Kansas committee hears 'IDD 101' briefing on services, waiting list and workforce challenges

Matt Fletcher, executive director of InterHab, told the Kansas House Health and Human Services Committee that the presentation was intended as an "IDD 101" for legislators and staff to level-set on intellectual and developmental disabilities and the service system that supports Kansans.

The briefing covered the history of institutional care in Kansas, the current Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waiver structure, the role of community developmental disability organizations (CDDOs), examples of daily supports from providers and the system's primary challenges: a multi-thousand-person waiting list, difficulty recruiting and retaining direct support professionals, increasing behavioral health needs and federal compliance pressures.

The context: why this briefing matters

Committee members were given both historical context and current system figures to show how policy choices affect costs and community outcomes. Speakers emphasized that serving people in community settings is far less costly than institutional care and stressed that recent legislative investments have reduced the waiting list but that a strategic, predictable funding approach is still needed.

Most of the witnesses credited Kansas's move from large institutions to community-based supports with improving quality of life for people with IDD, but warned the state must sustain funding and workforce investments to avoid backsliding.

Key facts and figures

- InterHab, KDADS and provider witnesses said roughly 9,000 Kansas residents receive services through the IDD waiver; KDADS reported 9,419 waiver enrollees and a waiting list of 4,370 individuals. - InterHab and KDADS witnesses said the average annual cost…