How to Enroll in DDA

Applying for DDA enrollment is a multi-step process to determine if you meet developmental disability eligibility criteria. It is the first step toward requesting services.

To begin, select one of the following two ways to request a DDA enrollment packet, also known as an intake packet:

1. Download the forms:

   Request for DDA Eligibility Determination

   Consent

   Notice of Privacy Practices for Client Confidential Information

   Washington State Voter Registration for applicants age 18 or older

   In addition, you will need to submit documents to support that you have a developmental disability, as described in Required Documentation for DDA Enrollment Determination, such as educational records, psychological records and medical records.

2. Visit your local DDA office.
3. Use our Service and Information Request Line to request that an enrollment packet be mailed or emailed to you.

DDA staff are happy to assist you. They can also help you complete the forms or gather documents.

Click below to learn more:

Required documentation for DDA enrollment

Criteria for DDA enrollment in Chapter 388-823 WAC

Email, fax, or mail your completed documents to the Intake and Eligibility address for your region or drop them off in person at your local DDA office. Include documentation that: 

• Confirms your diagnosis.
• Confirms that your condition started prior to age 18.
• An adaptive assessment from within the past 3 years (36 months).

If you have not had an adaptive assessment, and you meet all other enrollment criteria, DDA will offer an adaptive assessment at no cost to you.

DDA staff are happy to assist in gathering the required documentation, if necessary, with a completed Consent form.

Region 1 (counties served: Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Columbia, Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla, Whitman, Yakima)

Phone: (800) 462-0624

Fax: (509) 568-3037

Email: DDAR1IE@dshs.wa.gov

Mail: 1611 W INDIANA AVE SPOKANE WA 99205-4221

Region 2 (counties served: Island, King, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, Whatcom)

Phone: (800) 326-1247

Fax: (425) 252-1363

Email: DDA2IETEAM@dshs.wa.gov

Mail: 20311 52ND AVE W STE 302 LYNNWOOD WA 98036-3901

Region 3 (counties served: Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Kitsap, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Pierce, Skamania, Thurston, Wahkiakum)

Phone: (800) 248-0949

Fax: (253) 597-4368

Email: DDAR3IE@dshs.wa.gov

Mail:1305 TACOMA AVE S STE 300 TACOMA WA 98402-1903

If you would like assistance completing the forms, call the number for your regional DDA office (see list above).

After you send us your packet, we will send you an application received form. It includes contact information for status updates and questions.

After we receive the last piece of requested documentation, our intake and eligibility specialists will make a determination of eligibility within 30 days and send you a notification packet that explains your determination of eligibility and enrollment.

If you are eligible and enrolled:

You have the option to request services right away or wait until you’re ready for that step if you need more time to decide. At any time, you can request services by visiting your local office, calling the toll-free number for your county DDA Service and Information Request line, or using our online Service and Information Request form.

If you are not eligible:

Please review the Planned Action Notice. It will explain the decision and what DDA needs to enroll. Providing a copy to your school and/or medical providers may assist you in accessing documentation needed for enrollment. Contact the intake case resource manager listed on the PAN for new information you would like DDA to review.

You can request an appeal. Follow the steps in the notification packet. 

If you are enrolled in DDA, you can request services at any time.

If you are not enrolled, go to the top of this page for instructions on how to enroll.

Once you are enrolled with DDA, you have three ways to ask for services:

1. Contact your DDA case resource manager directly. If you do not know the name of your case resource manager or have not been assigned one, please call any DDA office and ask for assistance.
2. Use our online Service and Information Request form.
3. Call your county’s DDA Service and Information Request line.

Nearly all DDA services fall under two Medicaid-funded programs:

• Community First Choice, or CFC for short.
• Home and Community Based Services waivers, or waivers for short.

You don’t need to know the names of services when you make a request. Just use your own words to describe what will make your life easier. When a DDA case resource manager contacts you, they will help you find the services and programs to best meet your needs.

To be approved for services, you will need to be enrolled in DDA and meet two types of eligibility: financial and functional.

Note: You might not need to be a DDA client to receive the service you need.

• For children: DDA offers personal care through Community First Choice for children whether or not they are DDA clients. Even if you do not have a developmental disability, you might be eligible for personal care.
• For adults: Adults who need personal care but are not DDA clients can receive this service through Home and Community Living Administration.

To meet financial eligibility for DDA services, you must be Medicaid eligible. If you are not already Medicaid eligible when you ask for services, we will help you get started with that process.

Your DDA case resource manager will also schedule an assessment of your needs. This assessment will determine your functional eligibility and is a time for you to plan for services with your DDA case resource manager. The assessment can take place in your home or any location you choose. It takes about three hours.

After your assessment and financial eligibility are complete, we will send you a Planned Action Notice, or PAN. The PAN describes what you have been approved to receive, including the amount, or if you have been denied. If any of your requests are denied, the PAN explains how to appeal the decision.

Your DDA case resource manager will discuss provider options and give you a list of providers for your area upon request. You then select a DDA provider for each service that you are approved for, let DDA know your choice, and services can begin.

You will have a new assessment each year to update your goals, strengths and needs, and plan for services. However, you can request new or different services and providers at any time by contacting your case resource manager.

Medicaid Financial Eligibility: What to Expect

Financial eligibility processes vary by age and the program(s) you are applying for.

Age 18 and Older

If you are requesting services from Community First Choice and a Home and Community Based waiver program, financial eligibility is based on your income and assets. If you receive Supplemental Security Income and are within certain resource limits, you may meet financial eligibility for DDA services as long as you meet all asset requirements. If you are not receiving SSI, please contact Social Security to apply. This will help your DDA service request move more quickly.

Under Age 18

If you are applying for services under Community First Choice, eligibility is based on your household income. CFC has the same income limit as SSI or Modified Adjusted Gross Income and is based on household size.

If you are requesting services from a Home and Community Based waiver program, financial eligibility is based your income, not your whole household. Once you are financially eligible for a waiver program you can also request services under the Community First Choice program.