CT Disability Services: DDS, Medicaid Waivers, and ABLE Accounts

Connecticut disability services run through three main state agencies: the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, the Department of Aging and Disability Services (ADS) for vocational rehabilitation and services for the blind, and the Department of Social Services (DSS) for Medicaid coverage and home- and community-based waivers. Children have their own early intervention and special education tracks, a state-sponsored savings program lets people with disabilities build assets without losing benefits, and a federally mandated advocacy agency handles rights violations. Which door you knock on depends on the disability, the person’s age, and what you need.

Where to Start If You Don’t Know Where to Start

Two front doors handle almost any question. Dialing 211, or visiting 211ct.org, connects you with the United Way of Connecticut’s clearinghouse, whose eLibrary covers ADA rights, special education, Social Security, assistive technology, respite care, adaptive driver training, and housing.¹

MyPlaceCT.org, a free portal sponsored by DSS, is aimed at older adults and people with disabilities looking into long-term care. It asks about your situation and returns tailored guidance on in-home care, home modifications, transportation, housing, Medicaid options, and providers. Phone support is also available through 211.²

DDS: Services for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

The Department of Developmental Services partners with individuals who have intellectual and developmental disabilities, their families, and community organizations. DDS is headquartered at 460 Capitol Avenue in Hartford and operates through regional offices across the state.³ Supports include case management, community living, employment and day programs, residential services, health and clinical services, transportation, and recreation. DDS also runs Camp Harkness in Waterford, a state park dedicated to residents with disabilities and their families.⁴

Who Qualifies

DDS serves people diagnosed with an intellectual disability, individuals over age three with autism, and children under three through the Birth to Three system. People who previously received DDS services can also apply for re-evaluation. The clinical review looks at intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior, with eligibility criteria that include an IQ at or below 69.⁵⁶

A self-direction option lets individuals hire and manage their own staff, choose their services, and purchase goods or equipment themselves.⁴

DDS Medicaid Waivers

Under state law, you must enroll in a waiver to receive DDS services. DDS administers three home- and community-based Medicaid waivers authorized under Section 1915(c) of the Social Security Act: the Comprehensive Supports Waiver, the Individual and Family Support Waiver, and the Employment and Day Supports Waiver. Each sets service dollar limits based on an assessed Level of Need, and the federal government reimburses roughly half the cost.⁷

To qualify, a person must be a DDS participant, have Medicaid or be Medicaid-eligible, require a level of care that would otherwise mean institutionalization, want to live in the community, and need at least one waiver service. For applicants over 18, only the individual’s assets count toward the $1,600 limit, not the family’s.⁸

Waitlists and How to Apply

Demand regularly outpaces slots. As of December 2023, just over 2,000 people were on the waitlist for autism waivers alone, and roughly 260 people were moved off that waitlist and assigned a case manager between January 2022 and December 2023. As of March 2024, another 61 people were waiting for employment and day programs.⁶

When openings occur, DDS notifies individuals through the Regional Planning and Resource Allocation Process (PRAT). People already receiving services who want to look into waiver enrollment should contact their assigned case manager. New applicants can reach the Central Eligibility Intake for Services at 866-433-8192.⁸

Vocational Rehabilitation and Services for the Blind

The Department of Aging and Disability Services houses the state’s employment-focused disability bureaus.⁹

Bureau of Rehabilitation Services

The Bureau of Rehabilitation Services (BRS) provides government-funded vocational rehabilitation for people with serious physical or mental disabilities that create barriers to employment. Services include career counseling, job-skills training, job-search help, and development of an Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) that spells out career goals and the supports needed to reach them.¹⁰

Eligibility requires a physical or mental disability that creates employment barriers, along with a demonstrated need for help getting or keeping a job. Determinations typically take up to 60 days, and BRS covers the cost of any required medical or professional evaluations. Students aged 16 to 22 who receive special education may qualify for the Level Up program, which supports the transition out of school.¹¹

Bureau of Education and Services for the Blind

BRS does not serve people who are legally blind. That population is covered by the Bureau of Education and Services for the Blind (BESB), which provides counseling, legal benefits explanation, low vision rehabilitation, and job training. BESB can be reached at 860-602-4000.¹¹

Applying for SSDI or SSI

ADS also houses Connecticut’s Disability Determination Services, which evaluates the medical eligibility of residents applying for Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income. Applications go through the federal Social Security Administration first, which then sends them to the state for medical review. Processing typically takes six to eight months.¹²

Medicaid Programs Through DSS

The Department of Social Services runs the Medicaid programs most adults with disabilities rely on for healthcare and in-home care.

HUSKY C

HUSKY C is the Medicaid program for people who are aged, blind, or disabled. Applicants must be 65 or older or have a disability, be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, have income below the state threshold, and hold assets below $1,600 for an individual or $2,400 for a couple. You can apply online at connect.ct.gov, in person at a local DSS office, or by mail using the W-1E form.¹³

MED-Connect for Working Adults

MED-Connect extends Medicaid to employed people with disabilities. Enrollees earning up to $75,000 per year qualify for full Medicaid and HUSKY Health coverage, so working doesn’t force a choice between a paycheck and benefits.⁹

Community First Choice

Community First Choice (CFC) is a state plan service created under the Affordable Care Act that funds personal attendant care and other in-home supports. To qualify, you must be an active Medicaid member, meet an institutional level of care, and be able to self-direct your services. Participants hire and manage their own staff, which can include friends and certain family members, and the state runs criminal background checks on potential hires. People already receiving self-directed personal care through a waiver transition automatically to CFC for covered services, and individuals on the personal care attendant waiver waitlist who have active Medicaid can apply.¹⁴

