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Overview of Services

menuWhat is CCS?What does CCS offer children?Who is eligible for CCS?What are the Eligible Medical Conditions?How can my child receive CCS services?What are the steps to CCS services?What papers should I bring?Are there any costs to me?What are the CCS benefits?What are the rules about benefits?How can I contact CCS?Links

 

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What is California Children Services? 

CCS is a statewide program that arranges, directs, and pays for medical care, equipment, and rehabilitation, when these services are authorized by the program. Services can be authorized for children and young adults under 21 years of age who have eligible medical conditions and whose families are unable to pay for all or part of their care. CCS defines eligibility and selects the most qualified professionals to treat the child's CCS-eligible condition. However, it is important for you to know that CCS is not a health insurance program. It will not meet all of your child's health needs, only those related to the CCS-eligible condition.


What does CCS offer children?

If your child's doctor thinks that your child may have a medical condition that might be CCS-eligible, CCS may pay for or provide a medical evaluation to find out if it is actually covered.

If your child is eligible, CCS may pay for or provide:
Treatment, such as doctor services, hospital and surgical care, physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT), laboratory tests, X-rays, orthopedic appliances, and medical equipment;
Medical case management to help get special doctors and care for your child when medically necessary, and referral to other agencies, including public health nursing and regional centers; or a
Medical Therapy Program (MTP), which can provide PT, and/or OT in some public schools for children who are medically eligible for these special services.

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Who is eligible for CCS?

Your child may be eligible if he or she meets all four of the following requirements:

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1. Age -- Your child must be under 21 years of age.
2. Residence -- Your child must be a permanent resident of the California county where you apply. (Your child's residence is usually where you live.)
3. Income -- Your family income must be less than $40,000 per year, according to the adjusted gross income on your California income taxes. A child may be eligible when the family income is more than $40,000 if medical care for the child's CCS condition is expected to cost the family more than 20% of the family's income. If your child is adopted, your income will not matter. There is no financial eligibility requirement for diagnostic or therapy services.
4. Medical conditions -- Only certain conditions are eligible for CCS. In general, CCS covers medical conditions that are physically disabling or require medical, surgical or rehabilitative services. There may be certain criteria that determine if your child's medical condition is eligible. Ask CCS if you have questions.
  What are the Eligible Medical Conditions?
Client picture Conditions involving the heart (congenital heart disease, rheumatic heart disease)
Neoplasms (cancers, tumors)
Diseases of the blood (hemophilia, sickle cell anemia)
Diseases of the respiratory system (cystic fibrosis, chronic lung disease)
Endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases (thyroid problems, PKU, or diabetes that is hard to control)
Diseases of the genito-urinary system (serious kidney problems)
Diseases of the gastrointestinal system (liver problems such as biliary atresia)
Serious birth defects (cleft lip/palate, spina bifida)
Diseases of the sense organs (eye problems leading to loss of vision such as glaucoma and cataracts, and hearing loss)
Diseases of the nervous system (cerebral palsy, uncontrolled epilepsy/seizures)
Diseases of the muscoloskeletal system and connective tissue (rheumatoid arthritis, muscular dystrophy)
Severe disorders of the immune system (HIV infection)
Disabling injuries and poisonings requiring intensive care or rehabilitation (severe head, brain, or spinal cord injuries, and severe burns)
Complications of premature birth requiring an intensive level of care
Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (severe hemangioma)
Medically handicapping malocclusion (severely crooked teeth)

How can my child receive CCS services?

A referral and application must be made.
bullet Anyone can refer a child to CCS, including parents.
Ask your child's doctor if your child has any of the CCS eligible medical conditions.
If so, the CCS office should be contacted as soon as possible to refer a potentially eligible child because CCS does not pay for services prior to the date a child is referred.
Referral will work best if medical information is given to CCS at the time of referral

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What are the steps to CCS services?

