What Programs Are Available To Assist People With Disabilities in Utah?

Is there a Medicaid waiver program in Utah? Utah has several waivers including:

  • Community Supports Waiver for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities or Other Related Conditions
  • Medicaid Autism Waiver
  • Waiver for Technology Dependent, Medically Fragile Individuals:
  • Acquired Brain Injury;
  • New Choices Waiver
  • Medically Complex Children's Waiver
  • Physical Disabilities Waiver
  • Aging Waiver (For Individuals Age 65 or Older)

What state department operates the Medicaid waiver program in Utah? The Division of Services for People with Disabilities (DSPD) serves children and adults who have intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities, brain injuries, and autism. The Division of Services for People with Disabilities (Division or DSPD) is part of the Utah Department of Human Services.

What programs assist people who have developmental disabilities in Utah? The Community Supports Waiver is for individuals with intellectual disabilities or other related conditions.

What is the best number to call to get started? Anyone seeking to apply for services from the Division should call the toll-free number 1-877-568-0084 and ask for an Intake Worker. The Intake Worker will gather information to begin the process of determining eligibility.

Is there a website? http://www.hsdspd.state.ut.us/

Who Qualifies For Assistance?

What is considered a developmental disability in Utah? An intellectual disability is a disorder in which a person’s overall intellectual functioning is well below average – an intelligence quotient (IQ) of 70 or less. Individuals with intellectual disability have a significantly impaired ability to cope with common life demands and lack some daily living skills expected of people in their age group and culture. To be eligible for services, the person’s disability must result in a substantial functional limitation in three or more of the following areas of major life activity:
- Self-care
- Receptive and Expressive Language
- Learning
- Mobility
- Self-direction
- Capacity to Live Independently
-Capacity to Become Economically Self-sufficient

Are there income limits to receive services? To receive waiver services, income is limited to 300% of the SSI Federal Benefit Rate (FBR).

How old do you have to be to start receiving services? There are NO age restrictions for the Community Supports waiver.

Is There a Waiting List For Services?

How long is the waiting list in Utah? You can expect to wait over five years before getting Medicaid waiver services in Utah.

How many people are on the waiting list? The Division is not usually able to offer immediate services to eligible individuals so they are placed on a waiting list. Currently, there are just less than 1,900 people waiting for services for which funding is not available. Funding for services is determined by allocations from the Utah State Legislature each year.

How many people are currently receiving waiver services in Utah? The Division of Services for People with Disabilities oversees home and community-based services for more than 5,000 people who have disabilities.

Is there priority preference for people who are in crisis? Yes. The Division determines how critical the need for services is by using a standardized evaluation called the Needs Assessment. The Needs Assessment Tool establishes a “needs” score which indicates the level of need for DSPD service and determines a person’s ranking on the waiting list. The Utah State Legislature recently made changes to the way the Division uses funds designated to bring people off the waiting list. Eighty-five percent (85%) of those funds will go to those identified as having the most critical needs, while fifteen percent (15%) will now go to those persons who are waiting for only respite services.

What Services Are Offered & What Are The Service Limitations?

What services does the Utah Medicaid waiver program offer? DSPD provides a great number of varied services intended to help people with disabilities participate more fully in their communities and lead more self-determined lives. Some of the more common categories of services include: Behavior Supports; Chore Services; Companion Services; Day Services; Environmental Adaptations; Financial Management Services; Host Home Services; Professional Parent Supports; Residential Habilitation Supports; Respite Care; Support Coordination; Supported Employment; Supported Living; and Transportation Services.

Does Utah offer community group homes? Yes, Utah offers Residential Habilitation Supports and Host Homes.

Does Utah offer supported living? Yes. 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.

Are there still state owned institutions in Utah? Utah has one large state facility. The Division of Services for People with Disabilities provides services to just over 200 people at the Utah State Developmental Center (USDC), a state operated Intermediate Care Facility for people with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF/ID). USDC is Utah’s only state-operated intermediate care facility for people with intellectual disabilities (ICF/ID), which is a 24-hour institutional setting. The Center offers intensive medical, behavioral, psychological and dental services to those over age 18. Admissions are limited and require an intensive screening or a court commitment process.

How Do You Select A Provider?

Do waiver providers work for the state? No. The Intellectual Disability or Brain Injury Waiver services you receive through the Division may be provided by a provider agency (a company that works under contract with the Division). Another option is Self-Administered Services (SAS), which offers an alternative to Agency-Based Provider Services by allowing people with disabilities and their families to select services that are provided within their home

About how many waiver providers are there in Utah? There are 40 waiver providers in Utah. There are 25 support coordinator agencies.

Do you have a choice in providers? Yes, in Utah you are encouraged to select your own waiver providers.

How Do You Become A Provider?

Utah imposes a $300 fee to submit a provider application. Call (801) 538-4242 for more information about become a Utah Medicaid waiver provider.

Additional Information

Utah’s Family to Family Network is a grassroots volunteer network composed of family leaders in various communities across Utah who have a relative with a disability that is supported by the Division of Services for People with Disabilities. The mission of the Family to Family Networks is to educate, strengthen and support families of persons with disabilities.

UT Providers

Utah Providers

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Utah Association of Community Services (UACS) 801-554-5442
Serving Utah
Over 40 private provider agencies that serve over 5,000 people with developmental and other types of disabilities in over 400 different locations throughout Utah.


Frontline Services (801) 280-8245
Serving Utah- Our Adult Foster Care program provides opportunities for the individual with a disability to live in a family environment that is consistent and supportive.


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