Children’s Special Health Care Services
Children’s Special Health Care Services (CSHCS) is a State of Michigan program designed to improve health outcomes and enhance quality of life for individuals with special health care needs.
Overview
Children’s Special Health Care Services (CSHCS) is available for persons with eligible health conditions and helps by providing:
- Coverage and referral for specialty services based on the person’s health problems.
- Family centered services to support you in your role as primary caretaker of your child.
- Community-based services to help you care for your child at home and maintain normal routines.
- Culturally competent services which demonstrate awareness of cultural differences.
- Coordinated services to pull together the services of many different providers who work within different agencies.
Information & Resources
Eligibility
Several factors determine if a person is eligible for CSHCS.
Qualifying Medical condition:
CSHCS covers more than 2,700 physical conditions when certain criteria are met. Note: CSHCS does not cover developmental, behavioral or intellectual conditions. Click here for a list of these diagnoses. Severity, chronicity of the condition and the need for treatment by a specialist as evaluated by a MDHHS medical consultant.
Age:
Clients must be under the age of 26. Clients age 26 and above with cystic fibrosis, hereditary coagulation defects commonly known as hemophilia, or hereditary red blood cell disorders commonly known as sickle cell disease may also qualify.
Citizenship:
The client, or a parent of the minor client, or court appointed guardian must be one of the following:
- A US citizen, or
- A documented non-citizen who has been admitted for permanent residence, or
- A non-citizen legally admitted migrant farm worker (i.e., seasonal agricultural worker).
Residency:
- Must be a Michigan resident.
Eligibility:
- Is not based on income. Families with any income are eligible as long as the previous criteria are met.
- There is a fee to join CSHCS. This fee is waived if the client has Medicaid, MIChild, a court-appointed guardian or lives in a foster home. The fee is determined with a sliding scale based upon family income and family size.
For more information:
- Contact Livingston County CSHCS at (517) 546-9850 or CSHCS@livgov.com.
- Contact the CSHCS Family Phone Line at 1-800-359-3722 or cshcsfc@michigan.gov.
Application
For eligible individuals, the first step to applying for CSHCS is to ask your/your child’s specialist to submit a medical record less than one year old. This information can be in the form of a medical report that includes an assessment, treatment plan, and specialist signature. Your specialist may need permission to send your/your child’s medical information to CSHCS. Click here for an Authorization to Disclose Protected Health Information form or the MSA-0838 form.
If the person with special needs has not seen a specialist or you have questions:
- Contact Livingston County CSHCS using our Contact Form.
- Contact the CSHCS Family Phone Line at 1-800-359-3722 or cshcsfc@michigan.gov.
Fees
There is a yearly fee to join CSHCS:
- This fee is waived if the client has Medicaid, MIChild, a court-appointed guardian or lives in a foster home.
- The fee is determined on a scale based upon family income and family size.
- Please see the Payment Agreement Guide for details.
CSHCS clients who have a payment agreement obligation can now make online payments through the CSHCS Payment Site via credit card or e-check options.
For more information:
- Contact Livingston County CSHCS using our Contact Form.
- Contact the CSHCS Family Phone Line at 1-800-359-3722 or cshcsfc@michigan.gov.
Updating Your Information
Have you had changes to your address, contact information, insurance, or healthcare provider in the last 12 months?
Complete the Contact Form to update your information within the CSHCS system.
Renewal and Coverage Information
- Are you/your child due for renewal? If so, you should receive a letter with the necessary paperwork in the mail approximately 2-3 months prior to the renewal date. Please check your mail frequently to ensure you do not miss the paperwork.
- You can submit renewal or enrollment paperwork to the CSHCS Fax Line: 517-335-9491.
- Contact Livingston County CSHCS using our Contact Form.
Transportation and Lodging Reimbursement
- Submit transportation reimbursement requests using our form.
- Note: CSHCS does not reimburse Medicaid enrolled clients. If you/your child have Medicaid/Medicaid Health Plan, please contact your health plan’s beneficiary line for reimbursement help.
- CSHCS provides transportation reimbursement for travel to appointments with authorized providers on your/your child’s account. Reimbursement will only be processed if a request is made within 90 days from the date of the appointment. Your signature is required, and you must return the form to CSHCS staff for submission. Please note that reimbursement checks may take several months to be issued by the state.
- Out of State travel reimbursement – Out of State travel reimbursement for CSHCS related appointments may be available and must be made prior to the appointment. Please call 517-335-9408 for assistance.
Medication or Pharmacy Issues
- Make sure the medication or supplies are related to the CSHCS diagnosis on your/your child’s account. CSHCS only covers treatment and services related to the CSHCS diagnosis. Not all medication or supplies may be covered.
- Make sure the pharmacy is aware you/your child has CSHCS coverage as secondary insurance. They will need the CSHCS Policy ID Number.
- Call the pharmacy and confirm the bill was sent to CSHCS as secondary insurance. Sometimes, the reason you receive a bill is simply because CSHCS did not get the bill.
- Double check which doctor ordered the medication and/or supplies. It must be ordered by an “authorized provider” on the CSHCS account. If it was not ordered by the correct provider, please call the doctor’s office or you may need to add a new specialist to the account.
- If you have tried all these steps and still have questions, please contact Livingston County CSHCS using our Contact Form.
Billing Issues
- Contact the billing department and make sure they have CSHCS listed as your/your child’s secondary insurance. They will need the CSHCS ID Number.
- Call the billing department and confirm the bill was sent to CSHCS as secondary insurance. Sometimes, the reason you receive a bill is simply because CSHCS did not get the bill.
- Make sure the service/appointment was related to your/your child’s CSHCS diagnosis. We only cover services related to the specialty diagnosis on the account.
- Make sure your CSHCS coverage was “active” for the date of service on the bill. You may verify the dates of active CSHCS coverage with the Family Phone Line at 1-800-359-3722.
- If you have tried all these steps and still have questions, please contact Livingston County CSHCS using our Contact Form.
Medicaid Coverage Issues
CSHCS cannot access or view your Medicaid benefits. Please contact the Medicaid Beneficiary Line at 844-464-3447, or your Medicaid Health Plan phone line.
Questions?
- Contact Livingston County CSHCS using our Contact Form, call (517) 546-9850, or email CSHCS@livgov.com.
- Contact the CSHCS Family Phone Line at 1-800-359-3722 or cshcsfc@michigan.gov.
Last Modified April 24, 2026
