This manual was designed primarily for use by people with disabilities. The hope is that it is also useful for families, as well as service coordinators and providers who directly assist families and individuals with disabilities. The focus of this manual is to provide easy-to-read information about available resources, and to provide immediate…

This paper examines the U.S. social insurance system, which we define broadly to include both programs supported by dedicated taxes and other federal programs that provide income support, assistance in meeting basic needs, or services to improve economic opportunity. The paper considers the social insurance system as a whole as well as its…

These four symposium papers provide examples of different states that have experimented with various criteria and approaches in developing youth mental health services. The four states profiled, North Carolina, Arizona, Louisiana, and Massachusetts, are using the Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS) to assess impairment in…

The service delivery model of the Pennsylvania Children and Adolescent Service Systems Program (CASSP) is explained, and the 1983 federal initiative that launched this system is discussed. The federal CASSP initiative was developed to improve systems of care to ensure that the underserved population of children and adolescents with severe…

During the implementation of a cross-agency, co-located service delivery system, the number of youths eligible for public mental health services in Santa Barbara County increased from 956 to 1,826 and the number of youths eligible for special education services for students with emotional/behavioral disorders increased from 101 to 204. (Contains…

These three booklets present information about selected aspects of the Medicaid Early and Periodic Screening Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT) program. A brief history of the development of the EPSDT program, a description of administrative structure at the national, state and local levels, and a description of the lifestyle typical of many EPSDT…

These three symposium papers summarize the outcomes of studies that explored the accessibility and the utilization of youth mental health services. The first study, "The Role of Diagnostic Systems" (Theodore Fallon and Mary Schwab-Stone), involving 219 children (ages 6-12), examined the perils involved in the use of categorical diagnosis to…

This paper reports on initial implementation of a state required process for determining eligibility of children and adolescents for Massachusetts Department of Mental Health Programs. Three criteria are used for determining eligibility: a diagnosable mental, behavior, or emotional disorder; impairment of one year's duration; and establishment of…

This report updates and expands two earlier editions which describe Federal programs which affect children and their families. An introductory section discusses and presents tables of data concerning target groups and participation in the programs; program administration; and program funding. The bulk of the report consists of profiles of…