Other DSS Waivers

Beyond the DDS waivers, DSS oversees several other Medicaid home- and community-based waivers:

The Katie Beckett Waiver provides Medicaid coverage for children with severe disabilities or illnesses, funding nursing, therapies, and medical equipment for home-based care. Participation is capped at 342. As of August 2025, 319 children were on the waitlist, and the typical wait was about five years, with spots generally opening only when a child ages out at 22 or dies. DSS is developing a five-year plan to eliminate the waitlist.¹⁵
Two Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Waivers serve adults ages 18 to 64 with acquired brain injuries. ABI Waiver I is currently closed to new participants. ABI Waiver II remains open and covers case management, personal care assistance, respite, transportation, vocational support, assistive technology, and home modifications. Applicants must be Medicaid-eligible and meet an institutional level of care.¹⁶
The Personal Care Assistance Waiver serves individuals with physical disabilities ages 18 to 64.
The Mental Health Waiver serves individuals with mental illness ages 22 and older.

The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services maintains a full list of Connecticut’s active Medicaid waivers.¹⁷

Services for Children

Birth to Three

The Connecticut Birth to Three System provides early intervention for children under age three who have a significant developmental delay identified through standardized testing or a physician-diagnosed condition likely to cause a delay. The program operates under Part C of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Professional teams evaluate children in the home across cognitive, communication, social and emotional, physical, and adaptive skills, and children 16 months or older are also screened for autism.¹⁸

Eligible children receive an Individualized Family Service Plan built around the family’s priorities. Services happen in natural settings like the home or childcare and can include speech-language pathology, developmental therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and social work. There is no cost to families. To make a referral, call 1-800-505-7000 or dial 211.¹⁹

Special Education for School-Age Children

Once a child enters school, the Connecticut State Department of Education’s Bureau of Special Education oversees IDEA Part B services. The bureau monitors local districts, including random unannounced onsite visits that review IEP documents, observe classrooms, and interview staff and parents. Districts are categorized annually on a scale from “Meets Requirements” to “Needs Substantial Intervention.”²⁰

In 2025, the legislature unanimously passed House Bill 5001, an omnibus special education reform law. It raised the age for a developmental delay diagnosis from 5 to 8, established licensure standards for private special education providers, standardized due process hearings for disputes between parents and school districts, and allocated an additional $60 million over two fiscal years to expand in-district special education. Private providers were barred from raising rates in the upcoming school year, and the state was directed to define “reasonable costs” for therapies and create a rate schedule.²¹

ABLE CT Accounts: Saving Without Losing Benefits

The ABLE CT program, sponsored by the state and administered by the Office of the State Treasurer, lets people with disabilities save in a tax-advantaged account without losing SSI or Medicaid eligibility. The disability must have been present before age 46, and the account owner must either be eligible for SSI or SSDI, be determined blind under the Social Security Act, or have a physician’s written diagnosis of a condition with marked severe functional limitations expected to last at least 12 months.²²

The annual contribution limit is $20,000. Employed account owners can contribute additional amounts up to the lesser of the federal poverty level for a one-person household or their gross wages. The overall account cap is $300,000. Connecticut residents receive a state income tax deduction for contributions, capped at $5,000 for single filers and $10,000 for joint filers. Account balances of $100,000 or less are excluded from the SSI resource limit, and Medicaid eligibility continues regardless of the balance. Qualified expenses include education, housing, transportation, healthcare, assistive technology, employment training, and personal support services.²³

Centers for Independent Living

Connecticut has five Centers for Independent Living (CILs), community-based organizations run and administered by people with disabilities. They serve as a single point of access regardless of disability type and provide five core services: peer support from counselors who have disabilities themselves, information and referral, transition services for people leaving facilities or finishing high school, advocacy, and independent living skills training covering money management, housing, and personal assistants.²⁴

The five centers are Access Independence in Stratford, the Center for Disability Rights in West Haven, Independence Unlimited in Hartford, the Disabilities Network of Eastern Connecticut in Norwich, and Independence Northwest in Naugatuck.²⁵

Disability Rights Connecticut

If you believe someone’s rights have been violated or they have been abused or neglected, Disability Rights Connecticut (DRCT) is the federally mandated Protection and Advocacy agency for the state. DRCT is authorized to investigate reports of abuse and neglect in facilities and community settings, monitor service providers, access records, and meet privately with individuals to interview victims and witnesses.²⁶

DRCT operates several federally funded programs: the Client Assistance Program for vocational rehabilitation clients, PADD for people with developmental disabilities, PAIMI for people with mental illness, PATBI for people with brain injuries, PAAT for assistive technology access, PAVA for voting rights, and PABSS for Social Security beneficiaries seeking employment. The organization also conducts compliance reviews of representative payees on behalf of the Social Security Administration.²⁶

1
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2
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4
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CT.gov DSS. CFC More Information
15
CT Insider. Katie Beckett Waiver Waitlist for Medicaid
16
MyPlaceCT. Acquired Brain Injury Waiver
17
Medicaid.gov. Connecticut Waiver Descriptions and Factsheets
18
CT Office of Early Childhood. Birth to Three
19
Birth23.org. Connecticut Birth to Three System
20
CT.gov. Bureau of Special Education Newsletter
21
CT Mirror. CT Special Education Bill Full Passage
22
ABLE CT. ABLE CT Plan Benefits
23
ABLE National Resource Center. Connecticut ABLE State Review
24
CT.gov. Independent Living Program
25
Connecticut Association of Centers for Independent Living. Centers for Independent Living
26
Disability Rights Connecticut. Programs and Services