DHHS Bureau of Developmental Services
Conducts the provider screening required by He-M 504.04 and administers the developmental services system, including the area agencies.
Visit siteBack to provider resources
New Hampshire provider enrollment
How to Become a Medicaid Waiver Provider in New Hampshire
What New Hampshire requires before you can deliver home and community-based waiver services, in the order the state actually requires it. Every claim links to the official page it came from.
Provider rules change often — confirm fees and deadlines against the linked sources before you rely on them.
Overview
Becoming a waiver provider in New Hampshire
New Hampshire's rule tells you exactly what the state will look at, which makes preparation unusually tractable. The bureau screening under He-M 504.04(b) reviews your mission and vision statements, your training practices, your service-specific competencies, three references demonstrating you can meet your obligations, financial indicators including long-term debt payments of principal and interest, your liability protections, your restraint and seclusion policies, and attestations covering criminal background checks and Office of Inspector General checks. Assemble those nine things and you have most of an application. The timing is fixed too: the screening occurs within 90 days of an application for enrollment and within 120 days for re-enrollment — and re-enrollment is on you to start, because you must contact the bureau not less than 120 days before your current enrollment period expires. If you are denied, you have 30 business days to request an appeal, and your enrollment status is suspended until it is decided.
Who certifies you
The agencies that decide
New Hampshire Medicaid (MMIS portal)
Where the enrollment application is filed, and where the Medicaid provider participation agreement is executed.
Visit siteArea agencies
Non-profit corporations established under He-M 505 to provide services in their region — the organizing structure of New Hampshire's developmental services system.
Visit siteBefore you apply
What has to be true first
Four things make you a participating provider
He-M 504.04(a): complete an application for enrollment via the MMIS portal or contract with an Organized Health Care Delivery System for billing; request a screening from the bureau; satisfy the applicable licensing requirements under RSA 151, RSA 171-A, or 42 CFR 441.301; and obtain an executed Medicaid provider participation agreement with the department.
SourceThe screening list is the preparation list
He-M 504.04(b) covers mission and vision statements, training practices, service-specific competencies, three references demonstrating ability to meet obligations, financial indicators including long-term debt payments of principal and interest, liability protections, restraint and seclusion policies, and attestations on criminal background checks and Office of Inspector General checks.
SourceAn OHCDS contract is the alternative to your own MMIS enrollment
The rule allows a provider to contract with an Organized Health Care Delivery System for billing rather than enrolling directly — worth weighing if you are small and do not want to run Medicaid billing yourself.
SourceEnrollment
How to enroll in New Hampshire
Apply through MMIS (or contract with an OHCDS), request the bureau screening, satisfy the licensing requirement for your service, and execute the Medicaid provider participation agreement.
Application system: New Provider and Onboarding Resources — NH DHHS Developmental Services
- Decide whether to enroll directly or bill through an OHCDS
The rule offers both: complete an MMIS enrollment application, or contract with an Organized Health Care Delivery System for billing.
Source - Confirm the licensing requirement for your service
Providers must satisfy the applicable requirements of RSA 151, RSA 171-A, or 42 CFR 441.301, depending on the service.
Source - Request the bureau screening
The screening occurs within 90 days of application for enrollment. Have the mission and vision statements, training practices, competencies, three references, financial indicators, liability protections, restraint and seclusion policies, and background-check attestations ready.
Source - Execute the Medicaid provider participation agreement
An executed agreement with the department is one of the four participation requirements, not a formality afterward.
Source - Work through DHHS's onboarding resources
The department publishes new provider and onboarding materials alongside its developmental services policies and guidance.
Source
Fees, screening, and renewal
Contact the bureau at least 120 days before your enrollment expires
He-M 504.04(a)(2) requires a provider agency intending to re-enroll to contact the bureau not less than 120 days prior to the expiration of the current enrollment period. The re-enrollment screening occurs within 120 days.
