Medicaid waivers for autism in District Of Columbia
District residents who can demonstrate an intellectual or developmental disability arising before age 22. The DDA waiver itself serves adults aged 18 and over.
- Main program
- DDA HCBS Waiver (adults 18+); children use DC Medicaid with EPSDT
- Typical wait
- A waiting list activated on 1 January 2026, sorted by need category
- Administered by
- DC Department on Disability Services, Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA), with the Department of Health Care Finance
- Phone
- 202-730-1700 (Medicaid Waiver Unit: 202-730-1556)
- Age rules
- DDA waiver from 18. The qualifying disability must have arisen before age 22.
How to get on the list
Complete the Intake Application at dds.dc.gov, or walk in or call 202-730-1700 to book an appointment at 250 E Street SW. An Intake and Eligibility Coordinator guides the determination. If your family member is 18 or over, call the DDS/DDA Medicaid Waiver Unit on 202-730-1556 to start HCBS waiver eligibility.
Open the official District Of Columbia page →Does autism qualify?
The most important thing for a DC family with an autistic child is that the waiver is probably not your route at all. The DDA waiver serves adults from 18. Children reach autism services through DC Medicaid together with EPSDT and habilitative services coverage — which, as elsewhere, is an entitlement rather than a queued program. Chasing a waiver place for a young child in DC means queueing for something that does not serve them yet, while the benefit that does serve them sits unclaimed.
How the waiting list works
DC activated a waiting list for the DDA HCBS waiver on 1 January 2026, and it is sorted by assessed need rather than by date: each person is identified as having a priority, emergency, urgent or non-urgent need. That puts DC in the needs-scored family, so how fully your circumstances are documented at assessment matters more than how early you applied. Because the list is newly activated, there is little history to reason from — ask the Medicaid Waiver Unit on 202-730-1556 what movement looks like in your category rather than relying on any published figure. For families with children, the more useful conversation is about EPSDT and habilitative services under DC Medicaid.
- Waiting list activated1 January 2026
- Categoriespriority, emergency, urgent, non-urgent
- Children's routeDC Medicaid with EPSDT — not the waiver
What it can pay for
- Residential and community living supports
- Respite
- Day habilitation and supported employment
- Behavioral supports
- Assistive technology and environmental modifications
Other programs worth knowing
DC Medicaid EPSDT and habilitative services
The children's route, and an entitlement rather than a queue. This is where a DC family with an autistic child should start.
District Of Columbiaproviders & 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
- DC DDS — how to apply for DDA services
- DC DDS — DDA HCBS waiting list policy and procedure (PDF)
- DC DDS — 2026 public notice, IDD waiver amendment (PDF)
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.