Client picture STEPS TO CCS SERVICES
Child's condition found
Referral made / Medical report sent to CCS
Application completed
(If your child does not have Medi-Cal, you must apply for it.
If your child has Medi-Cal, he or she may be assigned to a "Managed Care" plan.)
Eligibility determined
• age • residency • financial • medical
Services given
• medically necessary • prior authorization

 

What papers will I need?

You may need papers that show your child's age, where you live, and how much income you had in the past year. Examples of papers you may need are your social security card, driver's license, rent and utility receipts, paycheck stubs, birth or baptismal certificates, school enrollment forms, military ID, health insurance information or Medi-Cal card, and recent income tax forms.
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Are there any costs to me?

There are some fees for CCS clients who do not have Medi-Cal or who have Medi-Cal with a share of cost. The amount of fees is based on family income and size.

 

What are the CCS benefits?

Benefits of CCS are medical services that the CCS program provides directly to eligible children or arranges to pay for their cost. The following explains some of those services.

CASE MANAGEMENT

Case management is determining medical eligibility, deciding what your child needs, and helping you get special doctors and services to meet your child's special needs. This includes help to coordinate your child's medical care and referral to other agencies, such as the county health department, schools, and agencies that serve children and adults with disabilities. Every CCS client receives case management.

DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES

If CCS thinks that your child might have an eligible condition, CCS will pay for diagnostic services. These include examinations, laboratory tests, and X-rays. Diagnostic services will be provided only until CCS finds out that your child has a condition that is eligible for CCS.

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Client picture TREATMENT SERVICES

Treatment services include medical services, medicines, equipment, or supplies that are necessary to treat your child's CCS- eligible condition. Treatment services are provided when they are a benefit of the CCS program, prescribed by a CCS-approved doctor, and authorized by CCS. Most of the time, these services can be provided in doctor's offices close to your home, but sometimes CCS might refer your child to a special care center if your child is eligible. Hospital stay can be authorized by CCS only if the doctor and hospital are approved by CCS, and the child's condition requires in-patient care.


SPECIAL CARE CENTERS

A special care center is where CCS can send your child to get the best medical care, using a team of specialists, such as doctors, social workers, nurses, therapists, and nutritionists. The team members will help you and your child manage your child's medical condition, and you are expected to bring your child in at least once a year. There will be evaluations to measure your child's progress and team meetings, which include you and your child (if your child is old enough) to discuss and/or change the treatments as your child's needs change. CCS special care centers are not for every child enrolled in CCS. Ask CCS about eligibility requirements.

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MEDICAL THERAPY PROGRAM (MTP) IN SCHOOLS

The Medical Therapy Program (MTP) is a coordinated program of medically necessary PT and OT services provided to medically eligible children. These services are provided in Medical Therapy Units (MTUs) located at certain public schools. PT and OT may help your child to be independent in such areas as getting around, getting in and out of a wheelchair, walking, feeding, dressing, staying clean and neat, and home skills. There is a separate evaluation by the Medical therapy team (the doctors and therapists who specialize in treating children with physical disabilities). The team decides if your child would benefit from MTU services and meets with you to discuss which services would best meet your child's needs.


What are the rules about CCS benefits?

Benefits may be authorized only from CCS-approved doctors, hospitals, OTs, PTs, etc. These people or groups are called "providers". Only services determined by CCS to be medically necessary to treat the CCS-eligible condition will be authorized.

How can I contact CCS?

Office Hours:

8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Monday through Friday

Location/
Mailing Address:
10769 Hole Ave., Suite 220
Riverside, CA 92505

Telephone:

909.358.5401
FAX: 909.358.5198

 

LINKS

California Department of Health Services www.dhs.ca.gov
Riverside County HIV/AIDS Program -- 1.800.243.7275
Social Security Administration www.ssa.gov
Women with Infants and Children WIC -- 909.358.5311
Mental Health -- 909.358.4500
Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health MCAH -- 909.358.5192

Other Agency Services
Healthy Families -- 800.880.5305
The Genetically Handicapped Persons Programs -- 800.639.0597
Medi-Cal -- 888.747.1222

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