Child Health and Disability Prevention (CHDP) Program
0600-506.10 | Revision Date: 12/07/16
Overview
This policy guide provides information about the Child Health and Disability Prevention (CHDP) program and instructions on how to link court-involved children to it.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Child Health and Disability Prevention (CHDP) Program
Out-of-County CHDP Program Eligibility
Out-of-State CHDP Program Eligibility
CHDP Services and Required Examination Timeframes
Non-Scheduled CHDP Program Examinations/Medically Necessary Interperiodic Health Assessment
CHDP Program Equivalent Examinations
Informing Out-of-home Caregivers about the CHDP Program
Parent/Guardian Rights in a Medical Examination
Linking a Child/NMD to the CHDP Program
Case-Carrying CSW Responsibilities
Version Summary
This policy guide was updated from the 05/16 version to update medical and dental examination requirements to align with new CHDP Program requirements.
All children entering the first (1st) grade in a California school are required to have either a certificate of a CHDP program health examination or a waiver of such on file at the school in which they enroll. The CHDP program cooperates with the State Department of Education to administer and monitor this requirement.
Names and locations of the CHDP program health care and dental care providers can be found by calling 1-(800)-993-2437 or, by accessing the list of health care and dental care providers on the LA County Department of Public Health CHDP website.
CHDP program providers:
The CHDP program provider network does not include dentists. The CHDP program providers can refer Medi-Cal patients to dentists who accept Medi-Cal (Denti-Cal). CHDP program patients who are not Medi-Cal eligible should be referred to dentists who will accept non-eligible patients.
The following children are eligible for the CHDP program, which includes medical and dental assessments as well as preventive care services:
Children who are under age twenty one (21) and who receive Medi-Cal are eligible for dental services, including preventive care through the Medi-Cal dental program, Denti-Cal. These dental services are provided by participating dentists
Every California local health jurisdiction (county/city health department) has a CHDP program that can assist out-of-home caregivers with accessing preventive health services, and, if necessary, connect to further diagnostic and treatment services. When a child resides in another California County, the CHDP program services are still available to him/her.
When a child is placed out-of-state per the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC), the CSW provides the out-of-home caregiver and the receiving state social worker with a copy of the CHDP Health and Dental Periodicity Schedules to use as a guideline for obtaining CHDP-equivalent program services. If the child is federally eligible, he/she will also be eligible for the federally mandated Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) program within the state that he/she is placed. Non-federally eligible children should receive CHDP-equivalent program services.
If a child is federally eligible, the CSW should obtain a copy of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation COBRA letter from the Eligibility Worker (EW) via the DCFS 280, Technical Assistance Action Request to send to the out-of-home caregiver to request that he/she apply for Medicaid for the child. If a child is not federally eligible, the caregiver must apply for the CHDP program equivalent. EPSDT is a federal mandate and all states have a program. The program title varies, however, from state to state. The CSW should request that the receiving state social worker provide verification of the child’s EPSDT or the CHDP program equivalent in his/her quarterly reports to DCFS.
Federal regulations require that the CHDP program medical and dental assessments be completed and that any treatment services be initiated within 120 days of the date CHDP program services were requested.
DCFS requires a medical examination to be done within ten (10) days of initial placement for infants, birth through three (3) years of age, or for “high-risk” children, regardless of how long they will be in out-of-home care. If the infant/child is placed directly from the hospital and has had a medical examination prior to being discharged, an additional exam is not necessary.
State regulations require that:
The CHDP program offers a full range of health assessment services, including:
An initial medical assessment must be ordered at a Detention Hearing. For children who are newly detained, the initial medical examinations should be obtained from the nearest Medical Hub. The Multidisciplinary Assessment Team (MAT) Coordinator and Service Linkage (SLS) will serve as the central coordinating point of the Coordinated Services Action Team (CSAT) process. They will receive and track results of the Initial Medical Examination and the Child Welfare Mental Health Screening Tool (CWMHST).
At the time of the medical health assessment, the CHDP program provider must make referrals to the following entities:
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Referral |
Reason |
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Dentists |
|
|
Medical providers |
|
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The Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program |
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A dental screening/oral assessment is a required part of the CHDP program health assessment. It is not an examination by a dentist, and does not substitute for one, and may not include:
Foster children who are one (1) year of age and older must receive a CHDP program or CHDP program-equivalent dental examination within thirty (30) days of placement.
The dental examination requirement is considered met, however, for a child who has had a dental examination within one (1) year prior to the current placement/replacement, if both of the following have been done:
All foster children must be referred directly to a dentist, as follows:
The CHDP Health Periodicity Schedule specifies what each health assessment is to include and at what frequency. State regulations for medical examinations are aligned with the CHDP Health Periodicity Schedule and are, as follows:
Additional DCFS-approved CHDP program examinations for children in out-of-home care will be considered “Non-Scheduled CHDP Examinations” or “Medically Necessary Interperiodic Health Assessments” once complete. Children in out-of-home care are considered at higher risk. Physical, social, and/or emotional factors may justify additional examinations or assessments (e.g. a child had run away and recently returned to his/her placement).
