Moving from another state to VA, how to transfer services?

[lionjill]

My husband just got a job in the DC area, and we are moving to Alexandria in the next two months. Our DS is 18 months and has gross motor delay, and is currently receiving services via the NY State Early Intervention. Any advice on how to get into or transfer to the VA PIE program? Where do we start? Where did you start?

Thank you in advance for any guidance you can give- it's all completely unknown territory!

[Anonymous]

Alexandria City or Alexandria in Fairfax County?

[Anonymous]

You need to contact the local early intervention program - as PP noted depends on where you are in Alexandria. Once you figure out the contact, send the referral plus everything you have from NY as documentation. But know that they don't have to accept/rely on any of it and you are essentially starting all over - there's no transfer, unlike IEPs, so basically you just have to submit a new parent referral for EI services/evaluation when you arrive the same way you would as if you were already living here and just now decided to pursue an evaluation. So they can take a month to evaluate (or whatever the timeline is), a month to start services, etc. We moved between states twice while DD was receiving early intervention, and each time it was like starting from zero (insisted on doing their own eval, disregarding history) and in our case we lost significant services/ground, even when evaluations from the old state had just been done. Hoping for you that it's a smoother transfer than that (we ended up in DC, not VA) - some advanced calls may help, as will giving them whatever you have from NY, and then it's a matter of crossing fingers.