Treatment FAQ

how yo get the school district to pay for residential treatment

by Gregoria Hahn Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago

Getting a local school district to pay the cost of an Residential Treatment Center (RTC) won't happen instantly. A case has to be made, and certain time lines observed. Unless you have an already cooperative district, it would probably pay to have the help of an advocate, or even an education attorney.

If you want to seek school district funding for residential placement, you should contact your school district's special education department and request an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meeting to discuss your child's needs.

Full Answer

Where do children go to school in a residential treatment center?

 · Getting a local school district to pay the cost of an Residential Treatment Center (RTC) won't happen instantly. A case has to be made, and certain time lines observed. Unless you have an already cooperative district, it would probably pay to have the help of an advocate, or even an education attorney.

Can a court order a school district to reimburse private school tuition?

 · Although rare, it is possible for a school district to pay for an out-of-district placement if parents can prove this is the least restrictive option and no in-district option is suitable to meet the needs of the child. Private pay. Parents may pay privately for residential care.

Can a school district pay for an out of district placement?

 · Be open and frank with the residential treatment centre about your financial situation for health insurance. They may have some grant money that can be used to help your child pay for school. They will even try to come up with payment plans.

What happens to children in a residential treatment facility?

 · Under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), all children with disabilities must receive “free appropriate public education” tailored to their needs. If your public school district can’t offer a suitable special ed program, you’re entitled to have your child placed in a private school—and to have the district ...

What is RES treatment?

Residential treatment allows individuals to experience 24-hour care while pursuing therapy to confront the challenges of conditions related to substance abuse, addiction, and eating disorders.

What does a residential school provide?

A residential school's programs are designed to educate the whole child – academically, socially, vocationally and more – so that he or she can live life as fully as possible. Like any residential school setting, your child will pass many milestones and reach many benchmarks while living away from you.

Why would a child go into residential care?

Residential care for children/children's homes, are there to ensure that the needs of children are met when they cannot live with their own family. They are a place for children to develop and grow, as well as providing food, shelter, space for play and leisure in a caring environment.

How many kids died in residential schools?

To date, the centre has documented 4,118 children who died at residential schools, as part of its work to implement the TRC's Call to Action 72 to create a national death register and public-facing memorial register. Not all the deaths listed on the registry include burial records.

Start With What You Have

We recommend that you first look at the assets you have right in front of you. If you have wealth and you can utilize that wealth to pay for a therapeutic program, begin the process of letting it go now so that it will be easier for you to do so when it comes time.

Move Outward, Look to Your Close Friends and Family

We talk to so many parents who are great parents but feel lost as to how to help their child. Many families harbor great shame about the fact that their teenager is struggling, and so they are not willing to ask for help from others. This is a humbling experience for many, so we encourage you to embrace this process.

Still Need Help? Ask Your Local Community

If your assets and your family’s help are still not enough, you can then move toward your local community to ask for help. Write a letter of support and ask your friends if they know anyone who might be interested in helping. You will be surprised at the resources you may find in the process.

Apply for a Behavioral Health Loan

If you have exhausted all of the above options, your last resort may be applying for a behavioral health loan.

Do You Have Health Insurance?

If your insurance covers mental and behavioral health, some programs can bill insurance for Out of Network Benefits, which will cover the cost of therapy only. We encourage you to look at our article titled, "Can My Health Insurance Policy Help Me Pay for Residential or Therapeutic Boarding School?".

Does Your Child Have an IEP?

If your child has an IEP States are required by law to provide funding if a case can be made that the school setting will not be enough to meet their IEP. See wrightslaw.com for more information.

Was Your Child Adopted?

The Adoptive Families Coalition welcomes and helps families with post-adoption challenges. They offer a unique plan to assist in meeting the high cost of therapeutic boarding schools, residential treatment centers, and wilderness therapy programs.

What is residential treatment?

Residential treatment is when a child lives outside of the home situation 24/7 and lives in a controlled facility environment. Typically a child who needs this level of support has extreme behavior issues such as rage, aggression, acting out sexually, violence, crime, or very serious mental health issues.

