Funding reference

Which Medicaid waiver pays for supported living — by state

Name: Medicaid HCBS waivers that fund supported living and supported homes, by U.S. state
Creator: Mai Heaven
License: https://maiheaven.com/terms

A plain reference for case managers and families in our nine states. Medicaid usually pays for the services in a supported-living home (through an HCBS waiver), not the room and board. Here are the main waivers, and the official agency to verify eligibility and the waitlist.

Read this first. Waiver names, eligibility rules, and waitlists change, and each person's situation is different. Use this as a starting map, then verify with the linked state agency — the authoritative source. This page is educational and is not eligibility advice. Not sure which stream fits? Try our free Placement Funding Finder.

Medicaid HCBS waivers that fund supported-living / supported-home *services* (room & board is usually SSI; Medicare does not pay). Verify with each state agency.
State	Main HCBS waiver(s)	Official agency	Waitlist
North Carolina	NC Innovations Waiver (IDD)	NC Medicaid / DHB	Yes — Registry of Unmet Needs
Tennessee	Employment & Community First (ECF) CHOICES (IDD); TennCare CHOICES (aging/physical)	TennCare	Managed enrollment
Georgia	New Options Waiver (NOW); Comprehensive Supports Waiver (COMP)	GA DBHDD	Yes — planning list
Virginia	DD Waivers: Community Living (CL), Family & Individual Supports (FIS), Building Independence (BI); CCC Plus / Cardinal Care (aging/disability)	VA DBHDS / DMAS	Yes — priority tiers
Delaware	Lifespan Waiver (IDD); Diamond State Health Plan-Plus (LTSS)	DE DDDS	Verify current status
Arizona	Arizona Long Term Care System (ALTCS) — an entitlement	AHCCCS / DES-DDD	No multi-year waitlist for those who qualify
Florida	iBudget Florida Waiver (IDD); Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care (aging/disability)	FL APD	Yes — significant iBudget waitlist
Arkansas	Community and Employment Supports (CES) Waiver, 1915(c) (IDD)	AR DHS / Division of Developmental Disabilities Services	Client-side waitlist; provider enrollment is continuously open
Ohio	Individual Options (IO) Waiver; Level One; SELF (IDD)	Ohio DODD / Ohio Medicaid	Yes — county-level waitlists (not an entitlement)

North Carolina

IDD: the NC Innovations Waiver (managed through the Medicaid Tailored Plans / LME-MCOs). Room & board is typically SSI. There is a long Innovations waitlist (the "Registry of Unmet Needs").

Verify: NC Medicaid / DHB — medicaid.ncdhhs.gov; NC DHHS Developmental Disabilities — ncdhhs.gov.

Tennessee

IDD: Employment and Community First (ECF) CHOICES is the current path for new enrollment (the older 1915(c) IDD waivers are closed to new members). Aging / physical disability: TennCare CHOICES.

Verify: TennCare — tn.gov/tenncare; TN Dept. of Disability & Aging — tn.gov/disability-and-aging.

Georgia

IDD: the New Options Waiver (NOW) and the Comprehensive Supports Waiver Program (COMP), run by DBHDD. There is a waitlist (planning list).

Verify: GA DBHDD — dbhdd.georgia.gov; GA Medicaid — medicaid.georgia.gov.

Virginia

DD/IDD: the three DD Waivers — Community Living (CL), Family and Individual Supports (FIS), and Building Independence (BI). Aging / disability: the CCC Plus / Cardinal Care Waiver. There is a DD waiver waitlist (priority tiers).

Verify: VA DBHDS — dbhds.virginia.gov; VA DMAS (Cardinal Care) — dmas.virginia.gov.

Delaware

IDD: the Lifespan Waiver (DHSS Division of Developmental Disabilities Services). Managed long-term services also run through Diamond State Health Plan-Plus. Delaware is an open-network state (no multi-year DD waitlist of the kind some states have — verify current status).

Verify: DE DDDS — dhss.delaware.gov/ddds; DE Medicaid — dhss.delaware.gov/dmma.

Arizona

The flagship no-waitlist state. Long-term care is an entitlement through the Arizona Long Term Care System (ALTCS); IDD services run through DES/DDD. Because ALTCS is an entitlement, there is no multi-year waitlist for those who qualify.

Verify: AHCCCS (ALTCS) — azahcccs.gov; AZ DES/DDD — des.az.gov/DDD.

Florida

IDD: the iBudget Florida Waiver (Agency for Persons with Disabilities). Aging / disability: Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care (SMMC LTC). There is a significant iBudget waitlist.

Verify: FL APD (iBudget) — apd.myflorida.com; FL AHCA / SMMC — ahca.myflorida.com.

Arkansas

IDD: the Community and Employment Supports (CES) Waiver, a 1915(c) waiver run by DHS/DDS. Provider enrollment is continuously open (no application windows); there is a client-side waitlist for the waiver itself.

Verify: AR DHS Division of Developmental Disabilities Services — humanservices.arkansas.gov/dds.

Ohio

IDD: the Individual Options (IO) Waiver is the comprehensive residential path, alongside the more limited Level One and SELF waivers, run by DODD. IO is not an entitlement — every county keeps its own waitlist, though provider agency certification itself is open and fast (approve/deny within ~30 days of a complete application).

Verify: Ohio Dept. of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) — dodd.ohio.gov; Ohio Medicaid — medicaid.ohio.gov.

What Medicaid usually does and doesn't pay

Services (staff support, care coordination): usually the HCBS waiver above.
Room & board: usually SSI, or a VA program for veterans — Medicaid generally does not pay room and board in a supported home.
Medicare does not pay supported-home room and board.

Full plain-language page for each state (waiver, waitlist reality, how to apply): North Carolina · Tennessee · Georgia · Virginia · Delaware · Arizona · Florida · Texas.

More: the free Placement Funding Finder, the touring & vetting checklist, and who to call today, by state. For referring professionals: how to refer.

Mai Heaven builds small, permanent supported homes. This reference is free help regardless of us. When a home opens, we'll say which waiver a placement fits — or that it's unresolved.