top of page

As your personal Service Agent Innovation & Care Services will help you apply free of charge and can follow up on your application status. Send a contact request through our website or contact us at any time at 317-829-6674.

To apply for a waiver, first, go to your local Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services (BDDS) District Office. There are 8 BDDS District Offices throughout the State. It is helpful to apply as soon as you identify a need for waiver services.

You must also apply for Medicaid. You can learn more about applying for Medicaid by going to the Apply for Medicaid web page. www.fssa.in.gov

Families waiting for A&D, and CIH Waiver services are eligible to receive a small amount of Care Giver Support Services (i.e. Respite) each year. Your local BDDS office can provide information and a listing of providers for this service. Contact your local BDDS office directly to find out how to access Care Giver Support funding while waiting for a waiver slot.

Indiana’s Family Supports Medicaid Waiver (FSW)

The Family Supports HCBS waiver provides limited, non-residential supports to individuals with developmental disabilities who live with their families or in other settings with informal supports.

Individuals must meet HCBS waiver eligibility and Medicaid eligibility guidelines in order to be eligible for a Medicaid HCBS waiver. To be eligible individuals must:

  • Be diagnosed as having an intellectual disability prior to the age of 22
  • Reside in or transitioning into an HCBS-compliant setting (non-institutionalized)
  • Have income no greater than 300% of maximum Supplemental Security Income (SSI) amount (parental income for children under 18 years of age is disregarded)
  • Meet “ICF/IID level of care”
    Reference: https://www.in.gov/medicaid/members/202.htm

Indiana’s Family Supports Medicaid Waiver (FSW)

The Family Supports Medicaid Waiver is the basic entry point to receive waiver services for a child or adult with a developmental disability (which includes autism spectrum disorders). Applications for the Family Supports Waiver (FSW) are accepted through the Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Field Services Office (BDDS).

The Family Supports Waiver- Fast Facts:

  • Limit of an individual’s budget at $17,300;
  • Provides a newer service called Participant Assistance and Care which provides another level of support for the individual in their own home or in the family home;
  • Provides Case Management as a distinct activity to waiver participants; and
  • Allows eligible individuals ages 18 through 24, who have aged out, graduated, or permanently exited from their school setting, to enter waiver services without waiting, if funded slots are available. The local BDDS office will determine who qualifies.

Application Process

Contact your local Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services (BDDS) Office and request an Application Packet to apply for the FSW. To locate your local Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services (BDDS) Office, visit their website at https://www.in.gov/fssa/ddrs/4088.htm. The BDDS state office number is another resource for locating your local BDDS Office: 1-800-545-7763.

The Application and all documents requested must be returned to the local BDDS Office. The Application can be submitted in person, by mail, or by fax. Other individuals and/or agency representatives can provide assistance to complete the application. (See “Additional Information” section below.)

Keep a copy of your dated waiver application. Also request a receipt to confirm the initial application was received. Save this documentation for your records (along with dated notes when you are in contact with the BDDS office).

After the Application is submitted to the local BDDS Office, intake staff from that office will determine eligibility and preliminary Level of Care (LOC). (** Make sure the “Level of Care Screening Instrument” (LOCSI) is administered by the BDDS Office. It must be administered for an eligible individual to be added to the Wait List.)

Wait List

After a family member is placed on the Medicaid waiver waiting list though the BDDS Office, you can check their status on the waiting list by using the following portal: http://www.in.gov/fssa/ddrs/4328.htm. To access the information, a consumer or guardian will need to provide the following information: Last four digits of social security number or Dart-ID; first and last name; date of birth, and requestor’s name if not the consumer or guardian.

Once the information is verified, a second page will appear, which will include: Consumer’s address and phone number; Guardian contact information (if applicable); Consumer’s waiver application date(s) and BDDS District Office contact information.

If the consumer or guardian discovers that any of the information is incorrect, they will be able to click on the “Help Desk” link, and an e-mail will be sent to the appropriate people to update and track the information.

* You should contact your local BDDS Office immediately if you have a change in address, telephone number and/or any other contact information.

Community Integration and Habilitation Medicaid Waiver

The Community Integration and Habilitation Waiver is to be used as a "needs based" waiver ONLY for people who meet specific criteria. To move from the Family Supports Waiver onto the CIH waiver, an individual must meet specific eligibility/priority criteria which may include:

  • Death of primary caregiver and no other caregiver available;
  • Caregiver over 80 years of age and no other caregiver available;
  • Evidence of abuse or neglect in the current placement;
  • Extraordinary health and safety risk;
  • Eligible individuals transitioning to the community from a nursing facility, extensive support needs homes or state operated facilities;
  • Eligible individuals determined to no longer need active treatment in a group home;
  • Eligible individuals transitioning from 100% state funded services;
  • Eligible individuals aging out of Department of Education, Department of Child Services or supported group living; and
  • Eligible individuals requesting to leave a Large Private Intermediate Care Facility for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF/IID).

In addition to the same services approved for the FSW (see above) the CIH may provide the following approved services:

  • Community Transition

  • Electronic Monitoring
  • Environmental Modifications
  • Personal Emergency Response System
  • Rent and Food for Unrelated Live-In Caregiver
  • Residential Habilitation and Support
  • Structured Family Caregiving
  • Wellness Coordinatio

Appeals and Statewide Waiver Ombudsman

If you/your family member has been deemed ineligible, you have the right to appeal the decision. Instructions for the appeal will be included in the denial letter. You need to sign the appeal form and fax, scan or mail it to the Office of Appeals and Hearings, according to the instructions in the denial letter.

Effective September 15, 2014, Matt Rodway began as Indiana’s new Statewide Waiver Ombudsman. In this role he receives, investigates, and attempts to resolve complaints and concerns made by or on behalf of an individual, with a developmental disability who receives Medicaid Waiver services (Family Supports Waiver and the Community Integration and Habilitation Waiver). Matt Rodway can be reached at 317-503-1217 or toll free at 800-622-4484.

Additional Information

For further help understanding Indiana’s two Medicaid Waivers for children and adults with developmental disabilities, and/or assistance in applying for the Family Supports Medicaid Waiver, contact an advocacy organization. Family Voices Indiana is one such organization. To check on Waiver changes posted by FV, visit their website at http://www.fvindiana.org or call 317-944-8982 for assistance.

Arc of Indiana (http://www.arcind.org/) can also be helpful with these types of questions and information. For further help in understanding Indiana’s Medicaid Waivers and/or assistance in applying for the Family Supports Medicaid Waiver, contact the Arc of Indiana at 800-382-9100 and ask to speak with a Family Advocate.

For the current Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services, frequently asked questions page see: http://www.in.gov/fssa/ddrs/4245.htm. If you have additional questions that cannot be answered by these sources, you can also contact the Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Helpline: BDDSHelp.BDDSHelp@fssa.IN.gov.

Level of Care Eligibility Criteria: Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services (BDDS)

To be eligible for BDDS programs, an individual must be found to have substantial functional limitations in three or more of six major life activities AND meet all of the following four basic conditions. They include:

  • physical or intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism, or condition similar to an intellectual disability;
  • the condition is expected to continue indefinitely;
  • the condition had an age of onset prior to age 22; and
  • the individual needs a combination services.

The six major life activity categories are:

  • self-care;
  • learning;
  • self-direction;
  • capacity for independent living;
  • receptive and expressive language; and
  • mobility.
bottom of page