Medicaid waivers for autism in West Virginia
West Virginia residents with an intellectual disability and/or a similar condition that was severe before age 22.
- Main program
- Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) Waiver
- Typical wait
- Three or more years, with 967 waiting and 125–175 slots a year
- Administered by
- West Virginia Bureau for Medical Services, I/DD Waiver Program, with Acentra Health as utilisation management contractor
- Phone
- (304) 558-1700; Acentra Health (866) 385-8920 or (304) 380-0617
- Age rules
- The qualifying condition must have been severe before age 22.
How to get on the list
Complete and submit the I/DD Waiver application. You will then receive a packet including the list of psychologists approved to carry out the medical eligibility evaluation. Separately, contact your local DoHS office about financial eligibility — call ahead for an appointment. Questions: the I/DD Waiver Program on (304) 558-1700, or Acentra Health on (866) 385-8920.
Open the official West Virginia page →Does autism qualify?
Autism is reached through the "and/or similar condition" language rather than being named as its own category, and the severity must have been established before age 22. Because the medical eligibility evaluation is performed by a psychologist from an approved list rather than by your own clinician, the quality and completeness of the records you hand over matters a great deal — bring everything.
How the waiting list works
West Virginia has a small list by national standards — 967 people — but it also releases only about 125 to 175 slots in a fiscal year, and families report waits of three or more years. The arithmetic is worth doing yourself before you plan around it. The process has two independent tracks that families often conflate and then lose time on: medical eligibility, established through an evaluation by an approved psychologist arranged after your application, and financial eligibility, handled separately by your local Department of Human Services office. Ring DoHS and book an appointment rather than turning up, and ask precisely what documentation they need, because a return trip costs weeks.
- People waiting967
- Slots released per fiscal yearroughly 125–175
- Reported waitthree or more years
What it can pay for
- Person-centerd support (in home and in community)
- Respite
- Behaviour support
- Skilled nursing
- Therapies
- Job development and supported employment
- Environmental accessibility adaptations
Other programs worth knowing
Autism Services Center
A long-established West Virginia organization offering service coordination. Useful for navigating the two-track eligibility process rather than doing it alone.
Aged and Disabled Waiver (ADW)
A separate West Virginia waiver with different criteria. Ask whether it applies if the I/DD route does not.
West Virginiaproviders & 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
- West Virginia I/DD Waiver Program
- Acentra Health — West Virginia I/DD
- Autism Services Center — service coordination
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.