Wyoming DD Waiver & HCBS FAQ

The Wyoming Developmental Disabilities Waiver is a Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services program that helps eligible people with intellectual or developmental disabilities receive authorized supports in homes and community settings. Wyoming operates Supports and Comprehensive Waivers, and the services available to each participant depend on eligibility, assessed needs, budget, and the approved IPC.

The Wyoming Department of Health, Division of Healthcare Financing, administers Wyoming Medicaid HCBS programs. The HCBS Section oversees waiver requirements, provider certification, and program guidance.

No. Essential Living Support does not determine eligibility, approve services, or assign service units. Those decisions are made through Wyoming Medicaid and the participant’s authorized planning process. ELS can discuss provider fit and availability after a participant or authorized representative makes contact.

An Individualized Plan of Care, or IPC, documents a participant’s assessed needs, goals, authorized services, service levels, providers, and other plan requirements. ELS delivers services according to the current approved IPC and applicable Wyoming Medicaid rules.

ELS provides authorized DD Waiver and HCBS supports in Cheyenne, including Community Living Services, Community Support Services, Companion Services, Adult Day Services, Respite, Homemaker Services, Personal Care Services, Child Habilitation, and practical life-skills support within the applicable authorized service. Review the ELS DD Waiver services in Cheyenne for current descriptions and individual service pages.

Community Living Services support eligible adults with daily routines, skill development, personal care when authorized, supervision, community inclusion, and greater independence in the participant’s primary residence and other approved community settings.

Community Support Services are habilitation supports delivered in varied community settings separate from the participant’s residence. They may address community access, relationships, adaptive skills, adult learning, independence, and participation goals authorized in the IPC.

Companion Services provide authorized supervision, social connection, community presence, and assistance that supports independence and meaningful participation. They are not skilled nursing or a substitute for another service identified in the IPC.

Adult Day Services provide structured daytime activities for eligible adults age 18 and older. The service may support engagement, routines, relationships, protective oversight, and maintaining skills as authorized in the IPC.

Respite is short-term support intended to give an unpaid caregiver temporary relief while maintaining the participant’s safety, routines, supervision, and authorized personal support. The setting, schedule, and unit type must follow the participant’s IPC and current program rules.

Personal Care Services provide authorized prompting or hands-on assistance with activities of daily living and related routines. Personal Care is not independent nursing care and cannot overlap with another waiver service that already includes personal care during the same service period.

“Life Skills Development” is ELS’s plain-language description for practical skill-building such as meal preparation, household routines, communication, safety, money awareness, and community participation. For adults, the applicable billable waiver service is the service authorized in the IPC; for eligible participants ages 0 through 20, Individual Habilitation Training may be the dedicated service.

A participant, guardian, family member, case manager, or authorized referral professional may contact ELS. We review the requested service, current IPC and authorization, schedule, documentation needs, participant preferences, and provider fit before agreeing on next steps.

Yes. Guardians and case managers may contact ELS directly to discuss a potential referral, current authorization, service fit, and availability. ELS will include the participant and other authorized team members in planning as appropriate.

Wyoming DD Waiver participants work with an authorized case manager as part of the waiver planning process. The case manager helps coordinate the IPC, service authorizations, provider selection, and plan changes.

Yes, when multiple services are authorized in the IPC and comply with current program rules. Services must address distinct authorized needs and may not be delivered or billed at overlapping times when prohibited.

Availability depends on the authorized service, participant needs, requested schedule and setting, staffing, provider capacity, documentation readiness, and whether ELS can safely and appropriately meet the IPC requirements. Contacting ELS does not guarantee enrollment or placement.

ELS coordinates with authorized team members to understand participant preferences, IPC goals, schedules, documentation expectations, health and safety information relevant to the service, and changes that may affect support. Communication follows participant rights, consent, and applicable privacy requirements.

ELS reviews the current IPC and service authorization before services begin. Staff follow the approved goals, scope, schedule, supervision level, documentation requirements, and other participant-specific directions that apply to the authorized service.

ELS documents relevant observations and communicates with the participant and authorized team members. The case manager and plan-of-care team determine whether the IPC, assessment, authorization, schedule, or provider arrangement should be updated.