NEW CASTLE - The Delaware Division of Developmental Disabilities Services (DDDS) has received final approval from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to add three new services to its Lifespan Waiver: Enhanced Behavioral Residential Services, Crisis Stabilization Services, and Remote Supports. Together, the new services will help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) live more independently and receive specialized support in their homes and communities.

Eligible individuals enrolled in Delaware's Lifespan Waiver will have access to the new services based on their assessed needs. Together, the additions expand Delaware's continuum of home- and community-based services by providing specialized behavioral health supports and technology that helps people remain safe and thrive in their homes and communities.

"Everyone deserves the opportunity to live as independently as possible and receive the support they need in their own community," said Delaware Department of Health and Social Services Secretary Christen Linke Young. " These new services strengthen Delaware's home- and community-based system of care by helping more people live safely and independently while reducing the need for more intensive and costly care."

Home- and community-based services (HCBS) allow individuals with IDD to receive care in the least restrictive setting appropriate to their needs. A strong HCBS system improves quality of life, supports family caregivers, and reduces unnecessary emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and other crisis services by helping people receive care in their communities.

"These new services reflect our commitment to continually strengthen the supports available to the people we serve," said DDDS Director Jody Roberts. "By expanding specialized behavioral health services and technology-based supports, we're helping more Delawareans with intellectual and developmental disabilities live safely, independently, and successfully in their homes and communities."

Two of the new services were successfully piloted using federal funding provided through the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA). Those pilots allowed Delaware to test and refine the programs while demonstrating their effectiveness, ultimately leading to their permanent inclusion in the Lifespan Waiver.

Together, the three services strengthen Delaware's ability to support individuals before, during, and after behavioral health crises while expanding opportunities for independent living.

The new services include:

• Enhanced Behavioral Residential Services provide intensive, person-centered support for individuals with significant behavioral health needs. Services are delivered by a multidisciplinary team that includes a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA), licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) or licensed clinical mental health professional (LCMHP), registered nurse (RN), psychiatric prescriber, and direct support professionals (DSPs) with advanced behavioral health training who are certified as registered behavior technicians (RBTs). Together, the team helps individuals build skills, improve stability, and live successfully in their homes and communities.
• Crisis Stabilization Services provide short-term, intensive support for individuals experiencing an acute behavioral health crisis. Care is delivered by a multidisciplinary team that includes a BCBA, LCSW or LCMHP, RN, and specially trained DSPs who are certified as RBTs. Services are provided in a home-like setting to help stabilize the individual, avoid unnecessary hospitalization when appropriate, and support a successful transition back to a less intensive level of care.
• Remote Supports use technology to help individuals live more independently at home, at work, and in their communities while maintaining their health and safety. Services are tailored to each person's needs and may include assessments, equipment, installation, training, and ongoing monitoring. Technology such as motion sensors, medication reminders, communication devices, and wearable technology allows individuals to receive assistance when needed while building confidence, increasing independence, and reducing the need for direct, in-person support.

"Families have long needed more options when a loved one experiences a behavioral health crisis," said DDDS Advisory Council Chair Terri Hancharick. "Traditional inpatient psychiatric services often don't meet the needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, leaving families with few good options. These new services, along with expanded technology supports, will make a meaningful difference for individuals and their families."

The expansion reflects Delaware's broader effort to strengthen its home- and community-based services system and ensure individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities have access to high-quality, person-centered care. By expanding community-based supports, the state is helping people live more independently while reducing reliance on more intensive and costly care.