Medicaid waivers for autism in Kentucky
Kentuckians with intellectual and developmental disabilities who need support to live in the community rather than in an institution.
- Main program
- Michelle P. Waiver (MPW) and Supports for Community Living (SCL)
- Typical wait
- Commonly reported at 8–10 years, with more than 13,000 waiting
- Administered by
- Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities, through Regional Mental Health and Developmental Services Boards
- Phone
- 502-564-1647
How to get on the list
Create an account and apply through kynect, or ask a provider to help you complete it. Your Regional Mental Health and Developmental Services Board is the local doorway. For questions about the waiver programs, call 502-564-1647.
Open the official Kentucky page →Does autism qualify?
Autism qualifies as a developmental disability for both waivers. Kentucky has no autism-specific program — the Michelle P. and SCL waivers are the route, and between them they fund most of what private insurance refuses.
How the waiting list works
Kentucky's queue is one of the hardest in the country to read honestly. Advocacy organizations and provider groups report the Michelle P. waiting list at over 13,000 people with waits commonly described as eight to ten years, and note that it is growing faster than new slots are added — the state allocated 750 additional MPW slots over the current biennium against that backlog. Treat the specific figures as advocacy reporting rather than a state statistic, and confirm your own position with the Waiver Branch. What is not in dispute is the shape of it: this is a decade-scale wait, and there is no version of the arithmetic where waiting quietly works out. Apply now, and plan the next ten years as though the waiver will not arrive — because for a meaningful share of families on that list, it will not arrive in time to matter.
- Michelle P. waiting list (advocacy reporting)more than 13,000
- Commonly reported wait8–10 years
- New MPW slots this biennium750
What it can pay for
- Case management
- Personal care
- Respite
- Behavioral services
- Occupational, physical and speech therapy
- Residential support (SCL)
- Community living supports
Other programs worth knowing
You must choose one
You cannot be on the Michelle P. Waiver and the SCL Waiver at the same time. Ask which you are being placed on and why before you accept — moving between them is not simple.
Supports for Community Living (SCL)
The more comprehensive of the two, including residential support. Correspondingly harder to access than Michelle P.
Kentuckyproviders & 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.