WHO PAYS?
If your child with special needs is enrolled in school and has an IEP (Individualized Education Plan), it is likely that he or she receives related services like PT, OT or speech therapy at no cost to you. In most cases, the school pays for these services. But you should know that schools can also request Third Party Payments. That is, a school can ask your private insurance or Medicaid to pay for your child’s related school services. IDEA, the special education law, provides some protections for families when schools might try to bill Medicaid or private insurance.
Among the Protections
Services should cost a family nothing, including co-pays. Schools must ask your permission to bill private insurance. Third party payments should not lead to a loss of coverage, lower your lifetime available services or lead to an increase in premiums. Because schools often struggle to pay for related services and increasingly look for Third Party Payments, it’s important to know how, under the law, schools must handle this.
“Thank you for the needed help. They all are wonderful people who care and share their lives for a greater cause.”
RCAL 