Virginia CSB Developmental Disability Services and Intake

What the CSB Does in Virginia's Disability System

In Virginia, the local Community Services Board (CSB) is the single point of entry for developmental disability services funded through Medicaid HCBS waivers. There are 40 CSBs across the commonwealth, each serving a specific geographic area. If your child has an intellectual or developmental disability and you want access to waiver-funded adult services — residential supports, day programs, personal care, respite — the CSB is where the process starts.

The CSB doesn't provide the waiver services directly in most cases. It performs the eligibility screening, manages the waitlist placement, assigns a support coordinator, and connects the individual to approved service providers once a waiver slot opens. Think of it as the gatekeeper and navigator for the entire DD waiver system administered by DBHDS and DMAS.

The VIDES Screening: What to Expect

The first step is a screening appointment using the Virginia Individual Developmental Disabilities Eligibility Survey (VIDES). A CSB support coordinator conducts this in person, and it typically runs 2 to 4 hours.

The VIDES evaluates functional capacity across seven major life activities: self-care, receptive and expressive language, learning, mobility, self-direction, capacity for independent living, and economic self-sufficiency. To establish adult eligibility for DD waiver services, the individual must demonstrate significant functional limitations in at least three of these areas. Children under 18 need limitations in at least two.

The qualifying developmental disability must also have an onset before age 22 (or before age 18 for intellectual disabilities specifically).

How to Prepare for the Appointment

The VIDES measures functional limitations as they exist in daily life — not the student's best performance on a good day in a structured classroom. Families who walk into the screening describing what their child can do with full support often end up with an inaccurately mild assessment.

Before the appointment, document your child's daily support needs honestly:

• What happens when supports are removed? Can they manage self-care routines independently, or do they need prompting, supervision, or physical assistance?
• How do they handle money, time management, meal preparation, and transportation without someone guiding them?
• What safety concerns exist? Elopement risk, inability to recognize danger, vulnerability to exploitation?
• How much supervision do they need during unstructured time?

Bring recent psychological evaluations, the current IEP, medical records documenting the disability diagnosis and onset, and any functional behavior assessments. The more thorough your documentation, the more accurately the VIDES will reflect your child's actual support needs.

Priority Levels and the Waitlist

After the VIDES confirms eligibility, the CSB assigns a priority level:

Priority 1 (Urgent Need): The individual needs a waiver slot within one year. This triggers a Critical Needs Summary — a scored assessment of caregiver health, safety risks, and immediate service gaps. When waiver slots become available, a regional Waiver Slot Assignment Committee reviews all Priority 1 profiles anonymously and awards slots to those with the highest critical-need scores.

Priority 2 (Future Need): The individual will need services within one to five years.

Priority 3 (Planning): No services needed within five years, but the individual is registered and planning is active.

The waitlist is needs-based, not chronological. Getting on the list early doesn't automatically mean getting a slot sooner — but it does mean you're in the system, your VIDES is on file, and the CSB can flag you for priority reassessment if circumstances change.

When to Start the CSB Process

Most transition guides recommend initiating CSB contact around age 16 or 17 — but earlier is better for families who already know their child will need long-term supports. The CSB screening at 16 or 17 aligns with the IEP team's transition planning timeline and gives the support coordinator time to help the family navigate the Medicaid application process before the student turns 18.

At 18, the student is evaluated as a "household of one" for Medicaid purposes — parental income and assets no longer count. This financial shift often makes waiver services accessible for the first time.

Annual VIDES updates are mandatory to remain on the waitlist. If you miss an update, the individual can lose their spot. Mark the anniversary on your calendar and confirm the CSB has your current contact information.

The Virginia IEP Transition to Adulthood Guide includes the complete CSB intake preparation checklist alongside the DARS referral timeline and transfer-of-rights planning — because these agency handoffs happen simultaneously, not sequentially.

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