Improving Waiver Services

We are working to make waiver services easier to understand and use. We asked people who use services, their families, Developmental Disabilities Administration staff, and community partners for ideas. We received more than 1,800 comments.

In keeping with our DSHS mission, vision and values, DDA shared the Waiver Restructure Report with the Legislature on Dec. 1, 2024. The report says how we can make the waiver services system better based on the comments we received. The waiver a person gets will depend on where a person lives and what they want and need.

Timeline

Changes to our computer systems (like the CARE tool) will take 3 to 4 years after service design is finished. 

Steps:

• Design services and rates.
• The Research and Data Analysis team will create calculations to decide service amounts and rates.
• The Division of Information Technology will put the algorithms into the CARE assessment tool.

Our team is looking at other ways to improve services on our current waivers by September 2027.

Stay in Touch

We will continue to hear from people with lived experience during the waiver redesign project. Your ideas help us improve services. If you would like to get involved, please visit our Community Collaborators page for more information.

We are holding listening sessions; many of these groups meet monthly. Groups include:

• Legislative Report Community Collaborators
• Family Advisory Council and Regional Advisory Council
• Self-Advocates Advisory Council
• Providers and counties
• DDA field staff

Topics discussed so far:

• August 2025: waiver names
• September 2025: incidental personal care
• October 2025: access and adaptation
• November 2025: social engagement and community participation
• December 2025: goods and services