SourceService types
What you can be approved to deliver
Medicaid-covered home and community-based care
He-M 517 — Medicaid-covered home and community-based care
Part He-M 517 governs the waiver services themselves
Within Chapter He-M 500, He-M 517 covers Medicaid-covered home and community-based care — the part to read alongside He-M 504 for what you are actually delivering.
SourceCommunity participation and employment services
He-M 507 — Community participation servicesHe-M 518 — Employment services
Service-specific parts carry their own standards
Community participation services and employment services each have their own part of the rule, in addition to the provider-operations requirements of He-M 504 and the staff requirements of He-M 506.
SourceResidential services in a family home
He-M 521 — Certification of residential services in the family home
A separate certification track
He-M 521 covers certification of residential services, or combined residential and community participation services, provided in the family home.
SourceScreening
Background checks and staff eligibility
Attested, as part of the screening
The bureau screening includes attestations regarding criminal background checks and Office of Inspector General checks, alongside your restraint and seclusion policies.
SourceTimeline & cost
What this actually takes
Ninety days to screening on a new application
He-M 504.04(c) sets the screening within 90 days of application for enrollment, and within 120 days for re-enrollment.
SourceA denial suspends you while you appeal
You may request an appeal within 30 business days of the decision, and enrollment status is suspended until the appeal determination is adjudicated.
SourceAfter approval
Staying compliant
Enrollment expires — plan 120 days ahead
Re-enrollment is not automatic. Contact the bureau not less than 120 days before your enrollment period ends, and expect the re-enrollment screening within 120 days.
SourceStaff qualifications are their own rule
He-M 506 covers staff qualifications and development, and He-M 502 sets records standards for individuals served — both apply continuously, not just at enrollment.
SourceConfirm by phone
What the state does not publish
New Hampshire 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.
- Which licensing requirement applies to your service — RSA 151, RSA 171-A, or 42 CFR 441.301 — and who issues it?
Ask: NH DHHS Bureau of Developmental Services
- How long is an enrollment period, so you know when the 120-day re-enrollment clock starts?
Ask: NH DHHS Bureau of Developmental Services
- Which area agencies have unmet need for your service, and how does contracting with them work alongside your own enrollment?
Ask: The area agency for your region
- Which Organized Health Care Delivery Systems operate in New Hampshire, and what do they charge to bill on your behalf?
Ask: NH DHHS Bureau of Developmental Services
Key contacts
New Hampshire provider contacts
N.H. Admin. Code He-M 504.04 — Provider and Provider Agency Participation
The controlling rule: the four participation requirements, the screening contents, the 90- and 120-day timelines, and appeal rights.
Visit siteChapter He-M 500 — Developmental Services
The full rule set, including area agencies (505), staff qualifications (506), HCBS (517), and family home certification (521).
Visit siteNew Provider and Onboarding Resources
DHHS's own materials for providers entering the system.
Visit siteDevelopmental Services Policies, Guidance, and Reports
Current policy and guidance for developmental services providers.
Visit siteFAQ
New Hampshire provider questions
What exactly does the state screen me on?
He-M 504.04(b) lists it: mission and vision statements, training practices, service-specific competencies, three references showing you can meet your obligations, financial indicators including long-term debt principal and interest, liability protections, restraint and seclusion policies, and attestations about criminal background and Office of Inspector General checks.
Do I have to run my own Medicaid billing?
No. The rule lets you either complete an enrollment application through the MMIS portal or contract with an Organized Health Care Delivery System for billing.
How fast does the screening happen?
Within 90 days of your application for enrollment, and within 120 days for a re-enrollment.
Will my enrollment renew automatically?
No. You must contact the bureau not less than 120 days before your current enrollment period expires if you intend to re-enroll.
What happens if my application is denied?
You may request an appeal within 30 business days of the decision, and your enrollment status is suspended until the appeal determination is adjudicated.
Looking for the family-facing guide? Browse state waiver guides