Medicaid Managed Care - U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging

NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION
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DEVELOPMENTAL
| % w _ DISABILITIES
| 'a_ COUNCILS
1234 Massachusetts Avenue. NW * Suite 103 0 Washington. DC 20005 * 202-347-1234
What is a Developmental Disability?
A "developmental disability" is a severe, chronic disability of a person five years
of age or older which -
1. is attributable to a mental or physical impairment or combination of mental or
physical impairments;
2. is manifested before the person attains age twenty-two;
3. is likely to continue indefinitely,
4. results in substantial functional limitations in three or more of the followingareas
of major life activity:
a) self-care,
b) receptive and expressive language,
c) learning.
d) mobility,
e) self-direction,
f) capacity for independent living, and
g) economic self-sufficiency and
5. reflects the person's need for a combination and sequence of special,
interdisciplinary, or generic care, treatment, or other services which are of
lifelong or extended duration and are individually planned and coordinated,
(except that such term, when applied to infants and young children means
individuals from birth to age 5. inclusive, who have substantial developmental
delay or specific congenital or acquired conditions witlia high probability of
resulting in developmental disabilities if services are not provided).
Examples of developmental disabilities include children and adults with a wide
range of diagnoses, including mental retardation, cerebral palsy, autism, spinal
cord injury and severe head injury, so long as the condition began before age 22
and therefore affected the person's development