Children's Special Health Care Services (CSHCS)

This is a program within the Michigan Department of Community Health. The program offers financial assistance for medical care and treatment for children and some adults having certain disabilities or chronic illnesses. Families of any income can qualify for this program. Care coordination and case management are provided by a Public Health Nurse.

The local CSHCS office may also help with the online application for Healthy Kids Medicaid or MIChild

Who is Eligible for CSHCS?

Several factors decide whether a person is eligible for CSHCS:

• Residency: Must be a Michigan resident
• Citizenship: Must be a U.S. citizen or documented non-citizen admitted for permanent residence or a non-citizen legally admitted migrant farm worker (i.e., seasonal agricultural worker).
• Age: Children must have a qualifying medical condition and be 20 years old or under. Persons 21 and older with cystic fibrosis or certain hereditary blood coagulation disorders commonly known as hemophilia may also qualify.
• Qualifying Medical Condition: A MDCH medical consultant reviews each case to determine eligibility. Severity and chronicity of the person's condition as well as the need for treatment by a specialist are factors considered. More than 2,700 diagnoses are potentially eligible.

How Do You Apply for CSHCS?

The first step is to have your child's medical report from the specialist submitted for review. We can assist you with that process. If your child hasn't been seen by a specialist, we may be able to help with the cost of that evaluation.

Call us at the local office 517-788-4422, the Family Phone line at 800-359-3722 or email us.

Additional Children's Special Health Care Information

To learn more about CSHCS, take the free Department Of Community Health online courses titled "What is Children's Special Health Care Services." At this same site you will find another course titled "CSHCS-Support Parent Training Course." Access these courses.