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Advocates press Kansas to pair community support waiver with workforce and data fixes to truly shorten IDD waiting list
Summary
Providers and advocates told lawmakers that the state's plan to expand access through a Community Support Waiver (CSW) must be matched with workforce investments, county‑level capacity data and a modern waiting‑list portal or families will face an "invisible" wait even after being offered funding.
Providers, advocates and people with disabilities urged the committee to treat the Community Support Waiver (CSW) as one tool within a package that must also include workforce stabilization, local capacity building and better waiting‑list management.
Multiple witnesses praised recent legislative investments that added IDD waiver slots but said expanding slots without staff and provider capacity creates an "invisible waiting list" — individuals who have been offered funding but cannot find a provider or case manager to deliver services.
Rachel Newman, COO of COF Training Services, described a rural provider's experience: after a large state slot increase the agency re‑opened to intakes but quickly reached new…
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