Getting Help for People with Disabilities

If you have impairments or are seeking help for a family member, these agencies and organizations may be able to help.

• DHEC's Services for Children with Special Health Care Needs operates a variety of programs for children with disabilities, chronic illnesses, or severe developmental delays. For info, call our toll-free Care Line: (855) 472-3432.
• Medicaid can assist financially eligible people to get care from approved health care providers. You must apply for Medicaid through the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. An electronic application is available on the website. For info, call toll free: (888) 549-0820.
• The SC Vocational Rehabilitation Department provides rehabilitation services for people with disabilities leading to competitive employment. The agency supports eligible school-age individuals in transitioning into the competitive work environment. For info, call toll free: (800) 832-7526.
• The Social Security Administration provides applications for Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income. For info, call toll free: (800) 772-1213.
• Protection and Advocacy for People with Disabilities provides a variety of assistance for people with disabilities who feel their rights are violated or are having difficulty accessing services. For info, call toll free: (866) 275-7273.
• The SC Department of Mental Health provides a full range of community and inpatient services to citizens of all ages who have emotional or psychiatric problems. For info, call toll free: (800)763-1024.
• The SC Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, Head and Spinal Cord Injury Division offers information and referrals, service coordination to directly assist an individual in accessing all appropriate public and private resources, and an array of other services and supports. For info, call toll free (888) 376-4636.
• Community Long Term Care helps individuals who want to live at home, need assistance with their care, and are financially eligible for Medicaid. For info, call toll free: (888) 549-0820.
• The Free Medical Clinic provides quality healthcare at no cost to residents who cannot pay for such services and who have no health insurance. To qualify for the clinic, individuals must meet two conditions: have no health insurance and have a household income at or below 133% of the federal poverty level. For info, call: (803) 765-1503.
• The Benefit Bank of SC, a program of the SC Office of Rural Health, is an online service that simplifies and centralizes the process of applying for many state and federal benefits for those with low or moderate-incomes. The program ensures that people are aware of the benefits to which they are entitled and maximize those they can secure. For info, call toll free: (800) 726-8774.
• The SC Department of Education, Office of Exceptional Children ensures that all children with disabilities in South Carolina have a free and appropriate public education, protects the rights of these children and their parents, and provides leadership to school districts and state-operated programs in the provision of appropriate special education and related services. For info, call: (803) 734-8224.
• BabyNet at SC First Steps is an early intervention program that provides services to infants and toddlers younger than 3 years of age with developmental delays or who have conditions associated with developmental delays. To the maximum extent possible, services are provided in the child's natural environments. For info, call the toll-free Care Line (855) 472-3432, or call (803)734-8077. You can also email babynet@scfirststeps.org.