Medicaid waivers for autism in Idaho
Idaho children with developmental disabilities and functional or behavioral needs, and adults through the separate adult programs.
- Main program
- TEFRA/Katie Beckett, plus state plan HCBS through Children's DD Agencies
- Typical wait
- No waiting list reported
- Administered by
- Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, through Children's Developmental Disability Agencies (DDAs)
How to get on the list
Apply for TEFRA/Katie Beckett through the Department of Health and Welfare — parental income is not counted, so apply regardless of what you earn. Then work with a Children's Developmental Disability Agency for services. Ask explicitly whether what you need comes through the state plan rather than a waiver.
Open the official Idaho page →Does autism qualify?
Autism qualifies as a developmental disability. Idaho has no autism-specific program and does not particularly need one, since the general children's route is not rationed by a queue.
How the waiting list works
Idaho reported zero people waiting on its developmental disabilities waiver, and the reason is the same structural pattern seen in Oregon and behind the closure of several autism waivers: the services moved out of capped waivers and into the state plan. Idaho terminated both of its previous children's waivers. For a child already on Medicaid, Idaho's enhanced plan delivers home and community-based services through the ordinary state plan with no waiver enrollment at all — and state plan benefits are not rationed by slots. The remaining piece is the money test, and Idaho handles that with a TEFRA/Katie Beckett program that waives parental income and is open to children of all incomes. Taken together this means a high-earning Idaho family with an autistic child may be able to access Medicaid-funded services with no queue and no income barrier. If you have been told to get on a waiting list in Idaho, the advice is out of date.
- People waiting on the DD waiverzero reported
- Previous children's waiversboth terminated
- Parental income testwaived under TEFRA/Katie Beckett
What it can pay for
- Skill-building and habilitative intervention
- Respite
- Family training
- Behavioral supports
- Family-directed services
Other programs worth knowing
TEFRA / Katie Beckett
The key to Idaho. It waives parent income entirely and is open to children of all incomes, so families who assume they earn too much for Medicaid should apply anyway.
Children's DD Agencies (DDAs)
The local organizations that actually deliver children's services — skills, independence and daily participation.
Idahoproviders & 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
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.