Medicaid waivers for autism in South Carolina
South Carolinians with an intellectual disability, autism, or a related disability, along with their families.
- Main program
- Community Support Waiver and Intellectual Disability / Related Disabilities Waiver
- Typical wait
- Varies — one phone call starts the process
- Administered by
- Department of Disabilities and Special Needs (DDSN), through Intake Service Providers and local disabilities boards
- Phone
- 1-800-289-7012
How to get on the list
Call DDSN on 1-800-289-7012 for anyone aged three or over. The call takes about 15 minutes and covers residency and the disability, and you will select three Intake Service Providers from a list. The Intake Provider then guides you through eligibility at no cost. Messages left out of hours are returned within two business days.
Open the official South Carolina page →Does autism qualify?
South Carolina is unusually well set up for autism specifically: it maintains dedicated Autism Eligibility Coordinators, and eligibility can be established either by a record review or by an evaluation at the Carolina Autism Resource and Evaluation (CARE) Center. A formal ASD diagnosis from a qualified professional — developmental pediatrician, psychologist, psychiatrist or comparable specialist — is the starting point. Ask for the Autism Eligibility Coordinator by name when you call; it is a real role, not a courtesy.
How the waiting list works
The most consequential thing to understand in South Carolina is which program you actually need. The Pervasive Developmental Disorder waiver — the one that funded up to 40 hours a week of early intensive behavioral intervention for children aged 3 to 10 — was terminated on 31 December 2017, and everyone on its waiting list was moved to a processing list for a new state-plan Autism Spectrum Disorder services benefit. That means ABA in South Carolina now comes through state-plan Medicaid rather than through a waiver, and the waiver is for the other things: respite, personal care, day services, environmental modifications. Families who go looking for "the autism waiver" are looking for a program that closed nearly a decade ago, and older directories still list it.
What it can pay for
- Behaviour support services
- Respite
- Personal care and attendant care
- Day services and supported employment
- Environmental modifications
- Assistive technology
Other programs worth knowing
PDD Waiver — terminated December 2017
The autism-specific waiver for children aged 3–10 diagnosed by age 8, funding up to 40 hours a week of early intensive behavioral intervention. It no longer exists. Its waiting list was transferred to the state-plan ASD services program.
State-plan Autism Spectrum Disorder services
The current route to ABA for Medicaid-enrolled children. Ask about this through Medicaid rather than through the waiver office.
CARE Center evaluation
The Carolina Autism Resource and Evaluation Center is one of two accepted routes to establishing autism eligibility, the other being a record review of existing documentation. If your paperwork is already strong, ask whether a record review will do.
South Carolinaproviders & 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
- SC DDSN — applying for services
- SC DDSN — autism eligibility and evaluation
- SCDHHS — PDD waiver termination notice
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.