FAQs and Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

General

CLIP is not designed for the long-term placement of children and youth who need housing or a place to grow up. CLIP is a course of psychiatric treatment with a focus on stabilization and skill development/acquisition that aims to reintegrate children and youth back to their homes, families, communities, or long-term supportive environments, as soon as deemed clinically appropriate.

About Payment

All children served in a CLIP Program are eligible for Medicaid funding while in residence. If the child has private insurance that covers psychiatric inpatient care, those benefits are also applied to the cost of stay. Read more about Medicaid.

Most families do not have to pay anything towards their child’s cost of CLIP care, but there are exceptions.

There are a few different reasons why your child may be required to pay part of the cost of their CLIP care. United States’ law requires our site to review money of income that is in a child’s name. The CLIP program may also bill a parent/guardians private insurance. Please ask the admission counselor about this clause and if it applies to you and yourfamily.

CLIP is not designed for the long-term placement of children and youth who need housing or a place to grow up. CLIP is a course of psychiatric treatment with a focus on stabilization and skill development/acquisition that aims to reintegrate children and youth back to their homes, families, communities, or long-term supportive environments, as soon as deemed clinically appropriate.

About Admission

The voluntary application process is a two-tiered process that begins with contacting your local BH-ASO/MCO representative. If a local decision is made to proceed with a referral to CLIP, the BH-ASO/MCO gathers all the application materialsand contacts the CLIP Administration. The CLIP Administration is the final authority for determining a child’s eligibility for admission.

Yes, as long as the child meets admission criteria.

The following essential information is legally required in order for the CLIP Program to provide care. Unless previously submitted, please bring a copy of the following items to the admission appointment:
 
  • Child’s birth certificate
  • Child’s social security card
  • Child’s photo ID
  • Immunization record
  • Current medical coupon/card and PIC number, if applicable
 
The program may specify additional information requirements. They will also describe their policies regarding prescription medications, personal items, clothing etc.
Upon arrival, the person coordinating the admission will greet the child and family. The following activities will occur, but the sequence in which they occur varies according to the program, the individual child and family, the availability of specific treatment staff, and other factors.
 
  • An interview with the child and family or guardian
  • Additional information gathering
  • Admission papers will be completed and signed
  • An inventory of the child’s personal belonging
  • Orientation to the program and the child’s room
  • Introduction to staff and children
 
A point person from the program staff will be identified immediately. Additional staff form various disciplines (i.e. case manger, family therapists) will be assigned responsibility of the child and will also be available for consultation soon after admission.
 
Within 24 hours, a nursing assessment, a physical examination, and a psychiatric evaluation be compiled.
 
Within 72 hours an initial treatment plan will be developed. An in-depth master treatment plan will be developed no later than 14 days after admission.
 
Throughout treatment, the child, family, and/or guardian will be informed of ongoing treatment plan review schedules, opportunities to meet other parents who children are in care, vising schedules, etc. The program will ensure that close communication is maintained.
 
All parentsor guardians will need to fill out an application for benefits for their child. This will happen at admission. A department of Social and Health Services Office (CSO) Worker will review the application.
 
The review occurs to:
 
Establish that your child is now in a long-term (more than three months) inpatient settingReview any income in the child’s name, andReview if there is a child income(s) and determine what the participation amount will be
 

Wait times vary greatly and are dependent upon bed availability, family/community choice, geographic proximity, age, gender, presenting clinical needs, etc. Once a child is eligible for admission as determined by the CLIP Administration, his/her name is placed on the state waiting list and will be admitted when a bed is available at the appropriate CLIP Program.

A CLIP admission is not available as a crisis service. Nor are children admitted to aCLIP Program solely because they need a safely live. A stay in a CLIP Program is a treatment episode that is planned in a collaborative way based upon the strengths and needs of the individual child and his/her family.

If the voluntary application is denied at the county level, please contact your local BH-ASO/MCO office. Each office has their own policy and procedures. If the voluntary application is denied at the state level, the CLIP Administration makes specific recommendations for evaluation and/or treatment alternatives. Please note that children may be referred to the CLIP Administration more than once, even if an application has been denied in the past. Approximately 95% of all voluntary applications are approved, indicating that BH-ASOs/MCOs and their partners referring only those children most in need of this kind of treatment.
 
 
 

Find more information on our Ricky’s Law, Involuntary Treatment Act (ITA) webpage. Ricky’s Law: Involuntary Treatment Act | Washington State Health Care Authority

 
 
 

Resources For Parents