Why does it have to be this hard re: EI

jennieliz

Thankfully our ped referred us to EI and a private PT office because at this rate Carter will get EI services in 2012.  We've been trying for a month now to get a mass meeting scheduled between the EI woman, our social worker (everyone in FL with EI gets one and she has to be present at the meetings), our PT and a ST.  I've made us completely available and said we would work out the time and still no one can come up with a time to meet. 

skittles_123

Shouldn't there be some type of caseworker doing this for you? And could you expand on why you have to wait until 2012 to get EI services? Is there a waiting list of some sort? 

loumertes

It took 5 months for our EI to get set up.  The first 4 months were all paper work. It was ridiculous. BUT - now that it has started I love it. Our EI specialist is so awesome! Love her!

Justinlove

Wow, I am so sorry that you are having this much trouble with EI.  I know every state is different, but we are in GA and DD was referred to EI at birth by the hospital.  Within a week, they contacted us and we had our initial evaluation and plan done by the time she was 4 weeks old.  I am sure the process was expedited by DD's automatic qualifying condition, but even so, I am appalled by how long some of you have to wait. 

Just last month, our EI coordinator came out to the house (as she does monthly) and I mentioned that at our last pedi appointment, the dr. had noticed that DD seemed a little hypertonic.  She got right on it and at our monthly appointment last week, she brought the PT and the case worker with her.  DD ends up needing PT services, and everyone who needed to be present to amend her plan was there.  We even scheduled her 6 month re-eval for next month.

I do not understand how some of you have such crappy EI experiences.  It makes me mad for you!!!  One of the key words in EI is EARLY and if you have to wait for months and months, at the rate our kids change and develop, you are missing valuable time!!  Sorry to rant, but it really upsets me.  I hate to think that there are kids out there who are being neglected by the bureaucracy of it all.

 

axh2277

That's so weird.  DS was referred to EI about two weeks ago and we had our intake meeting on Friday and our evaluation this morning to find out if he is eligible or not.  He is eligible so now the next step is setting up a meeting with the service coordintor to figure out who is coming out and when and getting him enrolled in the next play group that starts.   Good luck!