Medicaid waivers for autism in Indiana
Indiana residents with a developmental disability, including autism, who meet the level-of-care criteria for an intermediate care facility.
- Main program
- Family Supports Waiver (FSW) and Community Integration and Habilitation Waiver (CIH)
- Typical wait
- Years for FSW; CIH is crisis-entry only
- Administered by
- Family and Social Services Administration, Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services (BDDS), through eight district offices
How to get on the list
Contact your local BDDS district office and request applications for both the Family Supports and CIH waivers. Complete State Form 55068 and return it by fax, post or in person. Then check your placement on FSSA's online HCBS waitlist dashboard rather than waiting to be told.
Open the official Indiana page →Does autism qualify?
Autism qualifies as a developmental disability for both waivers. There is no autism-specific waiver — the same two programs serve everyone with a qualifying developmental disability.
How the waiting list works
Indiana runs two waivers that work very differently, and the difference matters more than the wait. The Family Supports Waiver is capped at roughly $17,300 of services a year and uses a conventional queue. The CIH waiver is uncapped and comprehensive — and it no longer has a waiting list at all, because entry is now by emergency criteria only: loss of the primary caregiver, a caregiver aged 80 or over, extraordinary health and safety risk, or evidence of abuse or neglect. "No waiting list" sounds like good news here and is not. It means there is no queue to join and no way to accrue seniority; a family that is coping receives nothing until they are in crisis. The common route is to take FSW first and apply for CIH when circumstances change. Separately, Indiana froze movement onto both waivers, telling families invited to begin the process that there would be no capacity to move them forward until 1 July 2026 — confirm with your district office whether that has actually lifted.
What it can pay for
- Behavioral support services
- Respite
- Participant assistance and care
- Adult day services and supported employment
- Environmental modifications
- Specialized medical equipment
- Residential habilitation (CIH only)
Other programs worth knowing
Online HCBS waitlist dashboard
FSSA publishes a dashboard at ddrsprovider.fssa.in.gov where you can confirm your own position rather than relying on a phone call. Few states offer this — use it.
Indianaproviders & 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
- Indiana FSSA — HCBS waiver waiting list information
- Indiana Medicaid — Family Supports Waiver
- The Arc of Indiana — Medicaid waiver updates
- Indiana Family to Family — FSW and CIH
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.