Kansas Medicaid Waiver Guide

Kansas delivers long-term services through KanCare, its Medicaid managed care program, with the Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) overseeing the waivers. Your entry point is your local Community Developmental Disability Organization (CDDO) — the CDDO determines whether you are eligible for the Kansas I/DD system first, and only then assesses waiver eligibility. As of October 1, 2026, Kansas has a second option: the new Community Supports Waiver, approved by CMS on July 1, 2026, aimed at people who do not need 24-hour paid support. It comes with a real trade-off, because enrolling means giving up your place on the I/DD Waiver waiting list.

For the Community Supports Waiver you must be 5 or older, have an intellectual disability that began before age 18 or a developmental disability that began before age 22, be determined program eligible by KDADS, meet the Medicaid threshold for long-term institutional care, be found financially eligible for Medicaid by KDHE, and be a Kansas resident. The comprehensive I/DD Waiver uses the same two-agency structure: your CDDO establishes I/DD system eligibility, then completes the Medicaid Functional Eligibility Instrument (MFEI) level of care assessment for the waiver itself.

If you meet program and functional eligibility for the comprehensive I/DD Waiver, you are placed on its waiting list. The new Community Supports Waiver works differently — it has no waiting list at all. If it reaches capacity, KDADS simply stops processing applications until spots open. CSW applications are processed in order of how long the applicant has been on the I/DD Waiver waitlist, with people already on that list processed before those who are not.

Type

I/DD Waiver has a waiting list; the Community Supports Waiver does not

Typical timeline

The CSW was approved with a projected enrollment of 500 people in its first waiver year, so capacity is limited relative to the I/DD waitlist. Your time already spent on the I/DD waiting list carries over into CSW processing order, which is worth knowing before you decide.

How to check status

Contact your local CDDO, or KDADS at 785-296-4986 (toll free 800-432-3535 in Kansas, TTY 785-291-3167). For CSW updates, join the mailing list at KDADS.CSW@ks.gov.

1. Contact your local CDDO

   Community Developmental Disability Organizations are Kansas's entry point. Find yours using the CDDO map or the entry-points-by-county section of the HCBS Access Guide. The CDDO determines Kansas I/DD system eligibility before any waiver assessment happens.

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2. Complete the functional assessment (MFEI)

   Once you are found eligible for the I/DD system, the CDDO completes the Medicaid Functional Eligibility Instrument level of care assessment to determine waiver eligibility. A current functional assessment must be on file before a CSW application can be processed.

3. Get financially determined by KDHE

   KDADS decides functional eligibility; KDHE decides Medicaid financial eligibility. Both are required, and KDADS sends an eligibility notification once KDHE clears you.

4. Go on the I/DD waiting list

   If you meet program and functional eligibility for the comprehensive I/DD Waiver, you are placed on its waiting list. Time on this list also determines your processing order if you later apply for the CSW.

5. Decide carefully about the Community Supports Waiver

   Your CDDO can help you weigh whether the CSW fits. Understand the trade-off first: enrolling in the CSW means giving up your I/DD Waiver waitlist spot, and you cannot hold both at once.

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• The person's age, diagnosis, and county of residence.
• Medicaid status or whether you still need to apply.
• Current supports, urgent needs, and living situation.
• School, medical, evaluation, or eligibility documents.
• Questions about waitlists, timelines, and next steps.

Exact covered services depend on the waiver, assessed need, Medicaid rules, funding, and state program requirements. Confirm services, availability, and payment acceptance with the state, support coordinator, and provider.

On the Community Supports Waiver, participants can self-direct five services: Personal Care Services, Respite, Family/Caregiver Support and Training, Non-Medical Transportation, and Individual-Directed Goods and Services. The I/DD Waiver also offers self-direction. Ask your CDDO or targeted case manager which services can be self-directed under the waiver you enroll in.

1. Before age 5

   Both waivers begin at age 5. Kansas serves younger children through early intervention and other programs — ask your CDDO what is available in the meantime.

2. By 18 or 22 — document onset

   An intellectual disability must be documented as beginning before 18; a developmental disability before 22. Make sure the records establishing onset exist before the relevant birthday.

3. School age

   School districts provide special education under an IEP. Waiver services are separate and additional. Getting onto the I/DD waiting list early matters, because time on it also shapes CSW processing order.

4. October 1, 2026 — the CSW opens

   The Community Supports Waiver takes effect October 1, 2026, with a projected 500 enrollees in the first waiver year. If you are on the I/DD waitlist, this is a decision point worth preparing for rather than reacting to.

If eligibility or a waiver service is denied, reduced, or ended, you have the right to appeal and to request a fair hearing within the deadline printed on your notice. Because services run through KanCare managed care plans, there is often a plan-level appeal as well — ask for both in writing. The Disability Rights Center of Kansas is the state's protection and advocacy organization and provides free help.

KDADS

Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services — oversees the waivers and determines program and functional eligibility.

KDHE

Kansas Department of Health and Environment — determines Medicaid financial eligibility.

CDDO

Community Developmental Disability Organization — your local entry point, which determines I/DD system eligibility and completes the functional assessment.

KanCare

Kansas's Medicaid managed care program, through which waiver services are delivered.

MFEI

Medicaid Functional Eligibility Instrument — the level of care assessment used to determine waiver eligibility, alongside interRAI care planning.

CSW

Community Supports Waiver — the waiver effective October 1, 2026 for people who do not need 24-hour paid support, with a $20,000 annual spending limit and no waiting list.

Crisis or reserve capacity

The limited routes back onto the I/DD Waiver without rejoining the waitlist, for people in urgent situations.