REFERRAL OF BLIND AND DISABLED INDIVIDUALS UNDER AGE 16, WHO ARE RECEIVING BENEFITS UNDER THE SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME PROGRAM, FOR APPROPRIATE REHABILITATION SERVICES.

SEC. 501. REFERRAL OF BLIND AND DISABLED INDIVIDUALS UNDER AGE 16, WHO ARE RECEIVING BENEFITS UNDER THE SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME PROGRAM, FOR APPROPRIATE REHABILITATION SERVICES. (a) In General.—Section 1615 of the Social Security Act is amended to read as follows: “rehabilitation services for blind and disabled individuals “Sec. 1615. (a) In the case of any blind or disabled individual who— “(1) has not attained age 65, and “(2) is receiving benefits (or with respect to whom benefits are paid) under this title, the Secretary shall make provision for referral of such individual to the appropriate State agency administering the State plan for voca-90 STAT. 2684tional rehabilitation services approved under the Vocational Rehabilitation Act, or, in the ease of any such individual who has not attained age 16, to the appropriate State agency administering the State plan under subsection (b) of this section, and (except in such cases as he may determine) for a review not less often than quarterly of such individual’s blindness or disability and his need for and utilization of the services made available to him under such plan. “(b) (1) The Secretary shall by regulation prescribe criteria for approval of State plans for— “(A) assuring appropriate counseling for disabled children referred pursuant to subsection (a) and their families, “(B) establishment of individual service plans for such disabled children, and prompt referral to appropriate medical, educational, and social services, “(C) monitoring to assure, adherence to such service plans, and “(D) provision for such disabled children who are 6 years of age and under, or who have never attended public school and require preparation to take advantage of public educational services, of medical, social, developmental, and rehabilitative services, in cases where such services reasonably promise to enhance the child’s ability to benefit from subsequent education or training, or otherwise to enhance his opportunities for self-sufficiency or self-support as an adult. “(2) Such criteria shall include— “(A) administration— “(i) by the agency administering the State plan for crippled children’s services under title V of this Act, or “(ii) by another agency which administers programs providing services to disabled children and which the Governor of the State concerned has determined is capable of administering the State plan described in the first sentence of this subsection in a more efficient and effective manner than the agency described in clause (i) (with the reasons for such determination being set forth in the State plan described in the first sentence of this subsecHon); “(B) coordination with other agencies serving disabled children; and “(C) establishment of an identifiable unit within such agency which shall be responsible for carrying out the plan. “(c) Every individual age 16 or over with respect to whom the Secretary is required to make provision for referral under subsection (a) shall accept such services as are made available to him under the State plan for vocational and rehabilitation services approved under the Vocational Rehabilitation Act; and no such individual shall he an eligible individual or eligible spouse for purposes of this title if he refuses without good cause to accept services for which he is referred under subsection (a).; “(d) The Secretary is authorized to pay to the State agency administering or supervising the administration of a State plan for vocational rehabilitation services approved under the Vocational Rehabilitation Act the costs incurred under such plan in the provision of rehabilitation services to individuals referred for such services pursuant to subsection (a). “(e) (1) The Secretary shall, subject to the limitations imposed by paragraphs (2) and (3), pay to the State agency administering a State plan of a State under subsection (b) of this section, the costs incurred90 STAT. 2685each fiscal year which begins after September 30, 1976, and ends prior to October 1, 1979, in carrying out the State plan approved pursuant to such subsection (b). “(2) (A) Of the funds paid by the. Secretary with respect to costs, incurred in any State, to which paragraph (1) applies, not more than 10 per centum thereof shall be paid with respect to costs incurred with respect to activities described in subsection (b) (1) (A),(B), and (C). “(B) Whenever there are provided pursuant to this section to any child services of a type which is appropriate for children who are not blind or disabled, there shall be disregarded for purposes of computing any payment with respect thereto under this subsection, so much of the costs of such services as would have been incurred if the child involved had not been blind or disabled. “(C) The total amount payable under this subsection for any fiscal year, with respect to services provided in any State, shall be reduced by the amount by which the sum of the public funds expended (as determined by the Secretary) from non-Federal sources tor services of the type involved for such fiscal year is less than the sum of such funds expended from such sources for services of such type for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1976. “(3) No payment under this subsection with respect to costs incurred in providing services in any State for any fiscal year shall exceed an amount which bears the same ratio to $30,009,000 as the under age 7 population of such State (and for purposes of this section the District of Columbia shall be regarded as a State) bears to the under ago 7 population of the fifty States and the District of Columbia. The Secretary shall promulgate the limitation applicable to each State for each fiscal year under this paragraph on the basis of the most recent satisfactory data available from tne Department of Commerce not later than 90 nor earlier than 270 days before the beginning of such year.” (b) Publication of Criteria.— The Secretary shall, within 120 days after the enactment of this subsection, publish criteria to be employed to determine disability (as defined in section 1614(a) (3) of the Social Security Act) in the case of persons who have not attained thereof 18.