DSD eList announcement

Date: Dec. 19 and 26, 2023
To: All people interested in Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (EIDBI) services
From: DHS Disability Services Division
Purpose: To announce policy changes to the EIDBI benefit
Effective: Jan. 1, 2024
Contact: ASD Contact Form

EIDBI legislative changes

Effective Jan. 1, 2024, DHS will implement the following changes to the EIDBI benefit.

Legislative changes

DHS will implement the following legislative changes that passed in the 2023 session:

· Rate increases of 14.99% for EIDBI services, effective Jan. 1, 2024.

· Provider qualification changes to ensure Native American providers can enroll as level II and level III providers.

To review the complete legislation, refer to Minn. Laws 2023, Ch. 61.

Approved variance changes

DHS obtained federal approval for two provider variances to continue to address the direct care workforce shortage. For more information on the workforce shortage, refer to DHS – The direct care workforce shortage in Minnesota and DHS – Building EIDBI provider capacity.

DHS submitted these variance proposals to the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in accordance with Minn. Stat. §256B.0949, subd.17.

Level I variance

Effective Jan. 1, 2024, DHS will implement the following level I variance to help account for experience within EIDBI provider agencies. This variance recognizes the value of clinical experience and accounts for the barriers to advanced education, such as cost, time and other commitments.

To qualify for the variance, the level I provider must meet all the following requirements:

· Be employed by an EIDBI provider agency.

· Have at least 6,000 hours of clinical experience providing early intervention services in the treatment modality the EIDBI provider agency uses (refer to EIDBI – Treatment modalities).

· Have a bachelor’s degree in a related field.

· Complete the required training for level III providers on EIDBI – Individual provider trainings.

For existing policy information about level I providers, refer to EIDBI – Level I provider qualifications, roles and responsibilities. DHS is working to update this page with information about the variance.

Level II variance

Effective Jan. 1, 2024, DHS will implement the following level II variance to help expand the workforce of EIDBI providers to meet the growing need.

To qualify for the variance, the level II provider must meet all the following requirements:

· Be employed by an EIDBI provider agency.

· Be age 18 or older.

· Complete initial certification in the treatment modality the EIDBI provider agency uses (refer to EIDBI – Treatment modalities).

· Complete the required training for level III providers on EIDBI – Individual provider trainings.

· Receive observation and direction from an advanced certification provider at least once per week until meeting 1,000 hours of supervised clinical experience.

For existing policy information about level II providers, refer to EIDBI – Level II provider qualifications, roles and responsibilities. DHS is working to update this page with information about the variance.

Additional information

The approved state plan amendment for review includes the legislative changes and the proposed variance changes. For more information, refer to 23-17 (PDF) on DHS – Minnesota’s Medicaid (Title XIX) and CHIP (Title XXI) state plans.

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