Medicaid waivers for autism in Arizona
Arizona residents with autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy or a cognitive disability, diagnosed before age 18.
- Main program
- DDD services through ALTCS
- Typical wait
- No separate waiting list — but you must clear two gates
- Administered by
- Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD), Arizona DES, with long-term services funded through ALTCS
- Age rules
- Between ages 3 and 6 a child can qualify simply by being **at risk** of a developmental disability — a materially easier standard, and a strong reason to apply early rather than wait for diagnostic certainty. From age 6 a qualifying diagnosis is required, and onset must be before 18.
How to get on the list
Start with the DDD eligibility packet through DES. Once DDD eligibility is established, DDD arranges the ALTCS evaluation — or you can contact your local ALTCS office directly. Prepare for the PAS assessment: it is scored on functional need, and families routinely under-describe how much support they actually provide.
Open the official Arizona page →Does autism qualify?
Autism is named directly. You must also show functional limitations in three of seven major life areas: learning, mobility, independent living, self-care, language, economic self-sufficiency, or self-direction.
How the waiting list works
Arizona does not run a separate HCBS waiting list — once a child is DDD-eligible and meets the institutional level-of-care test, ALTCS covers Medicaid plus the long-term services package. The obstacle is structural rather than a queue: **you must qualify for both DDD and ALTCS**, and they are separate determinations. ALTCS requires scoring 40 or more points on the PAS assessment. Families who clear DDD and then stall at ALTCS frequently believe they are waiting in line when in fact nothing is pending.
What it can pay for
- Respite
- Habilitation
- Attendant care
- Therapies
- Behavioral health services
- Employment supports
Other programs worth knowing
Apply between ages 3 and 6 if you can
The 'at risk of a developmental disability' standard for this age band is easier to meet than the diagnosis requirement that follows. Waiting for certainty can make qualifying harder.
Arizonaproviders & resources →
Local help you can access now, while you wait.
Waivers explained →
What to do while you're on the list, and what to ask.
Sources · last checked August 2026
- Arizona DES — determine DDD eligibility
- Arizona DES — DDD eligibility packet (PDF)
- AZA United — getting ALTCS approval for autism services
- Autism Society of Southern Arizona — after the diagnosis
Waiting lists and eligibility rules change. Always confirm current details with the agency before making decisions. If something here is out of date, tell us.