EIDBI benefit

The Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (EIDBI) Benefit is a Minnesota Health Care Program.

The purpose of the EIDBI Benefit is to provide medically necessary early intensive intervention for people with ASD and related conditions, as well as:

Educate, train and support their parents and families
Promote people’s independence and participation in family, school and community life
Improve long-term outcomes and the quality of life for people and their families.

Across Minnesota and the nation, communities are experiencing a shortage of qualified healthcare providers. The provider shortage particularly affects rural areas. To find out what Minnesota is doing to build provider capacity, visit the Building EIDBI provider capacity webpage.

Background
Eligibility / referral
Training
More information
Resources
ASD
Advisory group

EIDBI background

The 2013 Minnesota Legislature passed a law to create the EIDBI benefit for children up to age 18 with ASD. Later amendments expanded eligibility to include people under 21 years old with ASD or a related condition.

The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services approved revised state plan amendments for the EIDBI Benefit in December 2017 (PDF) and December 2018 (PDF).

Before Minnesota created the EIDBI Benefit, the Department of Human Services gathered input from ASD stakeholders and consulted with local and national experts.
EIDBI eligibility

A person is eligible to receive EIDBI services if he or she meets all of the following criteria:
- Has had a comprehensive multi-disciplinary evaluation (CMDE) that establishes medical necessity for EIDBI services
- Has a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or a related condition
- Is enrolled in Medical Assistance, MinnesotaCare, Minnesota Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act (MA-TEFRA) or other qualifying health care program
- Is younger than 21 years old.
Refer to the Eligibility for EIDBI services page in the EIDBI Benefit Policy manual for more information.

Referral for EIDBI services

Anyone, including a parent/caregiver, case manager, social worker, school professional, care coordinator or childcare provider, may make a referral to EIDBI services. The CMDE assessment determines if a person meets medical necessity and eligibility for EIDBI services. Once medical necessity is established, an EIDBI agency provides intervention services.

Explore the Pathway to EIDBI Services for Families online tool to make a referral to EIDBI services.
EIDBI training

DHS offers training on billing and enrollment for EIDBI services. See Minnesota Healthcare Program (MHCP) training for more information.

DHS also offers a variety of trainings for EIDBI providers on different topics. Visit the EIDBI Policy Manual—Trainings section for more details. For more information about the EIDBI benefit, see the EIDBI Benefit Policy manual or take the EIDBI 101 training for providers.

For more information on how to access EIDBI services, see the EIDBI 101 for Families training.
More information

For more information about the autism-related resources and services available to families, providers and lead agencies, as well as relevant links and reports, visit the MN Autism Resource Portal and ASD resources pages.

If you have questions, email the DHS ASD team.

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EIDBI resources
- For more information on EIDBI, see the MHCP Provider Manual-EIDBI and the EIDBI Policy Manual
- For information on enrolling as an EIDBI provider, see EIDBI Provider Enrollment
- For more information on autism spectrum disorder resources, visit the Minnesota Autism Resource Portal
- DHS has published an EIDBI brochure focused on local communities and in a number of languages:
Autism spectrum disorder
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that causes significant challenges in social interaction, communication and behavior. More information about ASD is available on the Autism spectrum disorder and related conditions page.
EIDBI advisory group

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) has created an EIDBI advisory group. Read more about the group and how to participate on the EIDBI advisory group webpage.