I/DD Waivers in Connecticut

All states: Medicaid disability services map

Connecticut I/DD services at a glance

Last verified against state sources: 2026-10-23.

Who runs I/DD services in Connecticut?

The Department of Developmental Services (DDS) runs I/DD services in Connecticut. It operates three Medicaid waivers under the Department of Social Services (DSS), which is the state Medicaid agency. DDS state employees provide case management, and DDS pays the private agencies that deliver most services.

• Department of Social Services (DSS): the single state Medicaid agency. It holds the waivers with the federal government and approves the rates DDS sets.
• Department of Developmental Services (DDS): runs the waivers day to day, decides eligibility, assigns funding and qualifies providers. DDS told the legislature in February 2026 that about 17,000 people with intellectual disability are eligible for its services, that its budget is about $1.6 billion, and that more than 90 percent of services are delivered by qualified private providers (DDS presentation).
• Front door: the DDS Eligibility Unit in Hartford (1-866-433-8192, DDS.Eligibility@ct.gov). See DDS's Access to Supports page.
• Case management: DDS state employees provide targeted case management (a Medicaid state plan service) from three regional offices. Each region's Planning and Resource Allocation Team (PRAT) issues funding allocations. People who self-direct can also use a DDS support broker or an Independent Support Broker.

What Medicaid waivers and programs serve people with I/DD in Connecticut?

Connecticut has three DDS-run 1915(c) waivers for people with I/DD. A 1915(c) waiver is a federal Medicaid option that lets a state pay for home and community services instead of institutional care. DDS says state law requires enrollment in a Medicaid waiver to receive DDS services, and that waiver services are not an entitlement. All three waivers require an intermediate care facility for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ICF/IID) level of care.

• Comprehensive Supports Waiver (COMP) (1915(c), control number CT.0437): for people age 3 and older with intellectual disability who live in a DDS licensed or certified residence or need more support at home than the IFS waiver allows. It also serves adults with a developmental disability in nursing facilities who need ICF/IID-level active treatment. Services include Community Living Arrangements (group homes), Continuous Residential Supports, Community Companion Homes, Shared Living, Individualized Home Supports, personal support and companion supports, group and individualized day supports, prevocational services, supported and customized employment, Adult Day Health, respite, behavioral support, health care coordination, remote supports and peer support. Medicaid.gov lists it as effective October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2028.
• Individual and Family Support Waiver (IFS) (1915(c), control number CT.0426): for children and adults age 3 and older with intellectual disability who live in a family home, their own home or a licensed Community Companion Home. It is a supports waiver with an annual cap. Services include Personal Support, Adult Companion, Individualized Home Supports, respite, day supports, supported employment, Community Companion Homes, Shared Living and Parenting Support. The 2026 amendment draft lists an individual cost limit of $165,000.
• Employment and Day Supports Waiver (EDS) (1915(c), control number CT.0881): for adults 18 and older who live with family or in their own homes with strong natural supports, and for children under 21 with complex medical needs at risk of institutional placement. Services include group and individualized day supports, prevocational services, individual, group and customized supported employment, Adult Day Health, respite, behavioral support, transportation and an Independent Support Broker. CMS approved its renewal on June 23, 2026, effective April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2031. The individual cost limit is tied to the person's LON day and employment funding allocation.

Related programs run by DSS, not DDS: the Home and Community Supports Waiver for Persons with Autism (CT.0993) serves people with autism and no intellectual disability, and Community First Choice (CFC), a 1915(k) state plan option for self-directed personal attendant care, is also used by about 900 people on DDS waivers. Connecticut still has ICF/IIDs as the institutional option, including Southbury Training School among DDS facilities; we did not find a current count of ICF/IIDs.

Does Connecticut pay for I/DD services through managed care?

No. Connecticut pays for DDS waiver services fee-for-service. DDS pays qualified private providers from state funds, acts as the Medicaid billing provider and then bills Medicaid. There are no health plans in the middle.

• Who pays claims: DDS funds providers from the state General Fund and submits waiver claims through the Department of Administrative Services to the state Medicaid claims system (MMIS). Providers are paid the month after service, according to the COMP waiver draft.
• Who coordinates services: DDS case managers, who are state employees, plan and coordinate services from three regional offices.

Is there a waiting list for I/DD services in Connecticut?

Yes, for residential services. In December 2025, 877 people were on the DDS residential waiting list in Emergency or Urgent status, and 675 more were listed as Future Needs, for a total of 1,552. Waiver slots go to people in Emergency status first, then Urgent, then first come first served.

