Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

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Iowa Health and Human Services

Children at Home

What you get

Funding for equipment, therapy, respite, personal care, medical costs, and travel for a child with a developmental disability. The amount isn't published. Ask. Ask whether requests are open.

Who starts it
You, with a document from your doctor
How it’s sent
Email to iafamilysupportnetwork@everystep.org, or by post
Your time
About 15 minutes, plus waiting for the document
Last checked
Aug 27, 2026

Before you start, check you fit

  • Your child is 21 or under.
  • Their published rules do not cover leukemia. Check with them before you spend time on it.
  • Annual figures, local capacity, and program transitions can change; confirm before relying on this record.

  1. Ask your doctor for the documentStart here. This is the part that takes the longest.

    Iowa Health and Human Services needs a signed confirmation of the diagnosis from your doctor. Copy this message, or say it in person at the next visit.

    Hi [doctor’s name],

We’d like to apply to Iowa Health and Human Services’s Children at Home. They offer funding for equipment, therapy, respite, personal care, medical costs, and travel for a child with a developmental disability, and we are checking whether they are taking requests.

They need a signed confirmation of the diagnosis from you. Their form and instructions are here: https://hhs.iowa.gov/programs/programs-and-services/early-intervention-and-support

Could you do that when you have a chance? I’ll bring the printed form to our next visit, or I can email it. Thank you for everything you do for us.

[your name] · [phone]
    Copying is the only thing this page does with your text. Nothing is saved.

  2. Fill in their formPrint it, or fill it in on screen if the PDF allows.

    Open the application PDF ↗ Checked Aug 27, 2026

    What the form asks for

    Application preparation
    Applicant, household, eligibility, and service-specific facts requested by the official intake route

    Have ready

    • Eight-page Children at Home application.
    • Professional statement explaining why the requested item, service, or support is needed as it relates to the child's disability.
    • Signed copy of the most recent federal Form 1040, including the pages showing net taxable income; non-filers must contact an Intake and Referral Specialist for alternatives.

  3. Email your application and the document togetherTo iafamilysupportnetwork@everystep.org. Or post it to the address on the form.

    • Complete and sign the Children at Home application and submit it to Iowa Family Support Network by email at iafamilysupportnetwork@everystep.org, fax at 515-558-9994, or mail to 3000 Easton Blvd, Des Moines, IA 50317.

    Email: iafamilysupportnetwork@everystep.org

    Fax: 515-558-9994

    Subject: Children at Home application, [child’s name]

Hello,

Attached are our completed application and the document from [doctor’s name] at [hospital]. Please let me know that it arrived and if anything is missing.

Thank you,
[your name] · [phone]

After you send

A new application is required each fiscal year; applications received after April 30 are waitlisted and processed as current-year funding allows. If you have not heard back in two weeks, write and ask whether it arrived.

Full record, as published