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Did Your Newborn Suffer Cerebral
Palsy or Another Brain Injury Before
or During Labor and Delivery?

Learn More

Our Birth Brain Injury Resource Guide

the guide

Get a FREE guide of resources available throughout Ohio to children and families of children who were born with brain injuries.

Our guide can help you build a foundation of knowledge and tools that will help you help your child
now and in the future.

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Governmental Services for Babies with Brain Injuries

If your child has been diagnosed with a neonatal or birth brain injury, the effects that your child’s diagnosis will have on your life in the future can also vary. Regardless, however, your family and your child are going to need support.

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Especially as treatment and care for an infant with neonatal or birth-related injuries can be expensive, some financial help will often go a long way in ensuring your child has adequate care and educational opportunities (as well as take some stress off the parents’ shoulders). Different states offer various services for children with different disabilities, but the federal government offers the following services that could help you and your family ensure that your child has access to the most suitable and best education, healthcare and support available.

Healthcare

Healthcare, in general, is expensive, and healthcare for an infant that has experienced neonatal or birth injury can be prohibitively costly for many families. There are some sources available to help deflect some of these costs.

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  • Medicare: though typically seen as healthcare for the elderly and retired, Medicare is also available for children and adults with certain disabilities.
  • Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (including Early Intervention Programs for infants to three-year-olds): if you meet the income eligibility requirements, these federal insurance programs will help pay for your child’s medical needs. Insurance under these programs is not limited to those for your child suffering a brain injury, but if you meet the eligibility requirements, your other children could also be covered.
  • Social Security: The Social Security Administration offers monthly payments to parents whose income meet the eligibility requirements in order to help cover your child’s medical and other expenses incurred as a result of particular disorders and disabilities, including but not limited to cerebral palsy, intellectual and developmental disorders, and other issues that can arise from birth and neonatal brain damage. Notably, these payments do not have to be limited to medical expenses, but can also pay for specialized equipment and childcare.

Please contact your local Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security offices to determine your eligibility for the above programs. Your state may have additional programs and benefits in place to help with the costs of your child’s healthcare, so you should inquire about those as well.

Education

We all want our children to have the best educational opportunities, and we recognize that infants born with brain or neonatal injuries may have an additional need for special attention and a tailored learning process and facilities. The government also has resources to help ensure that your child reaps the benefits of the best education they can get, regardless of what effects their brain injuries may have had on traditional methods and timelines for learning and development.

  • Section 504 Plans: 504 plans are part of the government’s mandate prohibiting discrimination based on disability. In practice, 504 plans are available to children up to age 22 with a disability or impairment that affects one or more life activities, and, upon the referral of a teacher, parent or doctor, requires a school to evaluate a child to see whether the child has a disability that meets the section 504 requirements. If the child does meet the requirements, the school will leave the child in the regular classroom but make special accommodations to help the child overcome their specific challenges which may include, among other things, more time to take tests, highlighted textbooks, oral tests, behavioral help, etc.
  • Individuals with Disabilities Act (and Individualized Education Plans): the Individuals with Disabilities Act requires all states and school districts to provide children with disabilities a free education that is appropriate for the child and accommodates their disability. Children who have a disability receive an “Individualized Education Plan” created in collaboration with the child’s teachers, therapists, social workers, and parents to determine the child’s present levels of academic performance currently and over time, goals, and services available and necessary to reach those goals. The Individualized Education Plan is then implemented by the child’s school, and the child’s plan is reevaluated as often as the parent’s request, but at least once every three years.

Again, your state may have additional resources available for you to help accommodate your child’s special needs arising from a neonatal or birth brain injury.

Hopefully, the information above, and the knowledge that there are more resources available to you can provide some relief from your anxiety about financing and ensure the best healthcare and educational resources for your child.