C. The Virginia Interagency
Coordinating Council (VICC) shall promote and coordinate early intervention
services in the Commonwealth and shall advise and assist the department.
1. Nonstate agency members of the VICC shall
be appointed by the Governor. State agency representatives shall be appointed
by their agency directors or commissioners.
2. The VICC membership shall reasonably
represent the population and shall be composed as follows:
a. At least 20% shall be parents, including
minority parents, of infants or toddlers with disabilities or children with
disabilities aged 12 years or younger, with knowledge of, or experience with,
programs for children with disabilities. At least one parent member shall be a
parent of a child with a disability aged six years or younger;
b. At least 20% shall be public or private
providers of early intervention services;
c. At least one member shall be from the
Virginia General Assembly;
d. At
least one member shall be involved in personnel preparation;
e. At least one member shall be from each of
the participating agencies involved in the provision of or payment for early
intervention services to children with disabilities and their families. These
members shall have sufficient authority to engage in policy planning and
implementation on behalf of the participating agency and shall include:
(1) At least one member from the Department
of Education, the state educational agency responsible for preschool services
to children with disabilities. This member shall have sufficient authority to
engage in policy planning and implementation on behalf of the Department of
Education;
(2) At least one member
from the Department of Medical Assistance Services, the agency responsible for
the state Medicaid program;
(3) At
least one member from the Department of Social Services, the agency responsible
for child care and foster care;
(4)
At least one member from the State Corporation Commission, Bureau of Insurance,
the agency responsible for regulating private health insurance;
(5) At least one member designated by the
Office of the Coordination of Education of Homeless Children and
Youth;
(6) At least one member from
the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, the agency
responsible for children's mental health;
(7) At least one member from the Department
for the Blind and Vision Impaired;
(8) At least one member from the Department
for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing; and
(9) At least one member from the Department
of Health;
f. At least
one member shall be from the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) of
Virginia;
g. At least one member
shall be from a Head Start or Early Head Start agency or program in Virginia;
and
h. Other members selected by
the Governor.
3. The
VICC shall operate as follows:
a. The VICC
shall have bylaws that outline (i) nomination processes and roles of officers
and committees and (ii) other operational procedures;
b. No member of the VICC shall cast a vote on
any matter that would provide direct financial benefit to that member or
otherwise give the appearance of a conflict of interest under Virginia
law;
c. The VICC shall meet, at a
minimum, on a quarterly basis;
d.
VICC meetings shall be announced in advance in the Commonwealth Calendar and
through an announcement to local lead agencies; and
e. VICC meetings shall be open and accessible
to the public, and each meeting shall include a public comment period.
Interpreters for persons who are deaf and other necessary services for both
VICC members and participants shall be provided as necessary and upon
request.
4. Subject to
approval by the Governor, the VICC shall work with the department to develop an
annual budget for VICC expenses that may include the use of Part C funds for
the following:
a. Conducting hearings and
forums;
b. Reimbursing members of
the VICC for reasonable and necessary expenses for attending VICC meetings and
performing VICC duties, including child care for parent
representatives;
c. Compensating a
member of the VICC if the member is not employed or must forfeit wages from
other employment when performing official VICC business;
d. Hiring staff; and
e. Obtaining the services of professional,
technical, and clerical personnel as may be necessary to carry out its
functions under Part C.
5. Except as provided in subdivision 4 e of
this subsection, VICC members shall serve without compensation from funds
available under Part C.