County / State Services

PA ABLE Savings Program for Disability-Related Expenses

A PA ABLE account gives individuals with qualified disabilities (Eligible Individuals), and their families and friends, a tax-free way to save for disability-related expenses, while maintaining government benefits. Federal and state law authorized the creation of PA ABLE accounts.

Contributions

• Contribute up to $14,000 each year. This federal limit may be adjusted each year based on inflation.
• Families and friends can contribute to an account. The account limit applies to total contributions and is not per contributor.
• Account maximum of $511,758. Once limit is reached, no additional contributions can be made. Interest can still be earned

ID in PA is home to resources designed to support individuals with autism and or an intellectual or developmental disability, their parents and caregivers, professionals, and the communities across Pennsylvania. AID in PA is a collaborative effort between ASERT (Autism Services, Education, Resources and Training) and its subsidiary teams #ASDNext and the Philly Autism Project, the HCQUs (Health Care Quality Units) across the state, and Temple University’s Department of Disability Resources and Services, all operating under Pennsylvania’s ODP (Office of Developmental Programs).

The mission of AID in PA is to leverage the unique specialties of its collaborators to offer a comprehensive resource collection supporting the ID/DD/A communities of Pennsylvania. By addressing topics most relevant to these communities and uniquely designing content for each stakeholder group, AID in PA is the go-to for living a full life with autism and or an intellectual or developmental disability in Pennsylvania.

Mission: To enhance the lives of Pennsylvanians with autism of all ages and abilities by improving regional access to quality services and interventions; providing information and support to families; training professionals in best practices; facilitating connections between individuals, families, professionals, and providers throughout the Commonwealth.

The mission of the Bureau of Autism Services (BAS) is to develop and manage services and supports to enhance the quality of life of Pennsylvanians living with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and to support their families and caregivers. The Bureau will carry out its mission through the creation and administration of adult service delivery models, the development of resources to support individuals with autism and their families across the lifespan and by collaborating with and providing technical assistance to other Department of Human Services (DHS) offices and government agencies.

Community Care is a nonprofit managed care organization. CCBHO oversees behavioral health care services and programs that members receive. Community Care works with providers to help them deliver innovative and accessible, behavioral health services. Their number one goal is to improve the quality of the mental health and substance abuse treatment services for children and youth.

Erie County Care Management, Inc. (ECCM) provides case management and other services to Erie County’s behavioral health, developmental disabilities, and other human service consumers. By offering local support that assures access, ECCM ensures that care decisions are consumer-based and individualized, offering comprehensive, holistic care that fosters independence.

The LIFT Program is the name of the County of Erie’s safe, reliable, customer-friendly, shared-ride, advanced-request transportation system. The LIFT’s goal is to provide all of your transportation needs. The LIFT is for residents of Erie County who are unable to utilize bus service. The LIFT has several different programs to subsidize the cost of transportation.

Local Task Forces (LTFs) were formed to represent the needs and interests of students with intellectual disabilities and their families. Today, most LTFs have expanded their efforts to include all students with disabilities. All meetings of the Local Task Force are open to the public. Anyone wishing to present oral testimony at a Local Task Force meeting must contact the Chairperson to make those arrangements.

The Local Right to Education Task Force is made up of parents, professionals, and citizen advocates dedicated to the education of all school-aged children who receive special education services. Local Task Forces (LTF’s) were formed more than twenty years ago to represent the needs and interests of students with intellectual disability and their families. Today, most LTF’s have expanded their efforts to include all students with disabilities. LTF’s are actively involved with programs and services for students with disabilities in all school districts across the state and follow procedures outlined in the handbook developed by the State Task Force.

Local Task Forces are available to assist and support students with disabilities and their families. For Erie, Crawford, and Warren County they are held at the Northwest Tri-County Intermediate Unit, 252 Waterford Street, Edinboro, PA. The meetings are held on the second Thursday of the months of January, March, May, September, October, and November at 10:00 am. Meetings are open to the public. You are encouraged to attend and participate.

The meetings are currently being held via Microsoft Teams.

Local Task Forces (LTFs) were formed to represent the needs and interests of students with intellectual disabilities and their families. Today, most LTFs have expanded their efforts to include all students with disabilities. All meetings of the Local Task Force are open to the public. Anyone wishing to present oral testimony at a Local Task Force meeting must contact the Chairperson to make those arrangements.

If you or anyone in your family is a medical assistance recipient, you may be able to get help with transportation you need to get to and from medical providers. The Medical Assistance Transportation Program (MATP) provides rides to medical care at no cost to you. You can also get mileage reimbursement if you use your own car or find someone willing to give you a ride. This funding will only reimburse for trips covered by Medical Assistance.

Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV is one of 29 IU’s serving schools in Pennsylvania. Our intermediate unit serves the 27 school districts and 3 vo-techs in Butler, Lawrence and Mercer Counties. In addition to providing programs and services requested by area school districts, MIU IV also implements programs mandated by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the State Board of Education, the General Assembly, and the US Department of Education.

