Committees approve renewal of selective provider contracting waiver for Connecticut Birth to 3 early intervention services

The Human Services and Appropriations committees approved a federal selective provider contracting waiver renewal that allows Connecticut to continue the current Birth to 3 contracting model for early intervention services.

The waiver, requested by the Department of Social Services and the Office of Early Childhood, enables the Office of Early Childhood to manage how Birth to 3 providers are selected and monitored in each community; it does not change Medicaid coverage or payment rates, which are handled through the Medicaid state plan and would require a separate state plan amendment.

Commissioner Andrea Barton Reeves of the Department of Social Services and Commissioner Beth Bye of the Office of Early Childhood testified in support of the renewal, describing the waiver as a mechanism for the lead agency to supervise provider implementation of federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C requirements and to preserve the regional contracting approach used in Connecticut. "This waiver will allow the OEC to continue to manage the number of early intervention services in each…