Illinois program
Care coordination for other qualifying conditions (DSCC Core Program)
Free care coordination for children with certain listed conditions. DSCC Core excludes leukemia.
What it is
Free care coordination for children with certain listed conditions. DSCC Core excludes leukemia.
DSCC Core helps children with specified conditions coordinate care. Its rule excludes primary blood cancers, including leukemia. A second qualifying condition may be a reason to discuss Core separately from DSCC Home Care.
Eligibility rules
- Your child must be under 21 and have a qualifying listed condition.
- Care coordination has no income limit. Financial help has a limit of 325% of poverty.
- Core general eligibility excludes children enrolled in a Medicaid managed-care plan.
What you get
- Free care coordination when a listed condition qualifies.
- Help with therapy, equipment and medical travel for financially eligible children, after other payers.
What the help includes
- Financial assistance fills eligible gaps after other payers. It is tied to the condition that qualifies for Core.
If you decide to apply
- If your child has another condition, ask the social worker whether it appears on DSCC’s Core list.
- Contact DSCC at 800-322-3722 with records for that condition and insurance details.
DSCC Core: 800-322-3722 · Official page ↗
What happens next
- DSCC reviews the second condition and explains whether care coordination or financial help is available.
Good to know
The public description of “blood-related conditions” does not include primary blood cancers. DSCC Home Care has a different care test.
Other details
- A nursing need belongs in a separate conversation about DSCC Home Care and the MFTD waiver.
Official sources
- 89 Ill. Adm. Code 1200.110: Medical Eligibility (DSCC)
- 89 Ill. Adm. Code 1200.80: Financial Assistance Eligibility and Standards (DSCC)
- 89 Ill. Adm. Code Part 1200: Specialized Care for Children
- DSCC: Core Program
- DSCC: Does It Cost Money?
- DSCC presentation: February Care Management Webinar (CountyCare-hosted)
“Does our child have another condition that Core covers? If so, what would it add, are there drawbacks, and could you help us request a review?”
Why I’m asking: I want to avoid confusing DSCC’s leukemia exclusion in Core with the separate Home Care program.
More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules
Who does what
The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.
You
Nothing for leukemia alone. If your child has a second listed condition, call DSCC and ask about Core for that condition.
Your social worker
The social worker confirms the exclusion so no one waits on it, and routes nursing-level families to DSCC Home Care.
The care team
Records and letters when the application asks for them.
- Who decides
- DSCC decides medical eligibility under its rule.
- Ask your social worker
- “DSCC's Core rule excludes leukemia. Does my child have any other condition that Core covers, and is Home Care the DSCC program for us?”
How to apply
First step: None for leukemia alone. If a second listed condition exists, call DSCC at 800-322-3722.
- Skip Core for leukemia alone. Ask DSCC about the Home Care Program if care at home is nursing-level.
Official application / program page ↗
Where it starts: Call 800-322-3722 only if a second listed condition exists.
What to gather
The diagnosis letter, the child’s insurance card, and the last two pay stubs cover most applications. The official page lists the rest.
How long: Not applicable.
What a yes looks like
A DSCC care coordinator for the second condition.
What a no looks like, and the next move
The expected answer for leukemia alone; ask about Home Care instead.
Watch out
- The public list says "blood-related conditions"; the rule excludes primary blood cancers.
- Core also excludes children enrolled in a Medicaid managed-care plan.
The numbers and the rules
The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 8, 2026.
What it is worth
For listed conditions: free care coordination, plus therapy, equipment and medical-travel help after other payers. Leukemia is not on the list.
Covers: Care coordination (no income limit, no charge) · Therapy, specialized equipment and transportation related to treatment, for eligible conditions, after other payers
What it costs the family: None ("Our help will never cost you money").
The eligibility facts, as published
- Age
- under 21
- Medical
- listed conditions; primary hematologic malignancies (leukemias) excluded (89 Ill. Adm. Code 1200.110(c)(1))
- Financial help income
- household income at or below 325% FPL (89 Ill. Adm. Code 1200.80(a)(3)(C)); care coordination has no income limit
- Managed care
- Core general eligibility excludes children enrolled in a Medicaid managed-care plan (DSCC slide)
Decisions this site cannot make: DSCC medical eligibility
Expect friction on: Diagnosis exclusion
The trap: Blood-related conditions are on DSCC's public list, so leukemia looks covered. The administrative rule behind the list excludes primary blood cancers.
Where I read this
- 89 Ill. Adm. Code 1200.110: Medical Eligibility (DSCC) — Illinois General Assembly (JCAR), read September 8, 2026
- 89 Ill. Adm. Code 1200.80: Financial Assistance Eligibility and Standards (DSCC) — Illinois General Assembly (JCAR), read September 8, 2026
- 89 Ill. Adm. Code Part 1200: Specialized Care for Children — Illinois General Assembly (JCAR), read September 8, 2026
- DSCC: Core Program — University of Illinois Chicago, Division of Specialized Care for Children, read September 8, 2026
- DSCC: Does It Cost Money? — University of Illinois Chicago, Division of Specialized Care for Children, read September 8, 2026
- DSCC presentation: February Care Management Webinar (CountyCare-hosted) — University of Illinois Chicago, Division of Specialized Care for Children, read September 8, 2026