Connecticut Disability Group Home and Residential Services Through DDS

The Reality of Residential Services in Connecticut

Residential placement through the Connecticut Department of Developmental Services is the benefit families ask about most and the one the system delivers least reliably. Unlike school-based services — which are mandated entitlements under IDEA — residential supports are subject to state appropriations, priority-based waitlists, and a Level of Need assessment that determines support needs and funding level.

Understanding how the system actually works, rather than how families hope it works, is the starting point for realistic planning.

Types of Residential Options Through DDS

Connecticut DDS funds several residential models, but they all fall under two broad categories:

Community Living Arrangements (CLAs) / Group Homes: Licensed residential settings where individuals live with other DDS-eligible adults and receive 24-hour staffing. Group homes typically house 4 to 6 residents and are operated by private provider agencies contracted with DDS. The staff-to-resident ratio varies by the Level of Need scores of the residents — higher needs mean more staff.

Community Companion Homes: An individual with a disability lives with a family or individual in their private home (not the individual's own family). The companion home provider receives a stipend from DDS and provides daily living support. This model works well for individuals who thrive in a family setting but whose own family cannot provide full-time care.

Supported Living: For individuals with lower support needs, DDS can fund an apartment or home where the individual lives more independently, with staff visiting for specific hours rather than providing 24-hour coverage. The IFS waiver often funds this model.

Family Home: The individual continues living with their family, with DDS providing in-home support staff, respite care, and other services. This is the most common arrangement for younger adults transitioning from school, especially while waiting for a residential slot.

The Waiver That Funds Residential Placements

Residential group home placements are funded primarily through the Comprehensive Supports (COMP) waiver — the highest-tier HCBS waiver in Connecticut's DDS system. This waiver covers:

• 24-hour residential support in CLAs or group homes
• Intensive behavioral supports
• Nursing services
• Day and employment programming

The COMP waiver is designed for continuous 24-hour support or residential placement rather than the IFS waiver's approximately $59,000 annual cap. Slots are limited by legislative appropriation. You cannot self-refer into a COMP waiver slot — DDS determines placement based on the Level of Need assessment score and priority status.

The Employment and Day Supports (EDS) waiver is a separate program focused on vocational and daytime programming rather than residential placement. An individual can receive EDS waiver services while living at home or while receiving residential supports under a different funding stream. The EDS waiver covers supported employment, day habilitation, community-based activities, and employment-related transportation.

The Waitlist: Planning List vs. Waiting List

DDS maintains two distinct lists, and confusing them leads to unrealistic expectations:

The Planning List: For individuals categorized as having "future needs" — meaning they'll need services in two or more years. A family that applies when their child is 16, anticipating a residential need after graduation, typically lands here. Being on the Planning List means DDS has acknowledged the need but has no timeline for providing services.

The Waiting List: For individuals in "emergency" or "urgent" status who need services within one year. Emergency status is reserved for situations like caregiver death, caregiver hospitalization, or immediate safety concerns. Urgent status covers situations where the current living arrangement is deteriorating but not yet in crisis.

The numbers tell the story: as of the most recent DDS Management Information Report, 567 individuals are on the active Waiting List under emergency or urgent status for residential services, with an additional 675 on the Planning List. New funded slots open when the legislature appropriates money or when existing residents leave placements — neither happens on a predictable schedule.

What this means practically: Families who wait until a crisis to engage DDS for residential services are competing with hundreds of other families already on the Waiting List. Applying to the Planning List years in advance — even if the young adult doesn't need residential services yet — establishes the record and can accelerate the transition to Waiting List status when circumstances change.

The Level of Need Assessment

Every DDS-eligible individual undergoes a Level of Need (LON) assessment, scored on a scale of 1 to 8. This score directly determines funding levels and waiver allocations. The LON evaluates:

• Medical complexity: Chronic health conditions, medication management, nursing needs
• Behavioral risks: Self-injury, property destruction, aggression, elopement
• Psychiatric needs: Mental health diagnoses, psychotropic medication, crisis history
• Personal care: Assistance with eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, mobility

The LON is a functional assessment, not a cognitive one. An individual with a moderate intellectual disability but significant behavioral challenges may score higher than someone with a profound intellectual disability who is medically stable and behaviorally regulated.

Higher scores can support higher funding levels; residential priority is handled through DDS's emergency, urgent, and future-needs categories. Families should document every incident, hospitalization, emergency room visit, and behavioral crisis meticulously — the LON assessment relies heavily on documented history, and undocumented needs don't exist in the system's eyes.

Bridging the Gap: What to Do While Waiting

Most families face a gap between when their young adult needs residential services and when a funded slot opens. During this period:

IFS waiver services: If eligible for the Individual and Family Supports waiver, funding can cover in-home support staff, respite care, and other services that help the family sustain the current living arrangement while waiting.

IFS Grants: Even without a waiver slot, families can request one-time or ongoing grants through the DDS regional Helpline. These state-funded subsidies cover disability-related expenses, emergency respite, and temporary supports.

Room-and-board agreements: If the young adult remains in the family home, a formal room-and-board agreement preserves the full SSI Federal Benefit Rate by documenting that the individual contributes to household costs. Without this, SSA reduces the SSI payment by one-third.

Day and employment programming: The EDS waiver or DDS day programs provide structured activities during the day even when the individual lives at home, reducing caregiver burden and building the skills needed for eventual residential placement.

Planning for Residential Transition

The families that navigate residential placement most successfully share a common approach: they start the paperwork years early, document everything, and maintain ongoing communication with their DDS case manager about changing needs.

The Connecticut SSI at 18 & Adult Disability Benefits Guide includes a Level of Need preparation worksheet and an action tracker that coordinates DDS waiver applications with the SSI, Medicaid, and vocational rehabilitation timelines — because a residential placement that isn't backed by HUSKY C Medicaid and appropriate waiver funding can unravel as quickly as it was arranged.

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