“In order to obtain the label/eligibility of Other Health Impairment (OHI), the student’s academic performance must be effected by limitations in the three areas of strength, vitality, and alertness. OHI, like all other qualifying conditions, must create a need for special education services. Generally speaking, analysis of OHI eligibility first considers the child’s health condition and its general effects on the child, then looks separately at the disability’s effect on the child’s educational performance. A child who suffers from one of the conditions listed in the federal or state regulations listed above may be considered OHI. The list is not, however, exhaustive. Moreover, being diagnosed as suffering from one of these conditions does not automatically qualify a child as OHI eligible. The disabling condition must be chronic or acute and must result in limited strength, vitality, or alertness to the educational environment. Whether a particular student is classified as OHI will depend on the way the condition affects his or her alertness or responsiveness to the educational environment. Classification, therefore, must be determined on a case-by case basis.”
