Intake & Eligibility

Any individual or family who wishes to receive Area Agency services must be determined as “eligible” according to state administrative rules. In order to facilitate a fair and impartial eligibility determination process, CSNI reviews all intake applications to make a recommendation to the Area Agency as to an individual’s eligibility. 

Once a family or individual applies for services at the Area Agency of their choice and the Intake Coordinator at that Area Agency meets with the family and/or individual,  they compile all the relevant documents necessary to determine if the applicant is eligible for services. The Intake Coordinator sends the documents to the Eligibility Specialist at CSNI to be reviewed. 

Eligibility Specialists review every application on an individual basis and make a recommendation to the Area Agency within 5 business days. In some cases, if the diagnosis is particularly complex, the Eligibility Specialist will consult a licensed professional for what is called a Tier 2 review. The licensed professional will review all the information and make a recommendation. 

Many times, especially in young children, evaluations or assessments may not be conclusive and the severity and permanency of the delays or disabilities can not be determined at that time. In these cases, applicants may be deemed "Conditionally Eligible" and are reviewed periodically for pertinent changes. 

This process ensures a non-biased review based on the professional assessments, evaluations, medical records and educational testing.