Medicaid pays the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs (SCDDSN) to contract with local providers to provide Service Coordination (SC) services. Referrals can be made by anyone to our certified screeners. A SC will be assigned within two working days of date of referral. The SC will assist the individual and family through the DDSN eligibility process. The SC will also initiate the Single Plan. The Single Plan is a working document that is monitored at least quarterly. A new

Single Plan is completed every 365 days. SC is not a direct service. It identifies community resources and family strengths to assist in meeting the needs outlined on the Single Plan. There are eight Core Job Functions for Service Coordination. They are Intake, Needs Assessment, Planning, Plan Implementation, Crisis Intervention, Advocacy, Consultation/Collaboration and Monitoring.

There are currently twenty-five full time Mental Retardation/Related Disabilities (MR/RD) SCs and three full time supervisors. They are located at 995 Morrison Drive. There are currently four Head and Spinal Cord Injury (HASCI) SCs and one full time supervisor. The HASCI SCs are located at 975-G Savannah Hwy. They serve Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester and Colleton Counties.

We attempt to assign consumers by commonalties. For example, persons with Autism, survivors of head and spinal cord injuries, participants in the Home and Community Based Waiver, adolescents, children, senior citizens, etc. We find this allows our staff to become very knowledgeable of the services available to their particular populations. At this time the average MR/RD and HASCI Level I caseloads are in the mid to upper 30s. DDSN has established an average caseload of 34 consumers to 1 SC.

The consumer directs all SC activities. Choice of services and providers is always offered to each consumer. SCs are required to offer choice of providers from the SCDDSN Qualified Provider List (QPL).  Consumers may request a change in SC at any time by contacting a SC supervisor. We support a person centered model of services.

Levels of Service Coordination:

SC is provided to DDSN eligible consumers according to their level of need as identified through an organized assessment of need by the SC. It is the responsibility of the SC to assess and identify needs in various areas of the consumer’s life, to assess in general the importance of those needs, to assess the probably frequency and intensity of effort required to address those needs, to asses the consumer/legal guardian’s capacity to perform their own service coordination and to conclude whether the consumer’s needs can be met through the implementation of Level I SC or Level II SC. We do not provide SC if there is no need for it.

Level I SC is the most comprehensive level of SC and is reserved for those in greatest need.

Level II SC should be considered when there is no ongoing need for Level I SC or the consumer requests mot to have Level I SC. Consumers on Level II SC can expect at a minimum, an annual contact from a SC or their designated provider staff person. An annual contact may consist of a phone call, face-to-face visit or attending an annual planning meeting with one of the program providers. However, the consumer will always have access to the SC should any needs arise.

SCs are mandated reporters of abuse and neglect. If a SC suspects abuse or neglect, they are required to report it immediately to their supervisor, who in turn follows the Board’s procedure for reporting abuse and neglect.