• How the list works: a Residential Request Assessment places each request in Emergency, Urgent or Future Needs status (Future Needs means two or more years away). Beyond reserved capacity, waiver entrants are chosen Emergency first, Urgent next, then first come first served. People have administrative hearing and informal review rights.
• December 2025 detail: 567 people with no residential services (48 Emergency, 519 Urgent) and 310 people who are underserved (57 Emergency, 253 Urgent), from a DDS presentation to the legislature in February 2026.
• Earlier count: the DDS quarterly waiting list report listed 798 people (99 Emergency, 699 Urgent) as of September 30, 2025.
• Day and employment services: we did not find a published waiting list count for these services.

For a person's status, families can ask their DDS case manager or call DDS at 860-418-6000.

How do people apply for I/DD services in Connecticut, and how are budgets set?

People apply to the DDS Eligibility Unit using the DDS eligibility application, with testing records from before age 18. Once DDS finds a person eligible, it assigns a case manager, who completes the Level of Need assessment and the individual plan. The person must also apply for Medicaid through DSS.

• Where to apply: DDS Eligibility Unit, 460 Capitol Avenue, Hartford (1-866-433-8192, fax 860-622-2797, DDS.Eligibility@ct.gov). See DDS's guide on how to apply for services.
• Eligibility: Connecticut residency plus intellectual disability as defined in state law (an IQ of 69 or lower with adaptive deficits that began before age 18), or Prader-Willi Syndrome, per DDS's eligibility article. People with autism and no intellectual disability use the same form but are served through the DSS autism program. Waiver enrollment also requires Medicaid eligibility within income and asset limits and ICF/IID level of care.
• Assessment tool: the CT Level of Need Assessment and Risk Screening Tool (LON) gives a score from 0 to 8. DDS ties staffing levels and individual budget allocations to scores 1 to 8. People who score 0 are served with state funds outside the waiver.
• Budgets: the regional Planning and Resource Allocation Team assigns a funding allocation tied to the LON score. Requests above that allocation go to utilization review.

What day and residential services can I/DD providers offer in Connecticut?

Day and employment services are offered in all three DDS waivers and are mostly billed in 15-minute units. Residential options run from licensed group homes to supported living and shared living. The waivers do not list a separate license for day programs; providers must be DDS qualified, and the research did not find a published staff ratio for day supports.

Day and employment services (COMP, IFS and EDS)

• Group Day Supports: day habilitation in a facility or in the community to build skills for work or community life, or to support socialization, leisure and retirement. Transportation to and from home is not included. Billed in 15-minute units. The provider must be a DDS qualified private agency or a DDS program, checked by DDS Central Office at the start and every 2 years.
• Individualized Day Supports: one-to-one day and community supports from a private agency or from staff hired by a self-directing participant. Billed in 15-minute units. EVV applies.
• Prevocational Services: services that prepare a person for paid work, from DDS qualified agency providers. The COMP cost estimates show both 15-minute and per diem units.
• Supported employment: Group Supported Employment serves two or more people in a structured work setting moving toward competitive work. Individual Supported Employment supports one person in a regular job, generally up to 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week, with transportation included, and can be self-hired. Customized Employment rates are being set from the individual supported employment model. Billed in 15-minute units (group also has a per diem).
• Adult Day Health: social or medical model adult day centers paid at DSS rates, billed per diem. There is no state license, but DSS payment requires certification by the Connecticut Association of Adult Day Centers (now Adult Day Services) and one direct care staff member for every 7 participants under the DSS payment rule.

Residential services

• Community Living Arrangements (CLAs, COMP): group homes with all-inclusive residential habilitation. Private providers must be licensed to operate CLAs, and DDS-operated CLAs are certified. Payment excludes room and board and, when the person attends day or employment services, an average of 30 hours a week.
• Continuous Residential Supports (CRS, COMP): supported living for three or fewer people in an apartment, condo or single family home (not a family home), with third-shift staff readily available. It is an unlicensed setting and can be self-directed through an Agency with Choice.
• Community Companion Homes (CCH, COMP and IFS): licensed family homes that provide residential habilitation with 24-hour support available. Providers receive a monthly stipend per person.
• Shared Living (COMP and IFS): a caregiver lives with the person in the person's or caregiver's home, overseen by a qualified provider. The caregiver cannot be a legally responsible family member. The rate is negotiated and capped at $299 a day.
• Individualized Home Supports (IHS, COMP and IFS): hourly supports in a person's own or family home, from an agency or self-hired staff. EVV applies.

We did not confirm which agency licenses CLAs, Community Companion Homes or ICF/IIDs. Ask DDS.

