Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 32 - Rehabilitation And Disabilities › Part 22 - Office of Vocational Rehabilitation for the Blind, Resource Guide › Section 32-22-3.12 - OFFICE OF SPECIAL DISABILITY PROGRAMS › Section 32-22-3.12.1 - Who Is Eligible

Current through June 25, 2024
The eligibility requirements are three fold:
1. An individual must have a severe
				disability(ies),
2. Which
				constitutes multiple barriers (handicaps) to the individuals capacity to live
				independently, and
3. There is a
				strong likelihood that the individual will be able to live significantly more
				independent in the family or community or be maintained in employment.
If the individual is to be served through the Traumatic Brain
				  Injury/Spinal Cord Injury Trust Fund, he/she must have verification that they
				  have sustained a traumatic brain or spinal cord injury.
3.12.4 Traumatic Brain & Spinal Cord
				Injury Trust Fund
The 1996 Mississippi Legislature created the Spinal Cord
				  Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury (SCI/TBI) Trust Fund to provide services for
				  eligible Mississippi residents who sustain a traumatic spinal cord injury or
				  traumatic brain injury. The purpose of the program is to help individuals
				  reintegrate into their home and community with as much independence as
				  possible. The program is administered by the Agencys Office of Special
				  Disability Programs.
3.14.4.1
				Eligibility
Any resident of Mississippi, regardless of age, who has a
				  severe disability as a result of a traumatic brain or spinal cord injury as
				  defined below:
Traumatic Brain Injury - an insult to the skull, brain, or
				  its covering, resulting from external trauma which produces an altered state of
				  consciousness or anatomic, motor, sensory, cognitive, or behavioral
				  deficits
Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury - Acute insults to the spinal
				  cord, not of a degenerative or congenital nature, but caused by an external
				  trauma resulting in any degree of motor or sensory deficit
An individual must seek assistance from all available
				  resources, including VR, prior to the Trust Fund's participation in a service.
				  If an individual is not eligible for VR or a specific service is not covered by
				  VR (e.g., respite care or attendant care), the individual should be referred to
				  the Trust Fund. In some cases, VR and the Trust Fund may provide services
				  simultaneously.
3.12.4.2
				Services
The SCI/TBI Trust Fund program provides:
*
Equipment/Modifications
- durable
				  medical equipment, assistive technology services and equipment, home and
				  vehicle modifications.
*
Emergency Services
- assistance of
				  a short-term, urgent nature that is considered critical for the individual's
				  survival, general health or welfare, or the maintenance/ enhancement of their
				  independent living capacity.
*
Respite Services
- the employment
				  of a temporary, short-term caregiver to provide a respite to the family member
				  or other caregiver who regularly assists the survivor of a spinal cord or brain
				  injury.
*
Transitional Personal Care Attendant
				  Services
- attendant care services to assist an individual with
				  physical activities of daily living, such as bathing and grooming, or cognitive
				  activities, such as planning daily schedules or participating in community
				  reintegration activities.
To obtain information about the program, or to make referral,
				  contact the TBI/SCI Trust Fund Coordinator.