.everycrsreport.com/files/20170623_R43631_77ee3ea078e1674c97b285c784e06ae9aab982c9.html
Timestamp: 2019-08-19 14:36:28
Document Index: 615415160

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 2', 'art 3', 'art 3', '§1471', '§101', '§1472', '§671', '§1431', '§631', '§1441', '§641', '§1432', '§632', '§1401', '§602', '§1435', '§635', '§1419', '§619', '§1412', '§612', '§1435', '§635', '§1436', '§636', '§303', '§1436', '§636', '§303', '§303', '§1414', '§614', '§1439', '§639', '§303', '§1415', '§615', '§1439', '§639', '§1415', '§615', '§300', '§1439', '§639', '§1226']

June 23, 2017 (R43631)
Figure 1. Number of Children Who Exited Part C by Post-Exit Transition Category: 2014-2015 School Year
Figure C-1. Part C, Infants and Families Program Funding, FY1987-FY2016
Table B-1. IDEA, Part C Grants to States: Appropriations from FY2004 to FY2017
Appendix C. Part C Funding, FY1987 to FY2016
Part C of the IDEA authorizes a grant program to aid each state in implementing a system of early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. In 2015, approximately 360,000 infants and toddlers between birth and three years old received early intervention services under Part C of the IDEA. Annual funding to each state for Part C programs is based upon the state's proportion of the number of children, birth through two years old, in the general population. In FY2017, approximately $13 billion was appropriated for the IDEA, $458.6 million of which was appropriated for Part C, representing 3.5% of total IDEA funding.
Part C (Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, P.L. 108-446) authorizes a formula grant program for infants and toddlers with disabilities (ages birth through two) and their families. A general purpose of these grants is to aid states in developing and implementing "a statewide, comprehensive, coordinated, multidisciplinary, interagency system that provides early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families."1 In 2015, approximately 360,000 infants and toddlers received early intervention services under Part C of the IDEA.2
Since 1975, the IDEA has been the subject of numerous reauthorizations to extend services and rights for children with disabilities. The most recent reauthorization was P.L. 108-446 in 2004.8 In the IDEA's 1986 reauthorization, Congress added a new part related to infants and toddlers with disabilities.9 Known originally as Part H but later changed to Part C,10 this addition extended IDEA programs to infants and toddlers with disabilities from birth to their third birthdays, when children become eligible for services under Part B of the IDEA. In 1986, Congress recognized "an urgent and substantial need" to
enhance the capacity of families to meet the special needs of their infants and toddlers with disabilities.11
With the exception of two additions, the congressional findings are virtually unchanged in the current authorization of the IDEA. Congress now recognizes "the significant brain development that occurs during a child's first 3 years of life," as a reason Part C of the IDEA is needed, and specifies Part C's intent to "enhance the capacity of State and local agencies and service providers to identify, evaluate, and meet the needs of all children, particularly minority, low-income, inner city, and rural children, and infants and toddlers in foster care."12
Each state's governor is responsible for designating the agency in the state that will serve as the "lead agency" for the early intervention system. Since governors choose the agency they deem most appropriate to serve as lead agency in their states, lead agencies vary from state to state, commonly being found in Departments of Education, Health, or Human Services.13 Other examples of agencies where a state's lead agency for the early intervention system may be located include the Department of Rehabilitation Services, Department of Public Welfare, Department of Developmental Services, and the Department of Economic Security.14
In appointing members to the ICC, the Governor needs to ensure the council reasonably represents the population of the state and is comprised of members of various stakeholder groups. At least 20% of the ICC must be comprised of parents of children with disabilities, and at least one of the parent members must have a child with a disability who is younger than seven years old. Another 20% or more of the ICC must be comprised of early intervention service providers. The ICC must also contain at least one member from each of the following groups: (1) the state legislature, (2) the SEA responsible for preschool services to children with disabilities, (3) an agency involved in personnel preparation, (4) each of the state agencies involved in the provision of, or payment for, early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families, (5) the agency responsible for the state Medicaid program, (6) a Head Start agency or program, (7) a state agency responsible for child care, (8) the agency responsible for the state regulation of health insurance, (9) a representative designated by the Office of Coordinator for Education of Homeless Children and Youths, (10) the state child welfare agency responsible for foster care, and (11) the state agency responsible for children's mental health.15
Part C of the IDEA defines an "infant or toddler with a disability" as a child who is experiencing a developmental delay or who because of a diagnosed condition has a high probability of experiencing a developmental delay. Thus, the key concept for receipt of early intervention services is developmental delay.16 States are required to develop and use a "rigorous definition of the term 'developmental delay'"17 and provide a timely and comprehensive evaluation of each child suspected of having a developmental delay, or a disability which may cause a developmental delay, in one or more of the following developmental areas:
The definition of the term "developmental delay" in Part C of the IDEA is broad, allowing each state to specify both the criteria that constitute a developmental delay in each of the aforementioned five developmental areas and the evaluation and assessment procedures to measure children's development in that area.18 In addition to serving infants and toddlers with developmental delays, states may serve infants and toddlers who are at-risk for experiencing substantial developmental delays if they do not receive early intervention services.
