Kansas CDDO Eligibility: How to Access Developmental Disability Services

What a CDDO Does

Community Developmental Disability Organizations are Kansas's designated single point of entry for HCBS waiver services. Every county in Kansas falls within one of 27 CDDO catchment areas. When your student needs access to the I/DD waiver, the Community Support Waiver, or Targeted Case Management, the CDDO is where the process starts.

The CDDO does not provide services directly. It determines functional eligibility, manages the waiver waitlist, and connects individuals with community service providers in their area. Think of the CDDO as the gateway — the agency that decides whether your student meets the criteria for waiver-funded supports and then places them in the queue.

Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for CDDO services and the I/DD waiver, the individual must meet specific diagnostic and functional criteria:

Intellectual disability with onset before age 18, documented by psychological evaluations and adaptive-behavior evidence of significant limitations. This is typically established through formal cognitive and adaptive-behavior testing.

Developmental disability with onset before age 22, causing substantial functional limitations in three or more areas of major life activity: self-care, receptive and expressive language, learning, mobility, self-direction, capacity for independent living, and economic self-sufficiency.

The CDDO uses the Medicaid Functional Eligibility Instrument (MFEI) to assess whether the individual meets an institutional level of care — the standard that determines whether waiver funding is warranted as an alternative to institutional placement.

Required documentation: Psychological evaluations documenting the disability with onset dates, adaptive behavior scale scores (Vineland-3 or ABAS-3 showing substantial limitations in three or more functional areas), a completed CDDO Application for Services, and a KanCare Medicaid application submitted to the KanCare Clearinghouse to verify financial eligibility.

When to Start the Process

As early as possible. The I/DD waiver waitlist averages 8 to 10 years. A family that first contacts the CDDO when their student is 14 will face a gap of several years between school exit at 21 and waiver funding. A family that waits until 18 or 20 is looking at a much longer gap.

Kansas allows CDDO eligibility determination starting at age 5, though most families begin the process during the early transition years (14-16). The eligibility determination and waitlist placement are free. There is no cost to establish eligibility and get on the list.

The 27 Catchment Areas

Kansas is divided into 27 CDDO catchment areas, each covering a set of counties. Which CDDO serves your family depends on your county of residence, not your school district.

Provider capacity varies significantly by region. Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas (DSNWK) covers an 18-county rural area where staffing limitations constrain residential and day program expansion. Johnson County Developmental Supports (JCDS) benefits from a more robust local provider network in the Kansas City metro. The Sedgwick County CDDO in the Wichita area offers localized programs like county-funded housing start-up assistance.

To find your CDDO, contact the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) statewide number at 1-855-200-2372, or check the KDADS HCBS Access Guide online.

After Eligibility: The Waitlist

If the CDDO determines your student is eligible but no waiver slot is available — which is the likely outcome — you will receive a letter confirming placement on the statewide I/DD waiver waitlist.

Two critical rules apply once you are on the waitlist:

Keep your contact information current. When a slot opens, KDADS mails a formal offer letter to the address on file. If they cannot reach you, the slot goes to the next person.

Respond within 15 days. The completed offer letter must be returned to KDADS within 15 days, or the slot is permanently forfeited.

While waiting, the CDDO can connect you with Targeted Case Management (TCM) — a Medicaid-funded service that helps coordinate non-waiver community resources, monitor changing needs, and maintain your waiver application paperwork.

The Kansas IEP Transition to Adulthood Guide includes the full CDDO referral process, the documents to prepare before your first meeting, and an Agency Communication Log to track every contact with the CDDO and other agencies involved in your student's transition.

See more Kansas guides →