Service Eligibility

An Eligibility Determination (ED) team of therapists assesses and evaluates the child’s development in these areas: cognitive, physical, vision, hearing, communication, social-emotional and adaptive.

A child, age birth to three, may be eligible for First Steps if they have one or more of the following:

• A specific medical condition(s), diagnosed by a physician, that has a high probability of resulting in a developmental delay
• 20% delay in two or more areas of development
• 25% delay in one or more areas of development

Service Costs

The cost for services is based on a co-pay rate according to the family’s annual income. Families with an income above 251% of the federal poverty guidelines will have a co-pay for services. As an example, a family of four with an annual gross income over $51,625 would pay $3 per treatment up to a maximum of $24 per month. If a family’s private health insurance covers the cost of services, the co-pay may be waived for reimbursable services.

Available services:

These services are identified as early intervention services:

• Developmental therapy
• Special instruction
• Vision services
• Assistive Technology
• Psychological
• Transportation services
• Physical therapy (PT)
• Social work services
• Family support
• Health services
• Diagnostic medical services
• Nursing services
• Audiology
• Nutrition services
• Occupational therapy (OT)
• Speech language therapy (SLP)