The Delaware Division of Developmental Disabilities Services (DDDS) has received final approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to add three new services to its Lifespan Waiver: Enhanced Behavioral Residential Services, Crisis Stabilization Services and Remote Supports. The services are designed to help those with intellectual and developmental disabilities live more independently and receive specialized support in their homes and communities.
“Everyone deserves an opportunity to live as independently as possible and receive the support they need in their own community, “Delaware Department of Health and Social Services Secretary Christen Linke Young said. “These new services strengthen Delaware’s home-and-community-based system of care by helping more people live safely and independently while reducing the need for more intensive and costly care.”
Eligible individuals enrolled in Delaware’s Lifespan Waiver will have access to the new services based on their assessed needs. Together, the additions expand Delaware’s continuum of home-and-community based services by providing specialized behavioral health supports and technology that helps people remain safe and thrive in their homes and communities.
“These new services reflect our commitment to continually strengthen the supports available to the people we serve,” DDDS Director Jody Roberts said. “By expanding specialized behavioral health services and technology-based supports, we’re helping more Delawareans with intellectual and developmental disabilities live safely, independently and successfully in their homes and communities.”
Two of the new services were successfully piloted using federal funding provided through the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA). These pilots allowed Delaware to test and refine the programs while demonstrating their effectiveness, ultimately leading to their permanent inclusion in the Lifespan Waiver.
“Families have long needed more options when a loved one experiences a behavioral health crisis,” DDDS Advisory Council Chair Terri Hancarick said. “Traditional inpatient psychiatric services often don’t meet the needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, leaving families with few good options. These new services, along with expanded technology supports, will make a meaningful difference for individuals and their families.”
To learn more about the new programs visit Delaware Health and Social Services online
