FIS Waiver Virginia

What the FIS Waiver Covers

The Family and Individual Supports waiver is Virginia's most widely used DD waiver, designed for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities who live with family, friends, or in their own home. Unlike the Community Living waiver, FIS does not fund 24-hour group home placement. What it does fund is the layer of support that keeps people living in the community rather than in institutional settings.

Covered services include:

• Personal assistance — help with daily living activities like bathing, dressing, meal preparation
• Respite care — planned breaks for primary caregivers, both in-home and out-of-home
• Companion services — supervision and social engagement support
• Therapeutic consultation — behavioral and clinical services
• Assistive technology — devices and equipment that increase independence
• Environmental modifications — home adaptations like ramps, door widening, bathroom modifications
• Day support services — structured daytime programming
• Supported employment — job coaching and workplace supports
• Community engagement — support for participation in community activities

The waiver is available to both children and adults, which makes it the primary pathway for families who want to keep their child at home while accessing funded supports.

How to Apply for the FIS Waiver

The FIS waiver is not something you apply for directly. Access begins with a screening at the local Community Services Board, which is the sole gatekeeper to all three of Virginia's DD waivers.

Step 1: Contact your local CSB. Virginia has 40 CSBs across the state, organized by city or county. Find the one for your locality and request a developmental disability screening.

Step 2: Complete the VIDES assessment. A CSB Support Coordinator administers the Virginia Individual Developmental Disabilities Eligibility Survey in person. For adults 18 and older, the VIDES Adult version is used. The assessment evaluates functional capacity across eight categories, including self-care, learning, mobility, and self-direction. Adults must show substantial limitations in at least three of the eight categories to qualify.

Step 3: Priority classification. Based on the Priority Needs Checklist, the individual is assigned Priority 1, 2, or 3 on the statewide waitlist. Only Priority 1 individuals are eligible for active slot consideration by the local Waiver Slot Allocation Committee.

Step 4: Wait for slot allocation. The WSAC reviews Priority 1 individuals based on Critical Needs Summary scores and allocates available FIS slots to those with the most urgent need.

There is no separate application form for the FIS waiver specifically. The CSB screening process determines eligibility for all three DD waivers, and the slot allocation committee assigns the appropriate waiver type based on the individual's support needs.

New FIS Slots for 2027-2028

The Virginia General Assembly has authorized 1,548 new FIS waiver slots to be phased in quarterly during FY 2027 and FY 2028. This is a substantial expansion. For families currently on the waitlist at Priority 1, this increase in available slots should reduce wait times — though the waitlist of 15,000+ individuals means the expansion addresses a fraction of the total demand.

The slots are distributed across localities, so availability depends on both the statewide allocation and local WSAC decisions. CSB Support Coordinators should have updated information about quarterly slot releases in their jurisdiction.

FIS vs. the Other Two DD Waivers

Understanding the differences matters because the waiver type determines what services are available:

The most common confusion is between FIS and BI. Both serve individuals living in non-institutional settings. The difference is the level of independence: FIS is for people who live with family and need regular hands-on support, while BI is for adults who can manage semi-independently with lighter, intermittent assistance.

Medicaid Eligibility Is Required

All DD waiver services are funded through Medicaid, which means the individual must have active Medicaid coverage to use a FIS waiver slot. The income limit for waiver-linked Medicaid is 300% of the SSI federal benefit rate — $2,982 per month in 2026 — substantially higher than the standard ABD Medicaid threshold.

In Virginia, this requires a separate Medicaid application through CommonHelp, Cover Virginia, or the local DSS, because Virginia does not automatically enroll SSI recipients into Medicaid (the 1634 agreement is delayed to FY 2028).

If income exceeds the 300% threshold, Virginia's medically needy spend-down pathway can offset excess income through documented medical expenses, preserving waiver eligibility without a Qualified Income Trust.

Preparing for the VIDES Assessment

The VIDES assessment directly determines whether an individual qualifies for DD waiver services and influences their priority classification. The most common mistake families make is downplaying support needs during the assessment — describing what the individual can do with help rather than what happens without it.

The assessment evaluates what the person can do independently, without informal family supports. If a parent currently manages medications, prepares meals, and supervises daily routines, the VIDES should reflect what would happen if those supports were removed, not what happens because they're in place.

The Virginia SSI at 18 & Adult Disability Benefits Guide includes VIDES preparation strategies, the complete CSB screening process, and a breakdown of services available under each of Virginia's three DD waivers.

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