Kansas agency outlines $20,000-capped community support waiver to reduce IDD wait list

Seth Kilber, assistant commissioner at the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services (KDADS), told the Legislature’s special committee that the state plans a new Community Support Waiver (CSW) capped at $20,000 per person annually and designed to serve people who do not require the intensive, 24-hour supports of the comprehensive IDD waiver. Kilber said the CSW is intended to expand capacity and reduce the current IDD wait list.

Kilber said Kansas currently serves about 9,667 people on the comprehensive IDD waiver with a practical cap of about 9,811, and its IDD wait list was about 4,934 at the time of his presentation. KDADS issued a round of 194 offers in April 2025; the next round, planned late this month into October, would send roughly 293 offers and move the wait-list cut‑off date to Sept. 30, 2018 — about an eight-year wait for people at the end of that tranche.

The CSW would be a capped, lighter-touch waiver with an annual per-person maximum of $20,000, Kilber said. KDADS estimates serving 500 people in the CSW’s first year; full-year modeling presented to the committee estimated roughly $10 million in all funds and $3.8 million in state general funds (SGF) for that first year. In later years, if the program scales, KDADS presented estimates for serving up to 3,500 people — roughly $70 million all funds and roughly $26 million SGF in the final year of modeling.

Kilber said the CSW targets people who may not need the full comprehensive waiver average cost (which KDADS cited around $70,000 per person per year) and who could meet their needs with a menu of services including nonmedical transportation, employment supports, personal care, respite, and therapies. KDADS has completed a rate study and is drafting the formal waiver language; Kilber said staff and a technical advisory group are vetting the service definitions and rates before submission to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Kilber told lawmakers KDADS has hired a contractor to help draft the waiver, received roughly $953,000 in state funds to begin launch activities (final quarter FY26), and expects, with CMS approval, roughly $2.5 million in all funds to help serve the initial cohort.

Committee members pressed KDADS on timing, assumptions and capacity. Representative John Buehler asked whether the projected wait-list reductions depend on CSW approval; Kilber said they do. Representative Rivas asked what share of current comprehensive-waiver participants might transition to the CSW; Kilber said an analysis of claims data suggested roughly 40% of people on the IDD waiver used under $30,000 a year — a ballpark indication some participants could be appropriate candidates for the CSW, but he cautioned the CSW includes services not currently available and behavioral patterns may change once the waiver is active.

Lawmakers and stakeholders also discussed how KDADS will manage offers if a participant declines an available slot. Kilber said KDADS uses a single statewide IDD waiting list and the process is designed so that if someone accepts a slot the wait‑list number is reduced; if an available slot is offered and declined, the person can remain on the wait list until a more suitable slot appears. Committee members asked KDADS for clearer timelines and outreach procedures; Kilber said KDADS will refine public communications and implementation timelines while continuing to draft waiver language and consult with CMS.

Kilber said one legislative constraint is House Bill 2240 from the prior session. KDADS staff told lawmakers that, depending on final waiver design and certain policy changes (for example conflict-free case-management approaches), KDADS may need to seek further legislative approval prior to formally submitting the waiver to CMS.

Kilber recommended continued stakeholder engagement, drafting an “only willing and qualified provider” exception policy where necessary for sparsely served areas, and stronger state oversight mechanisms so the state can demonstrate to CMS that conflict-of-interest safeguards and quality monitoring are in place.

The committee did not take any formal votes during the session. KDADS seeks to submit CSW language to CMS after the department completes stakeholder review, final rate-setting and internal approvals; Kilber emphasized the department wants to balance a rapid timeline with clear communications and operational readiness.