The CHDP program permits payments for “Non-Scheduled” CHDP examinations by CHDP program providers only. Additional DCFS-approved CHDP program examinations for children in out-of-home care will be considered “Non-Scheduled CHDP Examinations” or “Medically Necessary Interperiodic Health Assessments”.
A CHDP program equivalent examination is a health assessment that includes all of the components specified on the CHDP Health Periodicity Schedule but is instead given by a health care provider who is not a CHDP program provider.
If the caregiver has a non-CHDP program health care provider that he/she prefers to use, or if the child has previously received care from a particular health care provider, he/she may continue to use it. The caregiver can encourage the provider to either become a participant in the CHDP program or perform “CHDP-Equivalent” examinations.
Through an inter-agency agreement between the Department of Health Services (DHS) and DCFS, CSWs are required to ensure that children and caregivers are informed about the services available through the CHDP program in the following three (3) ways:
Public Health Nurses (PHNs) assist CSWs with the children in the CHDP program in the following ways:
PHNs will also enter the completed Confidential Screening/Billing Report (PM 160) into the Health Notebook Services that was submitted by the CHDP provider to the Department of Health Services. They will also evaluate the results of the PM 160 for any needed follow up, consult with the CSW on identified problems, and forward the PM 160 to the CSW.
Consent of the parent or guardian must be obtained prior to having the child undergo any medical, dental and mental health screenings and examinations under the CHDP exam. If consent of the parent or guardian cannot be obtained via the DCFS 179, court authorization is required before allowing the child to undergo a CHDP exam. Parental consent or a court order is not required if during the CHDP exam it is discovered that there is a medical emergency or it is necessary to preserve evidence. This does not apply to NMDs.
A parent/guardian has a right to be present during the examination of their child, under the age of eighteen (18) years old. Officials (CSWs, law enforcement , etc.) cannot completely exclude parents from the location of their child's physical examination absent parental consent, a legitimate basis for exclusion, or an emergency requiring immediate medical attention.
If there is a "Valid Reason" to exclude family members from the examination during the medical procedure, a family's right to be with each other during potentially traumatic medical examinations may be limited to being near the examination (e.g. in the waiting room or another nearby area). If a CSW determines that he/she needs to exclude a parent/guardian from the medical examination, even if that medical examination was ordered by the court, the CSW should consult with his/her SCSW for guidance. The SCSW will consult with the Warrant Liaison or County Counsel as needed.
Case-Carrying CSW Responsibilities
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Medical Consent |
CSWs Next Steps |
Schedule CHDP Exam |
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Obtained via:
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Provide Caregiver with:
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Yes* |
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Not Obtained |
Obtain medical consent from:
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No, until consent is obtained. |
| *CSW or caregiver must inform the parent(s) of the date, time and location of the exam, and inform the parent(s) of the opportunity to be present. It is not necessary to reschedule the exam if the parent(s) does not respond or cannot attend. Notice may be provided orally, text, email, mail, in-person, or by leaving a message on the parent's phone. | ||
SCSW Approval
CHDP Health Periodicity Schedule
CHDP Dental Periodicity Schedule
Health and Education Passport (HEP)
CHDP Brochure (Armenian, Cambodian, Chinese, Farsi, Hmong, Korean, Lao, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese)
DCFS 39, CHDP Documentation Checklist
DCFS 179, Parental Consent and Authorization for Medical Care (Spanish)
DCFS 280, Technical Assistance Action Request
DCFS 561(a), Medical Examination Form
DCFS 561(b), Dental Examination Form
DCFS 561(c), Psychological/Other Examination Form
0070-516.15, Screening and Assessing Children for Mental Health Services and Referring to the Coordinated Services Action Team (CSAT)
0080-502.10, Case Plans
0080-505.10, Youth Development: Transitional Independent Living Planning
0080-505.20, Health and Education Passport (HEP)
0100-510.46, Out-Of-County Placements
0100-510.60, Placement Considerations for Children
0100-510.61, Placement Responsibilities
0600-500.00, Medical Hubs
0600-501.10, Medical Consent
0600-506.00, Promoting Children’s Physical Health
0900-521.10, Service-Funded Activities (SFA)
California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Manual of Policies and Procedures (MPP) Division 31, Chap 206.36 – States, in part, that a child’s case plan will ensure that he/she receives medical and dental care which places attention on preventive health services through the Child Health and Disability Prevention (CHDP) program or equivalent health services. Also states that each child in placement shall receive this examination preferably prior, but no later than, thirty (30) calendar days after placement.
California Code of Regulations (CA COR) Title 22, Section 51184 – Provides, in part, definitions relating to the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) program.
California Health and Safety Code Section 124040(6)(D) - States, in part, that, as part of the CHDP Program, children are to be referred to a dentist beginning at age one (1).