In 1986 P L 94-142 the Education of the Handicapped Act, was reauthorized and P L 99-457 was signed into law Many similarities exist between P L 99-457 and the maternal and child public health legislation of Title V in the provision of services to children with disabling conditions The focus of this paper is an examination of aspects of the troublesome mesh that has occurred between Title V and P L 94-142, the first designed to cover medical-health needs, the second, educational needs The paper was prepared in hopes that the experiences of implementing P L 94-142, especially in relation to coordination between the education system and the health care system, can provide guidance in implementing P L 99-457 The paper will examine how these laws model both the difficulties and benefits of trying to coordinate two separate yet complementary forces into a coherent solution to the problems of providing services to children with special needs.