As a regional educational service agency, IU5 provides cost-effective programs and services for the 17 public school districts and nonpublic schools in Crawford, Erie, and Warren counties, located in northwestern Pennsylvania.

The Northwest Tri-County Intermediate Unit 5 is one of 29 intermediate units throughout Pennsylvania, which were created in 1971 to provide services to school districts in ways that create cost savings and efficiencies in the delivery of services and programs for students and staff. IU5 plays an important role in providing substantial support services to the administrators, teachers, families and students in the 17 tri-county school districts that comprise IU5.

IU5’s service areas – Early Intervention/Mental Health Services, Financial Services, School Improvement Services, Special Education Services, and Innovative Technology Solutions.

Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, or OVR, provides vocational rehabilitation services to help persons with disabilities prepare for, obtain, or maintain employment. OVR provides services to eligible individuals with disabilities, both directly and through a network of approved vendors. Services are provided on an individualized basis. The OVR counselor, during face-to-face interviews, assists customers in selecting their choice of vocational goals, services and service providers.

Riverview Intermediate Unit #6 (RIU6) is a regional educational service agency supporting the needs of the public and nonpublic schools in Clarion, Jefferson, Forest and Venango counties and parts of Armstrong, Butler, Clearfield, Crawford and Indiana counties, encompassing nearly 3,200 square miles in rural western Pennsylvania. The RIU6 service territory includes the following school districts and career-technical centers: Allegheny-Clarion Valley, Brockway, Brookville, Clarion, Clarion-Limestone, Cranberry, DuBois, Forest, Franklin, Keystone, North Clarion County, Oil City, Punxsutawney, Redbank Valley, Titusville, Union, Valley Grove, Clarion County Career Center, Jeff Tech, and Venango Technology Center. RIU6 is one of 29 intermediate units across the state of Pennsylvania that provides support programs, training and therapy services to school districts and nonpublic schools in its region. Programs include: Curriculum, Technology, Early Intervention, Speech and Language, Itinerant Hearing and Vision Support, Emotional Support, Life Skills/Multi-disabled Support, Penn Data (child tracking system), Gifted Coordinator Services, Nonviolent Crisis Intervention, Life Skills Vocational Services, Physical and Occupational Therapy Support, and Transportation.

Erie Social Security Office location is at 717 State St Highmark Bldg Ste 500, Erie, Pennsylvania 16501. This page provides the contact information for this location including the Social Security office phone number, office hours and driving directions. If you have questions or issues about your retirement Social Security benefits, or you need to schedule an appointment, then call the Erie Social Security Office listed below. The Pennsylvania SSA handles several federal programs such as retirement, SSI, Medicare and disability benefits.

Who is Eligible for Supports Coordination?

General eligibility requirements for Support Coordination service are as follows:

• Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder prior to the age of 22 by a licensed psychologist, certified school psychologist, psychiatrist, developmental pediatrician, or physician who practices psychiatry
• Functional assessment demonstrating deficits in three of the six major areas of life activity (self-care, learning, language, mobility, self-direction, independent living skills)
• A medical evaluation completed by a physician documenting the appropriate level of care for Supports Coordination (ICF/ORC)
• Individual will need to be eligible for, and receiving, Medical Assistance (MA)
• If you do not possess all the above eligibility criteria, ECCM intake staff can assist with referring for and completing needed assessments/applications. Please call Intake Supervisor-Chris Cherry at (814)-528-0679 to discuss how we can assist with eligibility process.

What is Supports Coordination?

Support Coordination strives to help individuals with Autism achieve a more fulfilling and independent life. Supports Coordinators work closely with many local community organizations and direct service providers as a single point of entry to help individuals navigate the human services system.

The Autism Division at Erie County Care Management will work with individuals and families to identify desired life goals and find community resources and service providers to achieve these outcomes. Individuals enrolled in Supports Coordination can also be placed on the needs list for the three waivers operated by the Office of Development Programs. Those three waivers are: Person Family Directed Supports Waiver, Community Living Waiver, and Consolidated Waiver.

Individuals of any age diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder can receive Supports Coordination service. Support Coordination is voluntary and available to individuals throughout all stages of their lives.

Making a referral for supports coordination

Anyone can make a referral for Supports Coordination including: family members, teachers, therapists, or mental health professionals. However, no service will be provided without the consent of the individual or guardian.

To make a referral please call (814) 528-0600
Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM

Since 1999, Value Behavioral Health of Pennsylvania, Inc. (VBH-PA) has managed behavioral health services as part of the HealthChoices program. VBH-PA manages behavioral health services for Medical Assistance (MA) recipients in 13 Western Pennsylvania counties: Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Cambria, Crawford, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango, Washington, and Westmoreland.