Applying for Disability Services

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The Division of Services for People with Disabilities provides a wide range of services to help those with disabilities participate more fully in their communities and lead self-determined lives.

Jade Elliott spoke with Jamie Douglas, Department of Human Services, about how parents of children with disabilities can apply for disability services.

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Community Supports Waiver

The Community Supports Waiver is available from birth throughout your life. The types of services that can be provided through this waiver include:

  • Behavior consultation: Behavior supports address serious behavior problems for people with disabilities. By focusing on sound principles of applied behavior analysis and on positive behavior supports, these services provide personalized behavior consultation to families and staff who support people with a range of serious to the most complex behavior problems that a person may exhibit.
  • Chore services: Chore services help maintain a clean, sanitary, and safe living environment for persons with disabilities who are unable to complete chore activities on their own
  • Companion services and personal assistance
  • Day supports: This is a non-medical care, supervision, and socialization service for functionally impaired adults. Companions assist or supervise such tasks as meal preparation, laundry, and shopping, but do not perform these services as discrete services.
  • Environmental adaptations: Environmental Adaptation services allow families to make physical alterations and adaptations to their home as needed to ensure the health and welfare of the individual, or enable the individual to function with greater independence in the home.
  • Financial management services: Financial Management Services are provided by a Fiscal Agent in connection with the Self-Administered Services Model. A Fiscal Agent is a company contracted with DSPD to handle employee payroll, including state and federal tax deductions. The fiscal agent will issue paychecks to employees who are delivering services based on approved timesheets
  • Non-medical transportation: DSPD provides a number of transportation options to help a person gain access to waiver and other community services, activities and resources. These may come in the form of UTA passes or paratransit to name a few and can often be modified to meet a person’s individual needs.
  • Respite care: Respite care is care provided by a trained person that temporarily relieves parents or caregivers from the day-to-day care they provide to the individual with disabilities. It can be provided in the family’s home, in the home of the respite provider or in a specialized facility, depending on the needs and preferences of the family or individual
  • Supported employment: Supported Employment includes job development, placement, intensive on-the-job training, and supervision by a job coach. It is intended for those people who may not be able to work in the community without some form of support, but does not rise to the same level of supervision as Day Services.
  • Supported living: Supported living provides support, supervision, socialization, personal care, training and assistance in order to help people live as independently as possible. This service is often for those who live alone in their own homes, with roommates, or a spouse and includes help with various activities of daily living necessary for an individual to maintain a self-directed life within the community.
  • And more.

Waitlist

The most important thing for parents to know is to get on the waitlist as soon as possible. The waitlist is NOT first-come, first served—it’s based on need. However, you can’t just call and get on the waitlist. You have to complete your intake packet and be approved before you will be added to the waitlist.

Important things to know about the waitlist:

  •  The waitlist is based on need. It’s not first-come, first served. People are placed on the waitlist according to a needs assessment— those with the most need for services are given priority, no matter when they apply.
  •  The quicker you apply for one of these waivers, the better.
  •  Getting on the waiting list is the first, most important step to be able to get these services.
  •  If your application is approved, you’ll be placed on the waitlist.

Eligibility – Who can apply?

The Community Supports Waiver provides services for people with an intellectual or developmental disability or a related condition, like Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

  •  To qualify for a Community Supports Waiver, you must have a medical diagnosis from a medical doctor, or an MD.
  1.  If your child has a diagnosis of Intellectual Disability (ID) or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the diagnosis must show the condition began during the developmental period. You must have testing to support the diagnosis or a diagnosis from a medical professional with a PhD or PsyD.
  •  Have at least 3 out of 6 functional limitations, or things that make it harder to live a full life:
  1.  Self Care : An applicant who requires assistance, training, and/or supervision with eating, dressing, grooming, bathing or toileting.
  2.  Expressive or receptive language: An applicant who lacks functional communication skills , requires the use of assistive devices to communicate, or does not demonstrate an understanding of requests or is unable to follow two-step instructions.
  3.  Learning: An applicant who has a valid diagnosis of an Intellectual Disability based on the criteria found in the current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).
  4.  Mobility: An applicant with mobility impairment who requires the use of an assistive device to be mobile and who cannot physically self-evacuate from a building during an emergency without the device.
  5.  Self-Direction: An applicant who is significantly at risk in making age appropriate decisions. A person who is a significant danger to self or others without supervision.
  6.  Capacity for Independent Living: An applicant who is unable to locate and use a telephone, cross streets safely, or understand that it is not safe to accept rides, food or money from strangers.

• Your child may also be eligible if he or she has a medical diagnosis with an additional condition that would result in a developmental delay.

How do I apply for a Community Supports Waiver?

There are 3 ways to apply for a Community Supports Waiver:

  1.  Call 1-844-275-3773 to talk to an intake worker
  2.  Apply online at www.mysteps.utah.gov
  3.  Print the intake packet and email your completed packet to dspdintake@utah.gov

Other resources