How are I/DD provider rates set and how do agencies enroll in Connecticut?

DDS sets rates and DSS approves them. Most hourly and per diem services are paid from a fee schedule built on a direct support wage plus supervision, benefits, indirect and administrative costs and staffing ratios, tied to the LON score. Agencies join by applying to become a DDS qualified provider during set windows each year.

• Fee schedule services: day supports, supported employment, Individualized Home Supports, companion, respite and other services are paid at maximum fee schedule rates by LON level (1 to 8). DDS posts updated rates by fiscal year.
• Cost-based services: Continuous Residential Supports and Shared Living use provider-level rates from audited annual cost reports. Claims are paid at interim rates and settled to final cost-based rates after each fiscal year.
• Self-hired staff: rates for Personal Support, Companion, Respite, Individualized Home Supports and Individualized Day when staff are hired by the person are set by the collective bargaining agreement with SEIU 1199.
• Latest rate change: DDS's June 25, 2026 funding guidelines set a 3 percent general increase for day and residential services from July 1, 2026 (state fiscal year 2027), with a further targeted 3.4 percent item. In fiscal year 2026, DDS gave a 2 percent general increase plus 1.4 percent for residential providers (DDS memo).
• Becoming a qualified provider: agencies apply through the state eLicense system during the first two full weeks of January, April, July or October. Remote Support providers can apply any time. The process includes document uploads, policy attestations, a State Police background check, an interview and mandatory orientation. Details are on DDS's new qualified provider page, and questions go to DDS.ProviderApplications@ct.gov.
• EVV: DDS runs its own open EVV model. Agencies use Sandata or a certified alternate EVV system that meets the CT DDS vendor specification (PayerID CTDDS) for Personal Support, Adult Companion, Individualized Home Supports, hourly Respite, Senior Supports, Blended Supports and Individualized Day. 24-hour residential settings are exempt, and self-hired staff log time in the GT Independence app. See DDS's provider EVV information. We did not confirm whether DDS holds agency payment when an EVV visit is missing; ask DDS.

What is changing next for I/DD services in Connecticut?

As of October 23, 2026, we did not find a confirmed change with a set date for Connecticut's I/DD services. DDS has outlined further provider rate increases for state fiscal year 2028, but they depend on a budget that has not been confirmed as enacted. Two waiver amendments proposed for 2026 may also be in effect, but we did not confirm their approval.

• Planned fiscal year 2028 rate increases: a September 2025 DDS memo outlines a 3.3 percent general increase plus 3 percent for residential services, planned for July 2027 and again for January 2028, more than $200 million gross in total. These are planned figures, not yet confirmed in an enacted budget.
• COMP and IFS amendments: DSS and DDS proposed amendments to both waivers, effective April 1, 2026, that add Virtual Health Consultation and Transitional Residential Habilitation (up to 24 months), and accept a certificate of completion for Peer Support providers (DDS waiver updates). Medicaid.gov shows a COMP approval dated August 7, 2026 that appears to cover this amendment, but we did not confirm the approved text or the IFS approval.

One change is already in place: CMS renewed the Employment and Day Supports Waiver on June 23, 2026, effective April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2031. For the status of rate increases or amendments, ask a DDS Provider Specialist or check DDS's waiver updates page.

Connecticut I/DD sources

• Connecticut DDS: Access to Supports
• Connecticut DSS: Comprehensive Supports Waiver amendment draft (October 2025)
• Connecticut DSS: Individual and Family Support Waiver amendment draft (October 2025)
• Connecticut DDS: Employment and Day Supports Waiver renewal draft (October 2025)
• Medicaid.gov: Connecticut waiver factsheet
• Medicaid.gov: Connecticut Employment and Day Supports Waiver (CT.0881)
• DDS presentation to the Behavioral Health Partnership Oversight Council (February 2026)
• Connecticut DDS: FY 2026 to FY 2028 rate increase memo
• Connecticut DDS: Application and steps to become a new qualified provider
• Connecticut DDS: Provider EVV information

Related reading

• Disability Services and Independent Living Guide
• Essential Acronyms in Disability Services: A Quick Reference Guide
• Developmental Disabilities vs. Mental Health: Key Differences
• Disability Services DayHab has a dilemma - how to solve it
• I/DD services in every state (map)
• Connecticut EVV requirements

Page history

• October 23, 2026: Page rewritten and checked against state sources.

This page is a reference, not legal advice. State rules change, so confirm details with the state before you act on them.

Ankota provides software for I/DD provider agencies, including EVV, service documentation, goal tracking and billing. If you would like to talk through your program, contact Ankota or read more about Ankota's I/DD software.