The main purpose of the public awareness program is to inform parents of infants and toddlers with disabilities about the availability of early intervention services and parents of preschool-aged children about services provided under Section 619 of the IDEA.19 Part C of the IDEA requires each state to operate a public awareness program to inform state residents about (1) early intervention services available to help eligible infants and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities; (2) the steps to take to have an infant or toddler evaluated for early intervention eligibility; and (3) who families should contact in the early intervention system, if they have a child who may be in need of early intervention services. To this end, each state's lead agency is responsible for preparing and disseminating information on early intervention services and Section 619 to primary referral sources—those people and institutions most likely to interact with infants and toddlers who may have disabilities. The Part C regulations provide a list of primary referral sources that includes
local educational agencies (LEAs),
The timeline for all the procedures leading up to and including the writing of the IFSP is short (45 days) for the same reasons. In comparison, twice as long (90 days) can elapse from the time a parent provides permission for their child to be evaluated for Part B special education services until the time the child's initial IEP is written.43 The Part C 45-day time clock starts running when the lead agency or early intervention services provider receives a referral about an infant or toddler with a suspected disability or developmental delay, and within that 45-day timeframe, the early intervention system must complete the steps discussed thus far to prepare the child for early intervention services:
Source: Calculations by CRS based on data from the IDEA Section 618 Data Products: State Level Data Files, 2014-15 IDEA Part C Exiting, http://www2.ed.gov/programs/osepidea/618-data/state-level-data-files/index.html#ce.
Notes: Total number of children exiting Part C was approximately 326,000. This figure reflects only data on the 230,000 exiting children whose reasons for exiting included the environments they would transition to when they turned three years old. Other categories reported to the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) in the U.S. Department of Education but not shown here include attempts to contact unsuccessful, deceased, moved out of state, and withdrawal by parent.
Figure 1 displays the most recent state reported data on the programs or services children receiving early intervention services transition to when they turn three years old. The columns on either end of the chart (Part B eligible and Continued in Part C) represent children who were determined to continue to have disabilities or developmental delays that require IDEA intervention services. The two inner columns (Not Part B eligible and IFSP complete) represent children who no longer qualified as having a disability or developmental delay after receiving early intervention services and were transitioning out of Part C by their third birthday. Over one-third (40%) of the children represented in Figure 1 no longer required IDEA services by the time they turned three years old. The total number of children exiting Part C in 2014-2015 was approximately 326,000. The difference between the total number and the number in Figure 1 (approximately 230,000) was due to the exclusion of categories such as "Attempts to contact unsuccessful," "Part B eligibility not determined," and "Withdrawal by parents." If all categories were included, the percentage of students who no longer required IDEA services by their third birthday would be 23%.
