Billings families start early intervention through ECI (Early Childhood Intervention), a program that operates out of Billings Public Schools and covers Yellowstone County and much of south-central Montana as the local delivery arm of Montana Milestones, the statewide Part C system. School-age evaluations go through Billings Public Schools' Child Find process, and the Montana Office of Public Instruction's Special Education Division is the state-level backstop for families with a question the district can't answer.

For longer-term disability supports, Billings has its own Developmental Disabilities Program regional office. This page lists the phone numbers and web addresses behind each of those doors, drawn from what state, district, and provider websites publish.

Statewide programs, numbers, and rights are on the Montana page. This page adds the local entry points that are specific to Billings (Yellowstone County).

Early intervention under 3: Montana Milestones — Part C Early Intervention Program (ECI, Yellowstone County)

Montana delivers Part C early intervention through regional providers under its statewide Montana Milestones system rather than through county health departments. In the Billings area, that provider is ECI (Early Childhood Intervention), which operates out of Billings Public Schools and serves Yellowstone County along with Big Horn, Carbon, Fergus, Golden Valley, Judith Basin, Musselshell, Petroleum, Stillwater, Sweet Grass, and Wheatland counties. ECI offers free developmental screenings and, for children found eligible, an Individualized Family Service Plan built around therapy, service coordination, and family training — all at no cost.

• Montana Milestones — Part C Early Intervention Program (ECI, Yellowstone County)
• Referral phone: 406-281-5885

New to early intervention? Read the plain-language guide first.

School districts and special education

Billings Public Schools (District 2) fulfills its Child Find duty through a Multi-Tiered Systems of Support process that helps determine whether a struggling student's needs stem from a suspected disability rather than an instructional mismatch; a parent can start the conversation with a teacher, counselor, psychologist, or principal. Early Childhood Special Education screenings for ages 3-5 are scheduled quarterly through the district's Rimrock Learning Center.

• Billings Public Schools (District 2) — Child Find page; Early Childhood Special Education screening via Rimrock Learning Center, 406-601-1800

Other places to ask — not a substitute for the district

An evaluation request has to go to the school district itself; only the district can start the legal timeline. These are for asking questions about the process, or for when the district has not responded.

• Montana Office of Public Instruction — Special Education Division — the state education agency's special-education office, useful when a Billings-specific question needs a state-level answer; 406-594-3610

IEP or 504 · If you disagree with the school

Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Billings

We have not yet verified a hospital or university evaluation program with public intake information in Billings. That is a gap in our research, not a sign there is nothing here — and it does not stand between you and an evaluation. The school district evaluation above is free, and early intervention under 3 does not need a private diagnosis first.

How assessment works · What to do while you wait

Disability services and waivers: Montana DPHHS Developmental Disabilities Program — Billings regional office

Montana's Developmental Disabilities Program, part of the Department of Public Health and Human Services, keeps a regional office in Billings alongside its offices in Missoula, Great Falls, Helena, and Glasgow. DDP determines eligibility for long-term disability services and manages access to Montana Medicaid's 0208 Comprehensive Waiver, the home- and community-based alternative to institutional care that most families eventually apply for.

• Montana DPHHS Developmental Disabilities Program — Billings regional office
• Phone: 406-655-7603 (Billings regional office) · 406-444-2995 (DDP central office, Helena)

Local organizations that help Billings families

We have not yet verified a local parent organization in Billings. Statewide help still covers you: the Montana guide lists the federally funded parent center and the free disability rights organization for the whole state, and both take calls from families anywhere in Montana.

Documented waits and access notes

Wait times change. Each note below links to the public source it came from — confirm current status directly with the program.

• Billings Public Schools must complete an evaluation and determine eligibility within 60 calendar days of receiving your written consent, excluding summer break. (source)
• Once found eligible, Billings Public Schools must schedule an IEP meeting within 30 calendar days of the eligibility determination. (source)
• After referring to ECI's Montana Milestones program, the program must complete evaluation and hold the initial IFSP meeting within 45 calendar days. (source)
• Montana's 0208 Comprehensive Waiver has 2,095 people waiting as of May 2026, with approximately three years typical wait time to receive waiver services. (source)