Resource Guide
Kansas HCBS Waivers, Decoded
Kansas runs several home and community-based services waivers. Which one fits, or whether any fits at all, depends on diagnosis, age, and functional need. This guide walks through the four waivers families meet most often, in plain language.
Why there are multiple waivers
Kansas does not run a single home and community-based services (HCBS) program. It runs several, each authorized under a different federal “waiver” that lets Medicaid pay for services in a person's own home and community instead of an institution. Each waiver is scoped to a specific population (defined by diagnosis, age, and functional need) and funds a different (though overlapping) set of services.
That is why families applying for HCBS are first asked which waiver they are seeking. The wrong answer routes you to the wrong intake line, the wrong case manager, and the wrong waiting list. The four waivers below cover the populations Servants Mission and adjacent providers work with most. Which one fits, if any, is a question for your CDDO (for I/DD and AU) or KDADS / your Area Agency on Aging (for TBI and FE). We've linked each authority below.
I/DD Waiver (Intellectual / Developmental Disability)
The I/DD Waiver is the largest Kansas HCBS waiver and the primary waiver Servants Mission serves. It is scoped to Kansans with an intellectual or developmental disability that originated before age 22, results in substantial functional limitations in at least three major life activities, and is expected to continue indefinitely. Medicaid financial eligibility applies on top of the clinical criteria.
Services funded under the I/DD Waiver include residential supports, supported employment, day services, personal care assistance, respite, supportive home care, and assistive technology. The specific mix is built into the Individual Support Plan (ISP) during CDDO intake and revisited annually with your Targeted Case Manager (TCM).
The waiting list for the I/DD Waiver is significant in Kansas, long enough that the right time to apply is as early as a family suspects eligibility, not when services are acutely needed. Contact your regional CDDO for a current estimate. At the age-of-majority transition (age 18), eligibility and the services landscape shift; the CDDO path explainer covers what that conversation looks like.
AU Waiver (Autism)
The Autism (AU) Waiver is age-capped and narrower in scope than the I/DD Waiver. It funds intensive early-intervention services (including parent training, consultative clinical time, and interpersonal communication therapy) for children with an autism diagnosis, up to an age ceiling set by KDADS. The goal is time-limited intensive support during a developmental window where it yields the largest long-term functional gains.
Many families whose child is on the AU Waiver will eventually transition to the I/DD Waiver if the child meets I/DD eligibility (especially if intellectual disability is part of the diagnostic picture). That transition is not automatic; your CDDO and TCM manage it. If your child does not meet I/DD eligibility at the AU age ceiling, other supports may still apply; ask your TCM to walk through options before the cap is reached.
TBI Waiver (Traumatic Brain Injury)
The TBI Waiver funds rehabilitation and community-integration supports for Kansans with a documented traumatic brain injury that results in substantial functional limitations. Services include cognitive rehabilitation, transitional living supports, assistive services, and supported employment geared toward post-injury re-integration.
Servants Mission occasionally serves TBI Waiver clients where their care plan overlaps with our I/DD service model, but TBI is not our primary population. If you are navigating a TBI diagnosis specifically and looking for a provider with TBI-first expertise, your first call should be to KDADS HCBS (opens in new tab) or the Brain Injury Association of Kansas & Greater Kansas City (opens in new tab) rather than to us.
FE Waiver (Frail Elderly)
The FE Waiver funds in-home supports, adult day health, personal care, and care coordination for Kansans age 65 and older who meet nursing-facility level of care. It is administered through the Area Agencies on Aging network, and intake is different from the I/DD / AU / TBI path: you contact your regional Area Agency on Aging directly, not a CDDO.
Servants Mission does not serve the Frail Elderly population. We include this waiver here because families occasionally land on this page while researching support for an aging parent and we want to point them to the correct next step. The Kansas Commission on Aging (opens in new tab) and the Kansas Association of Area Agencies on Aging (opens in new tab) are the right starting points.
What to do next
Knowing the waiver name is only half the work. The next step is intake through your local authority: a CDDO for the I/DD or AU Waivers, or KDADS or an Area Agency on Aging for TBI and FE. Our CDDO path explainer walks through what that intake looks like step by step, including what documents to bring and what a TCM does. For the federal-law entitlements that apply once you are receiving services, our HCBS Final Rule guide is the complement.
Related resources
CDDO Path Explainer
The step-by-step flow from "I think my loved one qualifies" through CDDO intake, TCM assignment, and provider choice.
RegulationHCBS Final Rule: What It Means in Kansas
The five specific entitlements the Final Rule creates (privacy, roommate choice, lockable door, food access, visitors) once a waiver is active.
RightsYour Rights as an HCBS Recipient in Kansas
Federal and Kansas-specific rights every HCBS recipient holds, plus the escalation paths when they are not being honored.