Pathways to Employment Delaware
Delaware families waiting for Lifespan Waiver services to start often miss a program that is already available and fully funded. Pathways to Employment is a Medicaid state plan option — not a capped waiver — which means eligibility guarantees immediate access to employment navigators, paid internships, and workplace supports without sitting on any waitlist.
Who Qualifies
Pathways to Employment serves individuals aged 14 to 25 who have Medicaid coverage, a documented disability, and a goal of working. Because it operates under the Medicaid state plan rather than the 1915(c) waiver, it is not subject to the capacity limits that govern the Lifespan Waiver. If your young adult has SSI (and therefore automatic Delaware Medicaid through the 1634 pathway), they meet the Medicaid requirement, but they still must meet Pathways' other disability and functional criteria and want to work.
The program is administered through the Division of Developmental Disabilities Services (DDDS) in coordination with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR), but enrollment does not require DDDS clinical eligibility. A young adult with a physical disability, autism spectrum disorder, or intellectual disability can receive Pathways services if they have active Delaware Medicaid and meet the program's disability, functional, and employment criteria.
What Pathways Actually Provides
The program funds individualized employment support at three levels:
Career exploration. Employment navigators work with the young adult to identify interests, strengths, and workplace preferences. This is not abstract career counseling — navigators arrange job shadows, workplace tours, and informational interviews with local employers in all three Delaware counties.
Paid work experiences. Pathways funds trial employment placements where the young adult works in a real job setting with on-site support. Wages are paid by the employer. The navigator handles the coordination — scheduling, transportation logistics, employer communication — so the family does not have to arrange everything independently.
Ongoing job coaching. Once the young adult secures competitive integrated employment, Pathways provides sustained job coaching to help them maintain the position. Coaches work directly at the job site during the adjustment period and gradually fade their support as the employee builds independence.
How Pathways Fits With DVR and the Lifespan Waiver
Delaware's employment support landscape has overlapping programs, and families often confuse them. Here is how they connect:
DVR (Division of Vocational Rehabilitation) provides pre-employment transition services (Pre-ETS) for students aged 14 to 22, including career assessments and internship coordination through the schools. DVR is federally funded under WIOA and operates through the Department of Labor.
Pathways to Employment is a Medicaid-funded program that can run in parallel with DVR. A young adult can receive Pre-ETS through DVR during the school year and Pathways employment navigation during the summer — or after aging out of DVR services at 22.
The Lifespan Waiver also includes a supported employment service, but accessing it requires both DDDS clinical eligibility and an active waiver slot with a funded provider. Pathways does not require either of those steps, making it the fastest path to structured employment support.
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The Jamie Wolfe Employment Act Connection
Delaware completed the phased elimination of subminimum-wage employment (Section 14(c) certificates) in January 2024 under the Jamie Wolfe Employment Act. Every supported employment placement in Delaware — including those coordinated through Pathways — must now pay at or above the state minimum wage. The program's job coaches are trained specifically in competitive integrated employment, meaning the young adult works alongside non-disabled coworkers in a standard workplace setting.
Getting Started
Contact your young adult's DDDS case manager or Community Navigator (through the Columbus Organization) to request a Pathways referral. If the young adult is not yet connected with DDDS, the referral can also go through the school's transition coordinator or DVR counselor.
The Delaware SSI at 18 & Adult Disability Benefits Guide includes the complete employment support timeline — when to file DVR referrals, how to coordinate Pathways with school transition services, and how to track earnings without jeopardizing SSI eligibility.
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