Missoula families start early intervention through Montana Milestones, the state's Part C program, delivered in Missoula County by a state-contracted regional provider rather than a county health department. School-age evaluations run through Missoula County Public Schools' Child Find duty, backed up by the Missoula Area Education Cooperative, a regional special-education cooperative that supports districts across the area.

For longer-term disability supports, Missoula sits inside 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 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 Missoula (Missoula County).

Early intervention under 3: Montana Milestones — Part C Early Intervention Program

Montana runs Part C early intervention as a single statewide system called Montana Milestones, contracting regional agencies to deliver services rather than routing everything through county health departments. In the Missoula area, Benchmark Human Services holds the state Part C contract and lists Missoula, Ravalli, and Granite counties among the territory it serves, alongside a wider swath of western Montana. A family, doctor, or caregiver can start a referral by filling out the state's Part C referral form and sending it to partchelp@mt.gov; eligibility is based on either a diagnosed condition likely to cause a developmental delay, or a measured delay in one or more developmental areas. State materials describe the program as available in every county with no waitlist.

• Montana Milestones — Part C Early Intervention Program
• Referral phone: 406-403-0087

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

School districts and special education

Missoula County Public Schools carries a Child Find duty, common to school districts nationwide under IDEA, to locate, identify, and evaluate children with a suspected disability from age 3 through 21 at no cost to families. The district's early-childhood special-education team handles evaluations for preschool-age children, while the Missoula Area Education Cooperative provides regional special-education support and staffing that districts across the Missoula area draw on.

• Missoula County Public Schools — district-run Special Education Services page; the district also lists dedicated coordinators for early-childhood, elementary, and secondary special education

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.

• Missoula Area Education Cooperative — regional special-education cooperative supporting districts across the Missoula area, comparable to a BOCES or education service district elsewhere

IEP or 504 · If you disagree with the school

Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Missoula

We have not yet verified a hospital or university evaluation program with public intake information in Missoula. 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 — Missoula regional office

Montana's Developmental Disabilities Program (DDP), part of the Department of Public Health and Human Services' Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Division, maintains a regional office in Missoula alongside offices in Billings, Great Falls, Helena, and Glasgow. DDP determines eligibility for long-term disability services and administers Montana Medicaid's 0208 Comprehensive Waiver, which funds home- and community-based supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities as an alternative to institutional care. Families can also reach the DDP central office in Helena for general questions about the process.

• Montana DPHHS Developmental Disabilities Program — Missoula regional office
• Phone: 406-329-5415 (Missoula regional office) · 406-444-2995 (DDP central office, Helena)

Local organizations that help Missoula families

We have not yet verified a local parent organization in Missoula. 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.

• Montana Milestones is described in state and partner materials as operating in every Montana county with no reported waitlist for Part C evaluation. (source)
• The 0208 Comprehensive Waiver is Montana Medicaid's home- and community-based services waiver for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, administered by the Developmental Disabilities Program. (source)
• Missoula County Public Schools must complete an evaluation and determine eligibility within 60 calendar days of receiving your written consent, excluding summer break. (source)
• Once eligible, Missoula County Public Schools must hold an IEP meeting within 30 calendar days of the eligibility determination. (source)
• Benchmark Human Services (Montana Milestones in Missoula) must complete evaluation and hold the initial IFSP meeting within 45 calendar days of referral. (source)
• As of May 2026, Montana's 0208 Comprehensive Waiver had 2,095 people waiting, with typical wait time of approximately three years before services begin. (source)