Becoming Eligible to Receive Services
Those interested in receiving services through The Arc of Blackstone Valley will need to become eligible through the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral, Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals (BHDDH). The application form is available for on-line submission in English, as well as printable for mail-in submission in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
https://bhddh.ri.gov/developmental-disabilities/eligibility-and-application
Criteria to Get Behavioral Healthcare Developmental Disabilities & Hospitals (BHDDH) Funded Services
Anyone interested in developmental disability services must first meet eligibility criteria. Eligibility criteria is a set of rules a person must meet to get some kind of benefit, like developmental disability services. The person must meet all five of the following criteria:
- Be 18 years old or older to receive services. The earliest a person can apply is 2 months before their 17th birthday.
- Have an intellectual or developmental disability (I/DD) that makes doing things hard. A doctor must diagnose the person with an I/DD before age 22. This is explained in more detail in the next section.
- Live in Rhode Island or planning to move to Rhode Island from another state.
- Be approved by the Division for Developmental Disability services. This is known as Clinical Eligibility (explained in the next section).
- Meet financial eligibility through Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS; visit website for LTSS application). This approval comes from the Rhode Island Department of Human Services (DHS).
Clinical Eligibility Criteria
Clinical eligibility criteria are a set of rules a person must meet to get Developmental Disability services. This set of rules has to do with the person's health and I/DD diagnosis. This section reviews this set of rules. The rules come from Rhode Island State Law § 40.1-21-4.3.
The law defines a “developmentally disabled adult” as a person who is 18 years old or older with a disability. The person may have an I/DD or other serious, long-lasting disability that:
- Is caused by a mental or physical disability.
- Is present before the person turns age 22.
- Is likely to be present for the person’s entire life even with treatment.
- Results in substantial functional limitations. Substantial functional limitations means a person can't do major life activities alone. The person must have these limitations in 3 or more of the following major life activities:
- Self-care. This is means ongoing physical help getting dressed, eating, and showering.
- Communicating. This means the ability to understand basic speech and to be understood by others.
- Learning. This means ongoing, daily help with new behaviors, ideas, skills, and information. This new learning can be used in the future.
- Mobility. This includes, but is not limited to, walking, climbing stairs, grasping or using objects.
- Self-direction. This means ongoing, daily help with social activities, decisions, personal finance, and safety.
- Living independently. This means staying healthy and safe at home and in the community. This includes basic housekeeping activities like cleaning and simple meal prep. This includes shopping and managing healthcare needs.
- Economic self-sufficiency. This means the ability to do work tasks. This includes completing a job application and getting along with coworkers. This also includes being on time and following a work schedule.
- Reflects the person’s need for lifelong, supportive services. Trained professionals in healthcare and social services provide these supportive services.
- Results in below average general intellectual ability. This means that the person’s IQ score is below 70. The person must have trouble with adaptive behaviors. Adaptive behaviors are learned behaviors that help people overcome daily challenges.
