KANSAS
D-Kansas's system, honestly. A letter grade is a summary, not a verdict on your family — a low grade doesn't mean nothing is available, it means the path is narrower. What's behind it is below.
Do this first
Contact your local CDDO — the Community Developmental Disability Organization for your county — and ask to start intake. Eligibility has two parts, program eligibility and then a functional assessment, and the waitlist date is set when that is done, so start it even if the person is only just 5. Then treat the Community Supports Waiver as a decision rather than an offer: it has no waitlist and can start soon, but KDADS is explicit that enrolling means giving up your I/DD Waiver waitlist spot and that you cannot return to the I/DD Waiver directly. With the I/DD wait running at roughly nine years, that is a one-way door, and the right answer depends entirely on whether the person will ever need 24-hour paid support. Ask your CDDO to walk you through both before you sign anything.
Last verified 2026-07-03
HOW WE GRADE KANSAS
Full methodology (v2.1) →Kansas's strongest area is waiver program count & breadth; what pulls the grade down most is hcbs spending per capita.
Waitlist Burden
30% of grade30/100158 people waiting per 100,000 residents
Nobody waiting scores 100. 225 per 100,000 scores 0.
Source:KFF State Health Facts, People Waiting for HCBS by Target … (FY2025 (KFF Medicaid HCBS Waiver Program Survey, FY 2025))US Census Bureau Vintage 2025 state population estimates (2025-07)
HCBS Spending Per Capita
25% of grade21/100$300 spent per resident
$200 per resident scores 0. $675 scores 100.
Source:CMS / Mathematica — Medicaid LTSS Annual Expenditures and … (CY2023)
Self-Direction Index
20% of grade50/10050 out of 100 on the self-direction index
Scored directly on its own 0–100 scale.
Source:CMS approved 1915(c) waiver application (2026-08-05)CMS approved 1915(c) waiver application (2026-08-05)
Waiver Program Count & Breadth
15% of grade75/10075 out of 100 on program breadth
Scored directly on its own 0–100 scale.
- No authoritative national roster of 1915(i) adopters exists; scored as absent where unconfirmed.
Source:Medicaid.gov State Waivers List, Authority=1915(c), Status… (Section 1915(c) counts: Medicaid.gov State Waivers List retrieved 2026-08-05. Target populations & 1915(k): KFF Medicaid HCBS Survey 2025 (FY2025). 1915(i): CMS SPA database retrieved 2026-08-05.)KFF Medicaid Home Care (HCBS) in 2025, Appendix Table 2 (Section 1915(c) counts: Medicaid.gov State Waivers List retrieved 2026-08-05. Target populations & 1915(k): KFF Medicaid HCBS Survey 2025 (FY2025). 1915(i): CMS SPA database retrieved 2026-08-05.)KFF Medicaid Home Care (HCBS) in 2025, Appendix Table 1 (Section 1915(c) counts: Medicaid.gov State Waivers List retrieved 2026-08-05. Target populations & 1915(k): KFF Medicaid HCBS Survey 2025 (FY2025). 1915(i): CMS SPA database retrieved 2026-08-05.)
Each factor is scored against a fixed bar, not against the other states, so Kansas's grade moves when Kansas moves. Think we have it wrong? Every number above links to its source — email hello@spectrumpathways.ai and we will correct it in public.
WHAT THINGS ARE CALLED IN KANSAS
Use these exact words when you search, call, or fill out forms — they're what Kansas's own offices use.
- Medicaid here is
- KanCare
- The DD agency is
- Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS)
- You contact
- Community Developmental Disability Organization (CDDO)
- The plan is
- Person-Centered Support Plan
- Self-direction is
- Self-Directed Servicescontrolling your own budget and hiring your own people
- A denial arrives as a
- Notice of Actionthe letter that gives you the right to appeal
WHO TO CONTACT, IN ORDER
Five different offices, and they don't talk to each other. Disability services, health coverage, and income each run through a separate agency — applying to one does not start the others. Ask each office for the name of the person you spoke to and write down the date; if something is later denied, that record is what an appeal is built on.
- 1
Developmental disability services
This is the office that decides whether your child is eligible for disability services. Ask for "intake" or "eligibility determination" by name. In Kansas, you contact Community Developmental Disability Organization (CDDO).
- 2
Health coverage — KanCare
Almost every waiver and personal-care route requires this first, and it is decided by a different office from the one above. Apply in parallel rather than waiting.
- 3
Help at home, and who can be paid for it
Unless you say otherwise, services come the traditional way: the agency picks and pays the providers. Self-direction — where you get a budget and hire your own people — is opt-in almost everywhere and is not offered automatically. Here it is called Self-Directed Services. Ask for it by that name.
- 4
Income — SSI
Federal, so it's the same everywhere: 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778). There is no minimum age — you can apply for a newborn. Until 18, the parents' income is deemed to the child, so an early denial is usually about that rather than the child's disability. In many states an SSI award also opens Medicaid automatically — ask when you call.
- 5
If you get told no
Every state has a Protection & Advocacy agency by federal law — free legal help on disability services and appeals. Most families never hear of it, and it is the number to have before a deadline, not after. Yours is Disability Rights Center of Kansas.
Disability Rights Center of Kansas · 1-877-776-1541
RUNNING IT YOURSELF
In many states you can control the budget and hire your own people — including, sometimes, family. Most families are never told this is an option. Here's what we've verified for Kansas; where we haven't verified an answer we say so — it does not mean the answer is no, and it is worth asking.
Can you control the budget?
Not verified yet — ask, don't assume the answer is no.
Can a family member be paid to provide care?
Not verified yet — ask, don't assume the answer is no.
Who is legally the employer of the people you hire?
You are, and in Kansas it is framed as a right — since 1989 anyone 16 or older receiving personal care services may choose whether to self-direct and may choose their own attendant. For I/DD, your CDDO points you to a financial management service
How freely can money move between services?
Not verified yet — ask, don't assume the answer is no.
Can the budget buy things, not just staff time?
Not verified yet — ask, don't assume the answer is no.
Is your case manager independent of your providers?
Not yet, but it is coming — KDADS lists conflict-free case management as one of the changes it is implementing alongside the new Community Supports Waiver. Ask where your waiver stands on it
Deadlines reflect this state’s rules as researched; they can change — always confirm the current deadline with your state agency or Protection & Advocacy office before relying on it.
HOW TO GET SERVICES & APPEAL IN KANSAS
- Managed care (KanCare I/DD waiver): MCO internal appeal (must be received within 33 days of the Notice of Action)
- State Fair Hearing with OAH within 30 days (+3 if mailed = 33) of the notice or of the MCO's appeal-resolution notice
KEY AGENCIES & RESOURCES
NOTABLE WAIVERS
I/DD Waiver
SourceChildren and adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities.
Waitlist: ~10-year waitlist historically — sign up through your CDDO immediately.
Physical Disability Waiver
SourceAdults 16-64 with physical disabilities.
Waitlist: Waitlist shorter than I/DD; verify with KDADS.
SED Waiver
SourceChildren with serious emotional disturbance.
Waitlist: No lengthy waitlist — apply through community mental health centers.
Technology Assisted (TA) Waiver
SourceMedically fragile, technology-dependent children.
Waitlist: Apply through KDADS; no traditional waitlist.
Full milestone guide
View the Kansas Roadmap →
Six age-based stages — state-correct programs, benefits, and milestones from birth through adulthood.