What does it mean when a child is placed in residential treatment?

When a child is placed in residential treatment through the state office of mental health, this means a diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder is in place and it’s been determined that the child needs the highest level of care.

How is mental health placement funded?

Most placements are made through either the department of mental health and are funded through insurance and Medicaid, or placement is made through the court system (often called JJ, Department of Juvenile Justice, or Family Court). There are other ways placements can be made, but these are the two primary ways.

When is residential treatment necessary?

This is the case when a child needs crisis intervention or the child is too dangerous to live in a community setting.

What is the highest level of care for children?

Residential treatment is the highest level of care and so reserved for children who are most in need. Mental health placements typically have a higher success rate while placements through the juvenile justice system typically have poor success rates and high recidivism rates.

Is residential treatment good for children?

The truth is that residential treatment has poor success rates. Children do better in families and within the community. The goal is always to keep the family together and residential treatment is used as a last resort. Residential treatment is the highest level of care and so reserved for children who are most in need.

Is family interaction allowed in a school?

Family interaction is encouraged. Family visits and phone calls are allowed, although the number and duration varies depending on program and child and parent safety issues.

How to pay for treatment at a treatment centre?

Payment plans are also available in-house at a treatment centre. Make direct contact with them for health insurance and request to speak with someone in charge of that department. Keep in mind that the higher the quality of the programme, the higher the cost. The length of time your child will be there will also have an impact on the total cost.

How long does a resident have to pay deductible?

The resident has no deductible or health insurance rates from the first to the twentieth day; however, the resident has a health insurance balance from the twenty-first to the hundredth day. This number is equivalent to one-eighth of the annual hospital deductible and is measured per year.

What is Medicare and Medicaid?

Medicare and Medicaid include a large number of health maintenance organisations (HMOs) and other organised care plans. These health-care programmes also have benefits beyond those provided by Medicare and Medicaid, and they are skilled at “coordinating” a member’s health-care needs.

Does health insurance cover residential care?

The good news is that more health insurance providers are beginning to cover residential care . They were previously restricted to only outpatient treatment services. If you’re having trouble with your health insurance provider, you may want to have the facility that your child will be attending attempt to speak with them on your behalf.

Can you finance addiction treatment?

Most families will finance all or part of the cost of addiction treatment. Many families will be able to create a payback plan for health insurance that makes sense for their schedule at a monthly payment that works for their budget. All or part of the cost of treatment can be covered through financing.

Can extended family members contribute to treatment?

Often extended family members are willing to contribute to the cause of treatment by health insurance . In some cases, it may be appropriate to create a formal contract for the loan, providing how and when the money will be paid back – perhaps by the addicted person once they have completed recovery.

Does insurance cover drug rehab?

The good news is that there are a number of ways to cover the cost of inpatient drug rehab including health insurance. Families almost always used a combination of options in order to pay the whole bill. Here are the most common sources utilized to pay for drug rehab.

What happens if a school district doesn't offer special education?

If your public school district can’t offer a suitable special ed program, you’re entitled to have your child placed in a private school— and to have the district pay for it (20 U.S.C. § 1412 (a) (10)).

How long do you have to give a school district notice before you withdraw from a private school?

give the district written notice at least 10 business days before they withdraw ...

How long do you have to give notice to a school district?

give the district written notice at least 10 business days before they withdraw the student from public school. If the parents didn’t meet those notice requirements or make their child available for an evaluation, the officer or judge may reduce or deny any reimbursement. The process of fighting a school district to get reimbursed ...

Why can't schools provide special education?

Sometimes, school officials refuse to provide any special ed services, because they claim a student isn’t eligible under the IDEA. Other times, the school won’t make any real changes in a child’s individualized education program (IEP) despite the lack of progress. Either way, parents must file what’s known as a “due process complaint” ...

What if the district won't agree to do that?

