South Dakota DD Waiver Waitlist

Which Waivers Have a Waitlist

South Dakota operates two developmental disability waivers, and only one currently has a waiting list.

The Family Support 360 (FS 360) waiver — the self-directed program where families manage their own budgets — maintains an active waiting list of approximately 198 individuals. The average wait time is roughly eight months, though individual experiences vary depending on when funded slots open and where you fall on the list.

The CHOICES waiver — the agency-directed, intensive-support program — does not currently maintain a waitlist. However, the state reserves the right to implement enrollment limits based on budgetary appropriations, and even without a formal waitlist, individual provider capacity can delay the start of actual services.

Why FS 360 Has a Waitlist

The Family Support 360 waiver is capped by the state legislature's funding decisions. South Dakota authorizes a fixed number of slots, and enrollment cannot exceed that cap regardless of how many eligible applicants are waiting. This is the fundamental difference between an entitlement (like FAPE under IDEA, where the school district must serve every eligible student) and a capped resource (where meeting eligibility criteria does not guarantee immediate access).

Current research identifies about 1,420 active FS 360 participants. The authorized FS 360 cap is 2,967 spots through May 31, 2027. New slots open as funded capacity becomes available.

What to Do While You Wait

Being on the waitlist does not mean your child has no services. Several programs continue independently of waiver status.

School-based transition services remain available through age 21 for students on the unsigned diploma pathway. These are IDEA-funded and legally guaranteed regardless of waiver enrollment.

Vocational Rehabilitation through the Division of Rehabilitation Services is a separate federal-state program. Your child can access VR services — job placement, supported employment, workplace accommodations — without a waiver.

SSI and Medicaid are independent of the waiver. If your child qualifies for SSI, they receive the monthly cash benefit and Medicaid coverage whether or not waiver services have started.

ABLE accounts and special needs trusts can be established at any time to protect assets. South Dakota residents enroll in out-of-state ABLE programs (Ohio STABLE, Virginia ABLEnow, or National ABLE Alliance plans).

Tracking Your Placement

After completing the DDD intake process through Dakota at Home, your eligibility is determined and you are placed on the FS 360 waiting list. The Division of Developmental Disabilities manages the list centrally.

Contact your assigned DDD intake specialist or call Dakota at Home (1-833-663-9673, Option 2) periodically to check your position.

If your child's needs change significantly while on the waitlist — a medical crisis, loss of a family caregiver, or a substantial increase in behavioral or health needs — notify DDD immediately and ask how the change affects placement or priority.

When the Wait Becomes a Gap

The most dangerous scenario is a young adult who ages out of school services at 21 while still on the FS 360 waitlist. Between the end of IDEA funding and the start of waiver services, there may be no structured supports available — no day program, no respite, no employment support.

This gap is the primary reason to apply to DDD as soon as your child turns 18, not at 20 or 21 when school services are ending. An eight-month average wait starting at 18 means waiver placement by 19 — two full years before school services end. An application at 20 risks a gap.

The South Dakota SSI at 18 & Adult Disability Benefits Guide includes a Transition Timeline Tracker that maps waiver application deadlines against the school service exit date, ensuring you start the intake process early enough to avoid the service gap.

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