How to Become a Medicaid Waiver Provider in Delaware

Delaware publishes its process more precisely than most states, and two details are worth building your plan around. First, there is a deadline on you, not just on the state: DDDS allows one year from your initial application to finish all four phases, and if you have not signed a contract, requested an extension, or shown good-faith effort by then, your application is closed and you start over. Second, the RFP in Phase 3 is reviewed by the DMS Procurement Office and DDDS only once per quarter. That single fact can add three months to your timeline through no fault of your own, so where your submission lands relative to that quarterly cycle matters more than how fast you assembled it.

Four phases: information gathering, application and interview, three parallel approvals, then contracting. Applications are accepted on an open and continuous basis.

Application system: DDDS Provider Application Manual

1. Phase 1A — read the manual and the standards

   Review the Provider Application Manual in full, along with the DDDS Provider Standards for HCBS and the waiver documents for the authorities you intend to serve under.

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2. Phase 1B — complete the information gathering session

   Ten educational video sessions with transcripts, running from becoming a Medicaid provider through opening sites. This is a required phase, not optional background reading.

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3. Phase 2 — submit the application and be interviewed

   Send the completed package to DDDS_ProviderAuthCommittee@delaware.gov, then attend the Provider Authorization Committee interview.

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4. Phase 3 — respond to the RFP through Bonfire

   The RFP, "Home and Community Based Service for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities," is open and continuous and submitted electronically through the DHSS Bonfire hub. The DMS Procurement Office and DDDS review proposals once per quarter — the single biggest scheduling variable in the whole process.

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5. Phase 3 — enroll with DMMA and attend New Provider Orientation

   Apply to become a Delaware Medicaid provider through the Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance, and attend the DDDS New Provider Orientation. All three Phase 3 activities must be complete before final approval.

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6. Phase 4 — contracting and final approval

   The last phase is the contract itself. Signing it is what stops the one-year clock.

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Delaware does not publish these in a form we could verify, so we have not guessed at them. Ask directly — and if an answer here would help other providers, tell us and we will add it with its source.

• What are the specific background check and staff training requirements in the DDDS Provider Standards for your service type?

  Ask: DDDS_ProviderAuthCommittee@delaware.gov or 302-255-9040

• Is there a fee at any phase, and what insurance limits does DMMA require?

  Ask: DDDS_ProviderAuthCommittee@delaware.gov

• When is the next quarterly RFP review, and what is the cutoff for the current cycle?

  Ask: DMS Procurement Office, via the DHSS Bonfire hub