P007: Developmental Disabilities Supports Division

P007: Number of individuals on the developmental disabilities waiver waiting list

Current Value

6,438#

FY 2018

Definition

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Story Behind the Curve

The wait time for home and community‐based Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities ﴾I/DD﴿ waiver services varies widely. In New Mexico, registrants are offered waiver services as allocation slots become available. The current average wait time is over 12 years.
Persons that meet the requirements can receive standard Medicaid benefits while on the waiting list.
The DD Waiver Program is designed to provide services to allow individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live as independently as possible. The capacity of the Program depends on combined state and Medicaid funding. This measure is important in gauging and responding to the need for services.
The number of individuals with an open application on the Central Registry decreased from 6,455 at the end of FY18 Q3 to 6,438 at the end of FY18 Q4. This decrease is due to the work being done to address the backlog of applications.
The Central Registry Unit received 419 new registrations for waiver services. They determined 156 applications met the developmental disability definition and were moved onto the waiting list. They also closed 339 applications for reasons other than allocation.
The Central Registry Unit conducted seven allocation fairs to prepare the FY19 allocation group for the allocation process.

What Works

Continuous review of Central Registry status reports to determine if systemic or case‐specific problems exist during the eligibility determination process.
Maintaining current contact information for registrants.
Regular outreach to and communication with registrants, families, community providers, and others to ensure knowledge of DD Waiver eligibility and the documentation necessary for the determination process.
Continuous evaluation of the methods used in processing applications and allocations.
Reallocation of unit resources to allow eligibility caseworkers to focus on backlogged applications.

Strategy

Maintain focus on reducing the backlog and completing current applications.
Monitor efforts to refer individuals with mental health issues to the appropriate system.
Increase applicant awareness of other Medicaid, State General Fund, and community‐based services.
Increase applicant and community provider awareness of DD Waiver requirements through outreach activities.

Action Plan

Q1 to Q4: Utilize Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) principles to constantly assess the registration, application, and DD definition determination process and make adjustment for improvement. Completed.
Q1 to Q4: Continue working on the backlog plan, which should reduce the backlog by approximately 200 applications per quarter. Completed.
Q1 to Q4: Refer individuals with mental and behavioral health issues to the appropriate behavioral health system. Completed.
Q1 to Q4: Provide training and collaborate with providers and partners to help reduce the number of applications for individuals who do not qualify for the program. Completed.

FY17 Annual Progress Summary

Over the course of FY17, the waiting list grew by 76 individuals (FY16-Q4: 6526, FY17-Q4: 6602).
Significant efforts were undertaken to work on cleaning up the Central Registry that resulted in 381 applications being closed for reasons other than allocation.
Although the target of 6,300 was not met, any reduction without a large allocation group is progress on this goal of decreasing the number of individuals on the DD Waiver waiting list.

FY18 Annual Progress Summary

Over the course of FY18, the number of open applications in the Central Registry was reduced by 164 individuals (FY17 Q4: 6,602, FY18 Q4: 6,438), due to the efforts of the Central Registry Unit to reduce the number of backlogged applications.
Of those 6,438 applications, 4,479 have been determined to meet the definition of developmental disability and are awaiting allocation.
Although the target of 6,300 was not met, any reduction without a large allocation group is progress towards goal.

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