Programs
South Carolina
TBI Lead Agency
Dept. of Disabilities & Special Needs
Head & Spinal Cord Injury Division
3440 Harden St. Extension
Columbia, SC 29203
Linda Veldheer, PhD
Director
803-898-9798
803-898-9677 (Fax)
lveldheer@ddsn.sc.gov
Service Delivery
Since 1993, the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs (SCDDSN) has been designated in State law to provide service coordination and to be the Lead Agency in promoting the development of a system of services for individuals with TBI, spinal cord injury, and similar disabilities. SCDDSN serves eligible people through three Divisions (Mental Retardation; Autism; and Head and Spinal Cord Injury) and directly operates five Regional Centers that provide residential care for individuals with mental retardation. People with brain injury prior to age 22 years may qualify for the Mental Retardation Division if they meet State criteria for mental retardation or related disability.
SCDDSN directs and provides funding for community-based services by contracting with its network of 39 local Disabilities and Special Needs (DSN) Boards and other provider agencies. With SCDDSN as the Lead Agency, the State has made progress in recent years in providing service coordination and addressing the needs of some in the growing population with brain injury. Many people, however, still receive no services or are distinctly underserved. The SCDDSN provider network remains focused primarily on mental retardation. It receives very limited HASCI Division funding and has limited local expertise for serving people with traumatic or other acquired brain injury.
The SCDDSN Head and Spinal Cord Injury (HASCI) Division plans and administers designated agency resources. State law specifically requires that the HASCI Division and the South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department (SCVRD) coordinate case management and respective services and resources. The HASCI Division currently has four professional staff positions in the SCDDSN Central Office, including a Director and three Program Coordinators.
The HASCI Division also contracts with the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Center for Disability Resources for two additional professional staff positions, including a Screening and Training Coordinator and an Eligibility Screening Specialist. These staff members conduct centralized screening of applicants through a statewide toll-free telephone number. Screened applicants are referred to the appropriate DSN Board for formal intake and agency eligibility determination.
The Head and Spinal Cord Injury Division has designated line items in the agency budget, currently totaling only about $9 million (when annualized.). This limited funding also provides the State match funds for any Medicaid funding used by people served through the HASCI Division. With its ten years of incremental funding, the HASCI Division has significantly enhanced provision of specialized service coordination. It currently funds 37 HASCI Service Coordinators, placed strategically throughout the State, providing direct case management for about 1500 people, including about 800 people with traumatic or acquired brain injury. HASCI Service Coordinators are responsible to assist people in accessing services/supports available through SCDDSN. They also network with other agencies and organizations to assist people in accessing relevant services/resources.
Besides service coordination, some limited direct services and individual supports are available through the HASCI Division. A Head and Spinal Cord Injury (HCBS Medicaid) Waiver is operated collaboratively with the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Presently, about 160 people with brain injury who meet a nursing facility level of care receive services through the HASCI Waiver. These include: Residential and Day Habilitation, Supported Employment, Nursing, Attendant Care/Personal Assistance, Environmental and Vehicle Modifications, Assistive Technology, Prescriptions, Medical Supplies and Equipment, Communication Services, Psychological and Behavioral Services, Health Education for Consumer-Directed Care, and Peer Support for Consumer-Directed Care. The HASCI Division also uses Individual/Family Support State funds to minimally assist people not eligible for HASCI Waiver or for assistance not available through it. Additional direct services and supports are funded through several HASCI Division program initiatives. A few residential placements and one group home for three people with TBI are also funded. Approximately 300 people with acquired brain injury (onset before age 22 years) are served in the MR-RD Waiver operated by SCDDSN. Four other HCBS Waivers are operated by the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (State Medicaid agency) and these serve a total of approximately 500 persons with acquired brain injury.
Find out more information on this State's services in its current profile by clicking here. [PDF 50KB]. You can also order a hardcopy of our latest "Guide to State Government Brain Injury Policies, Funding and Services" for profiles of all States and much more.
HRSA-Funded Projects
With assistance of the HRSA "South Carolina TBI State Implementation Grant," SCDDSN programs and services for people with TBI were enhanced and expanded. The HASCI "Community Opportunities" model program was initiated in four areas of the State. This program includes a "HASCI Resource/Drop-In Center," "Individual Rehabilitation Supports," and a "Vocational Interests and Productivity" (VIP) program. Coordination and collaboration between SCDDSN and SCVRD was improved and increased. Another significant outcome of the TBI State Implementation Grant was establishment of the TBI Training Institute within the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Center for Disability Resources. During the project HASCI Service Coordinators, professionals and agency staff of the SCDDSN provider network, SCVRD employees, and education personnel received excellent training through the numerous offerings of the TBI Training Institute. They also benefited from the annual statewide TBI conferences that were supported through the project. The TBI State Implementation Grant also assisted the Brain Injury Alliance of South Carolina (BIASC) to develop and become more effective as a unified statewide consumer organization affiliated with the Brain Injury Association of America. BIASC strengthened and expanded a network of local organizations and support groups.
Find more information on this State's project in its current grant profile.
Promising Practices
The HASCI "Community Opportunities" model program includes a Resource/Drop-in Center, Individual Rehabilitation Supports, and a Vocational Interests and Productivity (VIP) Program.
The TBI Training Institute has developed TBI orientation curricula, training resources and materials for professionals and service providers, Service Coordination Functions and Competencies, curriculum for Transition Planning with TBI Students, and a graduate level course for teachers
Click here for a summary of the State's Brain Injury Training Portfolio
