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

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Vermont program

A care consultant who knows the system

A free care consultant can help you find your way through Vermont's children's programs.

What it is

A free care consultant can help you find your way through Vermont's children's programs.

Coordinating care can become a job of its own. CSHN offers short-term help as needed and connects you with the right services. Different teams decide nursing, personal care and Medicaid financial eligibility.

Eligibility rules
  • Vermont children from birth until age 21 with complex health conditions are the program's focus.
  • CSHN care consultation helps families of children with special health needs until the child’s 21st birthday. CSHN can confirm any income or insurance questions for consultation; separate nursing, personal care and other services have their own tests. Your hospital social worker or family can reach CSHN at 800-660-4427 about a referral.
What you get
  • Free, focused help connecting your child's care and support services.
What the help includes
  • The consultant can help the people involved in your child's care work together. This service is care consultation, not a fund for treatment bills.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the hospital social worker for an introduction to your regional care consultant.
  2. Describe the issue you want help with, such as nursing, coverage or coordinating several clinics.

Children with Special Health Needs: 800-660-4427 or 802-863-7338; AHS.VDHCSHN@vermont.gov. · Official page ↗

After you ask
  • The health department connects your family with a consultant for your area.
Good to know

The help is short term and as needed, rather than a permanent case manager.

Other details
  • A specific question, such as a stalled nursing referral, gives the consultant a clear place to begin.
Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Could a care consultant help us with the parts we are struggling to coordinate? What can they take on, and could you introduce us?”

Why I’m asking: I want help connecting the services instead of having to work out every system alone.

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

Call and say what you are stuck on. Be specific: the help is short term and targeted.

Your social worker

The hospital social worker knows the regional consultant by name and can introduce you.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
The health department assigns a consultant.
Ask your social worker
“Can you put us in touch with the children with special health needs consultant for our area? We want help with nursing and the disability coverage route.”

How to apply

First step: Call 800-660-4427 and ask for the care consultant for your area.

  1. Call 800-660-4427 and ask for a care consultant.
  2. Ask the same call about nursing, personal care and Disabled Children's Home Care: one team runs all three.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Call 800-660-4427 or 802-863-7338, or email AHS.VDHCSHN@vermont.gov. Regional consultants: Chittenden 802-578-2667, Franklin and the north 802-760-9077, Washington and northern Windsor 802-829-6631, Rutland and southern Windsor 802-598-4716.

What to gather

  • Your town, so they can route you to the right consultant
  • A short list of what you are stuck on

How long: Not published.

What a yes looks like

A named consultant with a direct number.

What a no looks like, and the next move

If no consultant is free, ask the hospital social worker to call the central number with you.

Watch out

  • The help is short term and as needed, not a permanent case manager. Be specific about what you are stuck on.
  • It is not a fund. Nothing published says it pays treatment bills.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.

What it is worth

Free help from a care consultant who coordinates providers and knows the state's children's programmes from the inside.

  • $21 — Age ceiling

Covers: Coordination with the various providers caring for a child · A route into the state's nursing, personal care and disability-coverage programmes · Regional consultants across the state

What it costs the family: Free.

The eligibility facts, as published

Age
birth to 21
Age max exclusive
21
Residency
Vermont
Income
No test is published; the absence of a published test is not a statement that none exists

The trap: The programme says in writing that its involvement is short term and on an as-needed basis, so it is not a permanent case manager. Use it for the specific thing you are stuck on.

Where I read this

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