Medicaid waivers for autism in New Mexico
New Mexicans of any age with a developmental or intellectual disability, including autism. The Medically Fragile Waiver serves people who are both medically fragile and developmentally disabled.
- Main program
- Developmental Disabilities (DD) Waiver, Medically Fragile Waiver and Supports Waiver
- Typical wait
- 10–12 years for the DD Waiver
- Administered by
- New Mexico Health Care Authority, Developmental Disabilities Supports Division
- Phone
- 800-283-8415 (Medically Fragile Waiver); pre-service intake 505-350-0034 or 505-470-5825
How to get on the list
Register through the Health Care Authority's Developmental Disabilities Supports Division. For the Medically Fragile Waiver, contact a pre-service intake specialist on 505-350-0034 or 505-470-5825, or call 800-283-8415. Ask what you can access while you wait rather than only about the main list.
Open the official New Mexico page →Does autism qualify?
Autism is explicitly included in the DD Waiver's target population, for children and adults alike.
How the waiting list works
New Mexico's DD Waiver carries one of the longest waits in the country — as much as 10 to 12 years before services begin. A wait that long changes what the application is for. Registering at diagnosis is still the right move, and it is the single highest-value thing a New Mexico family can do in their first month, but it should be treated as provision for the person's adulthood rather than as a plan for their childhood. What fills the intervening decade has to come from elsewhere: the Supports Waiver, school-based services, state plan Medicaid, and private insurance. Ask about the Supports Waiver by name, since it is the interim option and is easy to miss when the conversation is dominated by the main queue.
- DD Waiver waitas much as 10–12 years
What it can pay for
- Customised community group supports
- Community direct support and in-home living supports
- Respite
- Employment supports
- Behaviour support consultation
- Specialized therapies and nutritional counseling
- Environmental modifications
- Emergency response services
- Transportation
Other programs worth knowing
Supports Waiver
A smaller, less comprehensive waiver that exists partly to serve people stuck on the DD Waiver list. Ask about it explicitly — it is the practical answer to 'what do we do for the next decade'.
Medically Fragile Waiver
For people who are both medically fragile and developmentally disabled. A separate route with its own intake line.
Mi Via
New Mexico's self-directed option, letting families manage a budget and hire their own supports rather than receiving agency-delivered services.
New Mexicoproviders & 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
- New Mexico Health Care Authority — Developmental Disabilities Waiver
- New Mexico Health Care Authority — developmentally disabled services
- The Arc of New Mexico — Medicaid and waiver programs
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.