What if the district won’t agree to do that, even though you believe the school isn’t providing what your child needs to make progress? You could simply find a private school with a program you like and move your child there. If that’s a financial stretch—as it would be for most parents—can you get the district to pay you back for the tuition? Possibly, but it could be a long battle.

How to get a child out of school?

Meanwhile, if parents move their child to private school while they wait for the outcome of the dispute resolution process, they must either: 1 tell school representatives of their plans at the last IEP meeting they attend, or 2 give the district written notice at least 10 business days before they withdraw the student from public school.

Can a school district reimburse parents for private school tuition?

Ultimately, a hearing officer or court may order the school district to reimburse the parents for the private school tuition if the officer or judge finds that: the public school didn’t promptly give the student appropriate special ed, and. the private school placement is appropriate.

What is the IDEA for residential care?

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) authorizes residential care for students with disabilities in Section 300.104 of Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations ( CFR ): If placement in a public or private residential program is necessary to provide special education and related services to a child with a disability, the program, ...

What is the phone number for the Special Education Division?

If you have any general questions regarding this subject, please contact the Special Education Division by phone at 916-445-4613, or the Interagency Nonpublic Schools and Agencies Unit of the Special Education Division by phone at 916-327-0141.

What is a licensed child care facility?

1 “Licensed Children’s Institution” is defined in Section 56155.5 of the California Education Code: (a) As used in this article, "Licensed Children's Institution" means a residential facility that is licensed by the state, or other public agency having delegated authority by contract with the state to license, to provide non-medical care to children, including , but not limited to, individuals with exceptional needs . "Licensed Children's Institution" includes a group home as defined by subdivision (g) of Section 80001 of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations. As used in this article and Article 3 (commencing with Section 56836.16) of Chapter 7.2, a "Licensed Children's Institution" does not include any of the following: (1) a juvenile court school, juvenile hall, juvenile home, day center, juvenile ranch, or juvenile camp administered pursuant to Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 48645) of Chapter 4 of Part 27; (2) a county community school program provided pursuant to Section 1981; (3) any special education programs provided pursuant to Section 56150; (4) any other public agency.

Is LEA responsible for residential care?

The LEA is not responsible for costs of residential care associated with the placement of a student with a disability if it, or another LEA, was not part of the placement decision or if it, or another LEA, was not the placing agency. Section 7581 of the GC specifies:

Is the cost of a child in a medical facility a responsibility of the state?

The residential and noneducational costs of a child placed in a medical or residential facility by a public agency, other than a local educational agency, or independently placed in a facility by the parent of the child, shall not be the responsibility of the state or local educational agency, but shall be the responsibility of the placing agency or parent.

How long does it take for a school district to have a due process hearing?

It is also important to remember that the statute of limitations for requesting a due process hearing under IDEA is generally understood to be two years, with some exceptions.

What is private placement?

Private Placement: the school district voluntarily offers to place the child in a private school via the child’s IEP. Tuition Reimbursement: parents unilaterally place the child in a private school and then seek tuition reimbursement via a due process hearing.

Can a private school district provide FAPE?

However, generally, for Private Placement to apply, the school district must have already found your child eligible for an IEP. If the District determines that it cannot provide FAPE and serve your child’s unique needs appropriately within the public school district’s available programs, the District may offer to place your child in ...

Can a child with a disability attend private school?

In order for a child with a disability to receive a FAPE, sometimes it may be necessary for a child to attend a private school at the school district’s expense either because the district cannot provide the child a FAPE within their public school programs or because the district has failed to offer the child a FAPE.

Is private school tuition expensive?

However, private school tuition can also be costly. As the parent of a private school student, you may have already come to the conclusion that your local public school district’s program does not work for your child. However, you may not be aware that, in certain circumstances, you could potentially be entitled to payment or reimbursement for ...

Is tuition reimbursement fair?

Providing tuition reimbursement to you would be equitable and fair under the circumstances (for example, you haven’t engaged in any unreasonable conduct which would potentially warrant the court decreasing your award of tuition reimbursement).

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