The DD Waiver in Minnesota: A Family Guide for Children with Developmental Disabilities

What is the DD waiver in Minnesota?

The DD waiver, short for the Developmental Disabilities waiver, is one of Minnesota's four disability waivers. Like the others, it's part of Medical Assistance (MA, Minnesota's Medicaid) and pays for supports that help people live with their families or in the community instead of in an institution. The institution it stands in for is an intermediate care facility for people with developmental disabilities, usually shortened to ICF/DD.

For a family, the DD waiver works like a funding stream rather than a single service. A case manager helps you build a support plan from a menu of services that sit on top of your child's regular MA benefits, not in place of them.

It's a close cousin of the CADI waiver, covered in our CADI waiver guide; this article focuses on what's specific to DD. For the big-picture map, see waivers, PCA/CFSS and CDCS explained.

Who qualifies for the DD waiver?

There's no minimum age, so young children can qualify. In general, a child or adult must meet all of the following:

• Have a diagnosed developmental disability or a “related condition” that began before age 22
• Be eligible for Medical Assistance
• Be certified disabled, by the Social Security Administration or Minnesota's State Medical Review Team (SMRT)
• Be assessed through MnCHOICES as needing the level of care provided in an ICF/DD
• Need daily support and services beyond what regular MA covers
• Choose home and community services instead of living in an ICF/DD

What does “ICF/DD level of care” mean for a child?

It's a benchmark, not a placement. Your child doesn't need to have lived in an ICF/DD, or ever plan to; it's a way of measuring how much support someone needs. For the DD waiver, that generally means your child needs daily interventions and services, a 24-hour plan of care, and habilitation, which is help learning and keeping skills like communication, self-care and safety.

The MnCHOICES assessor makes that determination, not your doctor or a provider agency. Reports from doctors, schools and therapists help, but a clear picture of your child's real, everyday needs matters most.

On income: for children on the DD waiver, Minnesota generally counts the child's own income and assets for MA, not the parents'. Minnesota also stopped charging parental fees for children on disability waivers, including DD, on July 1, 2023; fees can still apply when a child lives in 24-hour care outside the home. If your child isn't on MA yet, your county can explain which route fits, whether through the waiver itself, MA-TEFRA or regular MA.

Can a child with autism qualify for the DD waiver?

Often, yes. Minnesota law names autism as one of the “related conditions” that can qualify someone for developmental disability services, alongside conditions like cerebral palsy, epilepsy, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and Prader-Willi syndrome.

That matters because a “developmental disability” on its own generally means an intellectual disability, documented through testing of both thinking skills and everyday adaptive skills. Many autistic children don't have an intellectual disability, and the related-condition route means they aren't automatically ruled out.

Some autistic children end up on CADI instead, which uses a nursing-facility level of care. You don't have to sort this out alone; the assessment determines which waiver fits. A thorough autism evaluation that describes daily functioning, not just the diagnosis, helps the assessor see the full picture.

A diagnosis alone isn't enough. Under state law, a related condition must, among other things, be severe and chronic, begin before age 22, be likely to continue indefinitely, affect thinking or adaptive skills much like a developmental disability does, and cause substantial functional limitations in three or more of these areas:

• Self-care
• Understanding and using language
• Learning
• Mobility
• Self-direction
• Capacity for independent living

What can the DD waiver pay for?

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) sets the service list and updates it from time to time. Waiver services cover things MA doesn't already pay for, so ABA through EIDBI, speech and occupational therapy stay billed to MA or private insurance. Hands-on help with daily activities usually comes through CFSS, which is replacing PCA.

You'll also choose how services are delivered. With traditional services, agencies provide the staff. With Consumer-Directed Community Supports (CDCS), your family manages an individual budget, can often hire its own workers and uses a financial management services provider for payroll. It means more paperwork, but it can help when agency staff are hard to find.

When you're ready to find help, you can compare in-home support providers and respite care providers across Minnesota. For children and families, the DD waiver commonly funds:

• Individualized home supports — teaching daily living, social and safety skills at home and in the community
• Respite care — planned breaks for parents and caregivers, in or out of the home
• Family training and counseling — coaching that helps you support your child's skills and behavior
• Positive support services — behavior support planning from qualified professionals
• Home and vehicle modifications that make daily life safer or more accessible
• Assistive technology — devices and related services not covered by regular MA
• Case management to coordinate the plan and check how it's working

How do you apply for the DD waiver in Minnesota?

