As we said, OCDD is changing the way the Waivers system works.
The good news:
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The state got more funding for waiver services, and can give services to more people.
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This new plan has already reduced the wait times by a huge amount!.
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If you need some services urgently, you may be able to get them sooner, even if you have not been waiting as long as others.
Some other specific changes:
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The age for the Children’s Choice waiver is now 0-20.
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The NOW, ROW and Support waivers will be for adults only. But children who are already getting these services will keep getting them. (They are “grandfathered in”.)
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There will no longer be slots open for emergency needs. But if you have emergency needs, you will almost certainly get services anyway!
What if I’ve been waiting for many years? Will this make my wait longer?
It shouldn’t, but it depends on your needs.
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If you only need 1 or 2 of the services in a waiver: you may get them even sooner than you would have before, but maybe not the whole waiver.
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If you have very urgent needs: you may get offered a waiver sooner with this new system.
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But your protected date still means something! Even though some people ahead of you may get some urgent services they need first, you still have your spot among those with your same level of need.
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The only way this would make you wait longer is if your needs are very light. If this is the case, OCDD may be able to help you find other sources of support.
The new assessment: SUN: Screen for Urgency of Need
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They have been going through the whole waitlist and doing new assessments to see who needs what kind of services.
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The assessment is called a SUN: Screen for Urgency of Need. A score of 0 means that your needs are not urgent at the moment but you will need them at some point. The highest score is 4. This means you have urgent needs for services right away. Most people with this score will get the services very soon.
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This information will now help them decide when your child will get services, and which ones they need.
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If the waivers office has not contacted you to do a SUN assessment, call them!