What is a referral in New York Early Intervention?

A referral is the communication that a child under three may need Early Intervention. In New York it lands with the Early Intervention Official and starts the 45-day clock.

New York treats a referral as a report to the municipal Early Intervention Official that a child may be eligible for the statewide Early Intervention Program. The source can be a parent, a physician, a hospital, a social service agency, or another person who sees a delay. The official date of referral is the day that report is received, and that date starts the clock to the first Individualized Family Service Plan meeting.

The Initial Service Coordinator assigned after the referral explains the program, gathers consent to evaluate, and arranges the Multidisciplinary Evaluation. Preparing or downloading a form is not the same as submitting the referral to the municipality. The agency record should keep the referral date, the source, and later confirmation from the municipality as separate facts.

A child can have more than one referral over time. Closing a program referral in EI Hub does not erase the child. Authorization to deliver a service is a later, separate fact: it is not a referral state.