11.1.0  Written Interagency Agreements

Policy

Reference/Related Documents

11.1.1  All Early Steps interagency agreements must include the following:

A.      Purpose of Agreement

B.     Roles and responsibilities

C.     Shared resources

D.     Responsibility for payment of services

E.     Timelines

F.      How, when, and by whom the agreements will be updated

G.     Dated signatures of appropriate representatives.

H.     Dispute resolution process

I.         Information on referral process between agencies

J.       Guidelines with respect to confidentiality and for sharing and transmitting information about families

K.     Additional components necessary to ensure effective cooperation and coor­dination among all involved agencies.

Policy Handbook 1.2.18

Operations Guide 11.1.1

IDEA §635(a)(10)(F)

11.2.0  State Level Agreements

Policy

Reference/Related Documents

11.2.1  The Florida Department of Health, Children’s Medical Services will maintain written interagency agreements or have another mechanism for collaborating with other state-level agencies such as the ones below that are involved with Early Steps. 

A.      Florida Department of Education, Division of Blind Services

B.     Florida Department of Children and Families

C.     Early Head Start and related programs

D.     Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind

Operations Guide 11.2.1

IDEA §637(a)(10)

34 CFR §303.523(a)

Department of Health/Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind Memorandum of Agreement

11.2.2  The Early Steps State Office will maintain a written interagency agreement with the Florida Department of Education, Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services.

34 CFR §303.148(c)

Operations Guide 11.2.1

Department of Health/Department of Education Cooperative Agreement

11.2.3  The Florida Department of Health, Children’s Medical Services, must maintain an interagency agreement that ensures that assistive technology devices may be retained for use by a child with a disability as he/she transitions to another state or community agency, school district or community living. 

1003.575, F.S.

Operations Guide 11.2.1

Florida Interagency Agreement for the Transfer of Assistive Technology

11.2.4  All state level agreements must be reviewed by a DOH attorney prior to execution.

 11.2.5  If a state level agreement will amend state policies or procedures, it must follow the process for public participation.

Policy Handbook 1.3.2

Policy Handbook 1.3.6

Policy Handbook 1.3.7

34 CFR § 303.110

11.2.6  Each agreement must include a dispute resolution process that includes procedures for achieving timely resolution of intra and interagency disputes about payments for a given service or other matters related to Early Steps.

34 CFR, § 303.523(c)(1)

11.2.7    Each agreement must include a process that:

A.      The lead agency will follow to resolve intra-agency disputes if a given agency is unable to resolve its own internal disputes in a timely manner.

B.     Permits an agency to resolve its own internal disputes as long as it is done in a timely manner.

34 CFR, § 303.523(c)(1)

11.3.0  Local Level Agreements

Policy

Reference/Related Documents

11.3.1  Each Local Early Steps must have in place a current written interagency agreement or other appropriate written method with other local agencies to define roles and establish responsibilities for collaboration and meaningful cooperation.

IDEA §635 (a)(10)(F)

IDEA §637(a)(9)