While funding for Part B, Assistance for Education of all Children with Disabilities, is permanently authorized, the 2004 reauthorization of the IDEA authorized funding for Part C, Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities, and Part D, National Activities, through FY2010. These authorities were automatically extended for an additional fiscal year by the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA).70 Funding for Part C continues to be authorized through annual appropriations. In FY2017, $458.6 million was appropriated for Part C, representing 3.5% of total IDEA funding. Appendix B provides the amounts appropriated for Part C each year since the 2004 reauthorization and Appendix C displays funding levels for Part C in both actual and constant dollar amounts from the program's first year of funding in FY1987 through FY2015. Annual funding for each state for Part C programs is based upon each state's relative share of the general population birth through two. The IDEA is administered by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) in the Department of Education (ED).
FY2017 Funding
$12,371,086a
a. Of this amount, $368.2 million, or 2.8% of the total IDEA FY2017 appropriation, was appropriated for the state grants program for preschool children with disabilities (Section 619).
Under Subpart 2, a competitive grants program is authorized through which grants are made to entities such as SEAs, local education agencies (LEAs),79 institutions of higher education (IHEs), and nonprofit organizations for personnel development to help ensure that there are adequate numbers of personnel with skills and knowledge needed to help children with disabilities succeed, for technical assistance and dissemination of material based on knowledge gained through research and practice, and for studies and evaluations.
Under Subpart 3, a competitive grants program is authorized through which grants are made to nonprofit organizations for parent training and information centers, which provide parents of children with disabilities with needed training and information to work with professionals in meeting the early intervention and special education needs of their children.80 Also, under Subpart 3, competitive grants are authorized for entities such as SEAs, LEAs, IHEs, and nonprofit organizations to support research, development, and other activities that promote the use of technology in providing special education and early intervention services.81
Source: Table created by CRS based on FY2004 to FY2017 appropriation data from the U.S. Department of Education.
Funding in millions, shown in actual and constant FY2016 dollar amounts
Becky Skinner, [author name scrubbed], and [author name scrubbed] provided invaluable support in preparing this report.
U.S. Department of Education, IDEA Section 618 Data Products: State Level Data Files, Part C: Child Count and Settings, 2014, http://www2.ed.gov/programs/osepidea/618-data/state-level-data-files/index.html#cccs.
For more information on funding for Part B of the IDEA, see CRS Report R41833, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part B: Key Statutory and Regulatory Provisions, by [author name scrubbed].
For a discussion of the 2004 amendments made by P.L. 108-446, see CRS Report RL32716, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): Analysis of Changes Made by P.L. 108-446, by [author name scrubbed] and [author name scrubbed]. For an overview of the IDEA regulations from the Department of Education, see CRS Report RL33649, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): Final Regulations for P.L. 108-446, by [author name scrubbed] and [author name scrubbed], and CRS Report R40055, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: Final Part B Regulations, by [author name scrubbed] and [author name scrubbed].
20 U.S.C §1471, P.L. 99-457 §101, "Addition of a New Part Related to Handicapped Infants and Toddlers."
20 U.S.C §1472(a), P.L. 99-457 §671(a). The findings of Congress stated in P.L. 99-457, the Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1986, Part H. The reauthorization of the IDEA in 1997 changed Part H to Part C.
20 U.S.C §1431(a)(5), P.L. 108-446 §631(a)(5).
20 U.S.C §1441(b), P.L. 108-446 §641(b). The council may include other members selected by the Governor, including a representative from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), or where there is no BIA operated or BIA-funded school, from the Indian Health Service or the tribe or tribal council. Note: the BIA school system is now known as the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE). The BIE was formerly the Office of Indian Education Programs (OIEP) in the BIA. In 2006, the Secretary of the Interior moved the OIEP out of the BIA and made it an agency equivalent to the BIA, renaming it the BIE.
20 U.S.C §1432(5)(A), P.L. 108-446 §632(5)(A). In contrast, under Part B of the IDEA a child may qualify for special education under any one of 14 different disability categories: autism, deaf-blindness, deafness, developmental delay, emotional disturbance, hearing impairment, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, specific learning disability, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, and visual impairment. 20 U.S.C §1401(3)(A), P.L. 108-446 §602(3)(A).
