The Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative (CBHI) and MassHealth Release
Two New Web Publications!
Helping Families Access MassHealth Home- and Community-Based Behavioral
Health Services for Children and Youths under 21:
A Guide for School Personnel
The Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative (CBHI) has produced a helpful
resource guide for school personnel on MassHealth’s home- and community-based
behavioral health services for children and youth under age 21. Created for
teachers, school nurses, health educators, psychologists, social workers,
adjustment counselors and others who interact directly with students, the
school resource guide provides information useful in connecting MassHealth-
eligible students with needed behavioral health services. The guide also
offers valuable information on how school personnel can collaborate in
Intensive Care Coordination using the Wraparound process, an approach to
individualized care planning that is very effective for some youth with
complex needs. Lastly, the guide provides guidance for school administrators
and others interested in building systematic behavioral health supports for
their students through collaboration in local System of Care Committees that
can help build linkages that benefit students, families, and schools.
The guide is available here, or can be downloaded from the CBHI web site
(www.mass.gov/masshealth/cbhi). Click on CBHI Information for Early
Education and Care, Pre-K and K-12 School Staff and then click on School
Personnel Resource Guide.
How to Apply for MassHealth for Your Child
This application guide provides valuable step by step instructions for
parents and caregivers for applying to MassHealth. It contains practical
tips to ensure a smooth application process, links to required application
forms, as well as instructions for finding these forms on the MassHealth web
site. The guide also provides helpful information for parents on accessing
CommonHealth, the MassHealth coverage that offers benefits similar to
MassHealth Standard for disabled adults and children who are ineligible for
MassHealth Standard because their family income is too high.
While the guide was developed for parents interested in enrolling their
children in MassHealth in order to access its home- and community-based
behavioral health services, the information is useful for anyone who wants to
apply for this health coverage.
The guide is available here, or can be downloaded it from the CBHI web site
(www.mass.gov/masshealth/cbhi). Click on CBHI Information for Members and
Families and then click on How to Apply for MassHealth for Your Child.