You don't apply for the DD waiver by itself. You request an assessment, and the MnCHOICES assessment determines which programs your child is eligible for, whether that's DD, CADI, CFSS or something else. Here's the typical path:

1. Call your county's human services intake line or your tribal nation's social services and say: “I'd like to request a MnCHOICES assessment for my child for disability waiver services, including the DD waiver.” In Hennepin County, that's the Front Door at (612) 348-4111.
2. Apply for Medical Assistance if your child isn't enrolled, and ask your county which eligibility route fits your family.
3. If your child doesn't have a disability finding from Social Security, ask your county to start a disability determination through SMRT.
4. Gather records that show both diagnosis and daily functioning: psychological testing, autism evaluations, IEPs and therapy reports.
5. Complete the MnCHOICES assessment, usually at home. Describe your child's typical and hardest days, not their best.
6. Get the decision in writing. If your child is eligible, ask whether DD waiver funding is available now or whether your child will wait for an opening.
7. Once funded, build and sign a support plan with your case manager, choose traditional services or CDCS, and pick providers.

Is there a waiting list for the DD waiver?

Honest answer: there can be. Being found eligible and getting funded are two separate steps. Counties and tribal nations manage DD waiver openings within funding the state allocates, and when an opening comes up, people are generally prioritized by urgency. Someone leaving an institution, or a child whose caregiving situation suddenly becomes unsafe or unstable, may be served ahead of families with steady but serious needs.

Minnesota tracks how quickly people get funded against “reasonable pace” goals in its Olmstead Plan, and recent state reports show many people, especially those with less urgent needs, wait longer than those goals. Ask your county directly: “Is my child waiting for DD waiver funding, what priority category are they in, and what's the expected timeline?” If something changes, such as a caregiver's health or a safety crisis at home, tell your case manager right away, because it can change your child's priority.

While you wait, MA can still cover EIDBI autism therapy and CFSS for eligible children. The state's Family Support Grant is another option to ask about, though it has its own rules and new grants mainly go to families of teens and young adults. If your child also meets CADI criteria, ask whether that waiver is an option. Staffing is its own bottleneck: even after funding, finding workers can take time, especially outside the metro.

What is Waiver Reimagine, and will it change the DD waiver?

Waiver Reimagine is Minnesota's plan to redesign its disability waivers. The biggest change is consolidation: the four current waivers, Brain Injury (BI), Community Alternative Care (CAC), CADI and DD, would be combined into two, an individual support waiver and a residential support waiver. Under the current design, the split depends mainly on where a person lives, with provider-run settings such as group homes on the residential waiver. The plan also adds individual budgets based on assessed needs and more options for self-direction. DHS has said eligibility and level-of-care requirements will stay the same.

Where things stand as of September 2026: the Legislature had set January 1, 2027 as the launch date, but in March 2026 DHS announced it could not launch by then, and no new date has been announced. DHS says the new program will roll out in phases only after the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approves the new waiver plans, and after people receive an estimated budget range through a MnCHOICES assessment at least 12 months before launch. The 2026 Legislature also requires DHS to consult the state's Olmstead Implementation Office before seeking federal approval.

What it means for your family today: the DD waiver still operates under its current rules. If your child may qualify, apply now rather than waiting for the new program, and watch for official notices from DHS or your county, since details could still change before launch.

Keep in mind

This article is general information, not legal, medical or benefits advice. Waiver rules, service lists, fees and funding availability change, and Waiver Reimagine will bring bigger changes. Confirm current details with your county or tribal nation, your case manager, or the Minnesota Department of Human Services before making decisions.

You have the right to appeal. If your child is found ineligible, placed on a waiting list, or has services reduced or ended, the written notice explains why and how to appeal. You can generally request a state fair hearing through DHS within 30 days of receiving the notice, or up to 90 days with good cause. If current services are being cut, appeal quickly and ask whether they can continue while the appeal is decided. Disability Hub MN and the Minnesota Disability Law Center can help you understand your options.