20 U.S.C §1435(a)(1), P.L. 108-446 §635(a)(1). Information on states' definitions of developmental delay can be found at Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (2016). States' Part C Rules, Regulations and Policies, http://www.ectacenter.org/partc/statepolicies.asp.
20 U.S.C §1419, P.L. 108-446 §619. Section 619 is in Part B of the IDEA. Section 619 deals with preschool grants for children with disabilities who are three through five years old.
20 U.S.C §1412(a)(3), P.L. 108-446 §612(a)(3) and 20 U.S.C §1435(a)(5), P.L. 108-446 §635(a)(5).
For more information about Part B of the IDEA see CRS Report R41833, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part B: Key Statutory and Regulatory Provisions, by [author name scrubbed].
20 U.S.C §1436(a)(1), P.L. 108-446 §636(a)(1) and 34 C.F.R. §303.321(c)(1).
20 U.S.C §1436, P.L. 108-446 §636 and 34 C.F.R. §303.321(c)(2).
The Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a plan for providing an individual child with special education and related services. For more information on the IEP process and special education services for children with disabilities ages 3 to 21 years old, see CRS Report R41833, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part B: Key Statutory and Regulatory Provisions, by [author name scrubbed].
Natural environments are defined in the Part C regulations as "settings that are natural or typical for a same-aged infant or toddler without a disability, may include the home or community settings, and must be consistent with [other Part C provisions regarding natural environments]." (34 C.F.R. §303.26.)
Up to 30 days is allowed for an IEP team to be convened and draft the initial IEP for a child receiving special education; and up to 60 days is allowed to evaluate a child for special education services. (20 U.S.C. §1414, P.L. 108-446 §614 (c)(i).)
For information on the legal issues pertaining to procedural safeguards, including burden of proof, parental rights, attorneys' and expert witness fees, see CRS Report R40690, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): Statutory Provisions and Recent Legal Issues, coordinated by [author name scrubbed]. 20 U.S.C. §1439, P.L. 108-446 §639, and 34 C.F.R. §303.405.
Part C extends "The right of parents to use mediation in accordance with section 615, except that—(A) any reference in the section to a State educational agency shall be considered to be a reference to a State's lead agency established or designated under section 635(a)(10); (B) any reference in the section to a local educational agency shall be considered to be a reference to a local service provider or the State's lead agency under this part, as the case may be; and (C) any reference in the section to the provision of a free appropriate public education to children with disabilities shall be considered to be a reference to the provision of appropriate early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities." (Part B: 20 U.S.C. §1415(e), P.L. 108-446 §615(e). Part C: 20 U.S.C. §1439(a), P.L. 108-446 §639(a)(8).)
Part C extends "The right of parents to use mediation in accordance with section 615, except that—(A) any reference in the section to a State educational agency shall be considered to be a reference to a State's lead agency established or designated under section 635(a)(10); (B) any reference in the section to a local educational agency shall be considered to be a reference to a local service provider or the State's lead agency under this part, as the case may be; and (C) any reference in the section to the provision of a free appropriate public education to children with disabilities shall be considered to be a reference to the provision of appropriate early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities." (Part B: 20 U.S.C. §1415(e), P.L. 108-446 §615(e) and 34 C.F.R. §300.506 (2010). Part C: 20 U.S.C. §1439(a), P.L. 108-446 §639(a)(8).)
For more information on the Part B due process procedures for children with disabilities ages 3 to 21 years old, see CRS Report R41833, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part B: Key Statutory and Regulatory Provisions, by [author name scrubbed].
General Education Provisions Act (GEPA; 20 U.S.C. §1226a). For more information see CRS Report R41119, General Education Provisions Act (GEPA): Overview and Issues, by [author name scrubbed] and [author name scrubbed].
In addition to the statutory provisions in Part D, see the following for more information on these activities: U.S. Department of Education, Fiscal Year 2018, Budget Summary, pp. 17-18; and U.S. Department of Education, Guide to U.S. Department of Education Programs,2012, pp. 239-247.