I am already enrolled in a waiver.

You keep your current waiver and your services do not change. If you have current needs that are not being met, talk with your county board of developmental disabilities about other services that may be available. 

I am on the Waiting List now.

People currently on the Waiting List will take part in a new assessment to identify what services are needed right now and what services may be needed in the future.

I think I need to enroll in a waiver. 

Waivers are one funding stream for services. By braiding together multiple resources like local programs, county board of developmental disabilities levy funds, and Ohio Medicaid State Plan benefits, someone may be able to have their service needs met without a waiver.

Learn more about the types of waivers available to someone with a developmental disability.

I have a new immediate need 

Your county board of developmental disabilities will work with you to access resources to address your immediate need. That might include using unpaid supports, local and community resources, county board funding, Medicaid state plan services including home health care and intermediate care facilities or waiver enrollment.

        I need new or different services within 12 months

Because waivers are only one way to pay for services, your county board of developmental disabilities will work with you to braid together many different types of resources, such as unpaid supports, local and community resources, county board of developmental disabilities programs or waiver enrollment.

      I have new or different needs in the future

Your county board of developmental disabilities will work with you to provide additional services and resources as your needs change.

Ohio's Waiting List was prioritized first for
emergency needs then by priority categories. All
other requests were organized by the date the
request was made. 

County boards of developmental disabilities are required to take action within 30 days to address a person’s immediate needs. That may include linking
the person with community resources, using local funds, arranging for state plan services, or enrolling
the person in a waiver.

Ohio's Waiting List created an inaccurate picture
of the number of people with unmet needs. Nearly 45 percent of those on the Waiting List surveyed said
they had "no areas of unmet need" according to the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council Waiting
List Study. 

The Waiting List is working toward an accurate
picture of the number of people with unmet service needs to more efficiently direct supports to people
and families who need them most.

Each of Ohio’s county boards of developmental disabilities maintained a list of people in their
county seeking waiver funding.

One statewide list of people who have a current need for waiver-funded services makes it easier for people
to move from county to county, and eliminates the
need to be on multiple lists.

Without any eligibility guidelines, anyone could
request to be on the Waiting List, even if their
current needs were met, they were not eligible for services, or they were not sure what services they
might have needed in the future.

A person's needs are assessed using one statewide
tool to identify current needs for services and connect people with available resources to meet those needs.

People were encouraged to get on the Waiting List
"just in case" they might need waiver-funded services later. That led to people being on the Waiting List for years without ever having received waiver-funded services.

Rather than waiting for services in case they are
needed later, people can access services as their
needs change by asking for a new assessment.

A person who had one kind of waiver could have
been on the Waiting List for years because they
were told it would be better to have a different kind
of waiver.

Planning services focuses on a person's current
unmet needs rather than specific funding sources,
and streamlines access to other available resources
to meet needs.