Health-care services for children with disabilities: Emerging standards and implications

Conflicting interpretations of federal statutes and regulations have emanat ed from federal and state courts regarding the provision of health-care ser vices as required under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. As a result, educators and parents have been left in a quandary over the level and extent of health services t hat children with disabilities are entitled to receive. To help clarify rel ated issues, this article provides an overview of relevant federal statutor y, regulatory, and common law; examines the two primary standards applied b y federal courts; and establishes a procedure that may be used to determine whether a specific form of requested health care qualifies as a health ser vice to be provided by the local school district or a medical service to be provided by the parents or governmental agency.