The Developmental Disabilities Home and Community-Based Medicaid Waiver is often referred to as the DD Waiver. The DD Waiver provides services for children and adults in their homes and communities, not in more restrictive and expensive institutional settings. It allows children and adults with developmental disabilities to receive services in the places where they live.

To qualify for services, the person applying must have a diagnosis of mental retardation or a related condition such as autism, cerebral palsy, seizure disorder, chromosomal disorders, syndrome disorders, or inborn errors of metabolism. They must also have a developmental disability that began before the age of eighteen for mental retardation, or before the age of twenty-two for a related condition.