Waiver Services

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Welcome to the DD Waivers Services page. 

The Virginia Developmental Disabilities Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Waivers help eligible people with a developmental disability (DD) to receive services and supports in the community. Waivers fund a variety of supports including those that:

  • provide medical care
  • enable employment
  • enable community living
  • provide behavioral interventions
  • provide home modifications and assistive technology that help people avoid living in a nursing home or other institution.

Virginia applies to the federal Medicaid agency known as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to have waivers. Waivers allow the state to fund certain community-based alternatives to institutional care. The term “waiver” comes from waiving the requirement that in order to receive certain services (such as residential supports, nursing supports, employment supports) the individual must live in an institution. Through the waivers, individuals may receive these services while living in the community.

There are three waivers available for individuals with a developmental disability:

  • the Building Independence Waiver (BI),
  • the Family and Individual Supports Waiver (FIS), and
  • the Community Living (CL) Waiver.

Virginia currently has a waiting list to receive a waiver.

The first step to learning more about waivers is to contact your local Community Services Board (CSB) or Behavioral Health Authority (BHA). The local CSB is the first stop to being screened and assessed for waiver services. To request a screening for DD waivers, find your local CSB/BHA by using this link. 

Additional information about the DD waivers, the waiting list, independent housing, and locating service providers can be found at My Life My Community.

Below you will find information about DD waivers policies, procedures, Waiver Slot Assignment Committees, the Support Intensity Scale® assessment, and other information to support individuals currently on the DD waivers. 

Announcements:

Developmental Disabilities Waivers Regulations

Developmental Disabilities Waivers Policy Manual

DD Waivers’ Service Authorization:

Service Authorization Staff (effective 1/8/24)

Customized Rates:
Waiver Customized Rate Funding: Providers may apply for customized rate funding for individuals who meet certain criteria qualifying them as being an outlier to the current rate structure. Providers applying for a customized rate must have documentation to demonstrate that the individual meets the criteria as described within the provider guidelines. If approved, a rate unique to the individual and/or service is developed based on eligibility criteria and the individual’s demonstrated exceptional support need.


All customized rate applications should be completed using the Waiver Management System (WaMS). Emailed, faxed, or mailed applications are not accepted.

Customized Rate Provider Guidelines: Updated 1/1/2024

FORM SF-20 -This form is required with submission of all customized rate applications and should be uploaded to WaMS: Updated 5/2024

Waitlist Review

Waiver Slot Assignment Committee (WSAC)

A Waiver Slot Assignment Committee (WSAC) is the impartial body of trained volunteers established for each locality or region with responsibility for recommending individuals eligible for a waiver slot according to their urgency of need. All WSACs are composed of community members who are not employees of a CSB or a private provider of either support coordination or waiver services and are knowledgeable and have experience in the developmental disabilities service system. The individual who has the highest need, as designated by the WSAC, is recommended for the available waiver slot. 

Regional Supports Unit (RSU)

The DBHDS Regional Supports Unit members provide oversight of the Supports Intensity Scale® (SIS®), DD waivers wait list, and waiver slot assignments. Please see contact information for each Regional Supports Specialist (RSS) at DBHDS RSS Contact Information 7.01.2022.

The SIS is a validated assessment tool for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, specifically designed to measure the pattern and intensity of supports needed by persons with disabilities to be successful in areas of life, similar to their peers without disabilities. A SIS assessment is required for everyone who receives DD waiver services.

SIS Training – (CSBs and providers, please contact your RSS for scheduled training dates)

Sample SIS-A Family Friendly Report 

The sample SIS Family Friendly Report intends to provide an example of the information the SIS Interviewer will collect during a SIS-A interview. Click on the link above.

SIS-A 2nd Edition Info 

Beginning June 15, 2023, SIS Interviewers began asking the SIS-A advance questions. The answers to the 9 advance questions will not print on the SIS-A Family Friendly Report or affect the individual’s level and tier. The sole purpose is data collection. The information collected will inform decisions as DBHDS progresses to SIS-A 2nd Edition. DBHDS plans to move to SIS-A 2nd Edition on October 1, 2024. 

A series of informational meetings about the SIS-A 2nd Edition were held in April 2024.  These were for people receiving waiver services and their families, service providers, and Support Coordinators.  A document covering the minutes of all three meetings, which also explains the plans for transition to the new edition and includes FAQs follows.

For those interested in reading more about the evidence basis for SIS-A 2nd Edition as VA prepares to transition to this more contemporary assessment, see the document linked here.  The American Association of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) has compiled an extensive list of data with findings relevant to SIS-A technical properties.  The included citations are an abbreviated list of the peer-reviewed literature and only include studies completed in the United States.  The full list includes many more citations worldwide (e.g., Canada, Iceland, Belgium, Australia, Italy, etc.).   

September 2024 Update: In 2022, the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) announced the completion of their project to renorm the Supports Intensity Scale-Adult Version (SIS-A). During the Spring of 2023, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) entered into a contract with the Human Services Research Institute (HSRI) to study the impact of implementing SIS-A, 2nd Edition for Virginia. The HSRI Plain Language Summary and the HSRI Final Report summarize the work done, the results, and HSRI’s recommendations. DBHDS reviewed all recommendations. The implementation of some are in progress, while others will take longer and involve other stakeholders.

SIS Satisfaction Survey

DBHDS collects SIS Satisfaction Survey responses from those who choose to complete a survey after participating in a SIS assessment.  The survey gathers information about scheduling, the SIS assessor, and the assessment process.  The assessment is anonymous and able to be submitted electronically or via USPS.

AAIDD Home Page

The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) is the publisher, copyright holder and sole owner of the SIS. 

 

DD Case Management Related Forms & Information
The following are forms and information useful to case managers/support coordinators related to adding an individual to the DD Waivers Wait List, preparing for Waiver Slot Assignment Committee meetings,  SIS®-related forms & instructions, and requesting an emergency or reserve slot:

Please contact your Regional Supports Specialist (RSS) for questions or more information about the above resources at DBHDS RSS Contact Information 7.01.2022.

DD Waivers Slot Allocation

Slot Use Disposition Reports (Item 311 R.1 — formerly Item 320 S.1)

Slot Use Disposition Reports (Item 320 S.1)

DD Waiver Annual Expenditures and Individuals Served (Item 311.L)

New Waiver Slot Assignment Reports (Item 311 R.2 — formerly 320 S.2)