32 Miss. Code. R. 22-3.12.1
The eligibility requirements are three fold:
If the individual is to be served through the Traumatic Brain Injury/Spinal Cord Injury Trust Fund, he/she must have verification that they have sustained a traumatic brain or spinal cord injury.
The 1996 Mississippi Legislature created the Spinal Cord Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury (SCI/TBI) Trust Fund to provide services for eligible Mississippi residents who sustain a traumatic spinal cord injury or traumatic brain injury. The purpose of the program is to help individuals reintegrate into their home and community with as much independence as possible. The program is administered by the Agencys Office of Special Disability Programs.
Any resident of Mississippi, regardless of age, who has a severe disability as a result of a traumatic brain or spinal cord injury as defined below:
Traumatic Brain Injury - an insult to the skull, brain, or its covering, resulting from external trauma which produces an altered state of consciousness or anatomic, motor, sensory, cognitive, or behavioral deficits
Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury - Acute insults to the spinal cord, not of a degenerative or congenital nature, but caused by an external trauma resulting in any degree of motor or sensory deficit
An individual must seek assistance from all available resources, including VR, prior to the Trust Fund's participation in a service. If an individual is not eligible for VR or a specific service is not covered by VR (e.g., respite care or attendant care), the individual should be referred to the Trust Fund. In some cases, VR and the Trust Fund may provide services simultaneously.
The SCI/TBI Trust Fund program provides:
* Equipment/Modifications - durable medical equipment, assistive technology services and equipment, home and vehicle modifications.
* Emergency Services - assistance of a short-term, urgent nature that is considered critical for the individual's survival, general health or welfare, or the maintenance/ enhancement of their independent living capacity.
* Respite Services - the employment of a temporary, short-term caregiver to provide a respite to the family member or other caregiver who regularly assists the survivor of a spinal cord or brain injury.
* Transitional Personal Care Attendant Services - attendant care services to assist an individual with physical activities of daily living, such as bathing and grooming, or cognitive activities, such as planning daily schedules or participating in community reintegration activities.
To obtain information about the program, or to make referral, contact the TBI/SCI Trust Fund Coordinator.
32 Miss. Code. R. 22-3.12.1