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State reorganizes DDCS under Home and Community Living; agency says limited impact to local services
Summary
Developmental Disabilities Community Services has been reorganized under the Home and Community Living Administration at the state level, but regional staff told Clallam County's DDAC they expect limited direct impact to services for people served under DDCS.
Developmental Disabilities Community Services (DDCS) has been restructured as a division under the Home and Community Living Administration (HCLA) within the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, regional DDCS leaders told the Clallam County Developmental Disabilities Advisory Committee (DDAC).
Judy Miller, regional administrator for DDCS Region 3, said the change is intended to improve coordination among related programs including Adult Protective Services, Home and Community Services, Residential Care Services and WA Cares. "The intention is really to continue that collaborative effort to streamline processes for entry of services and have a better outcome for those that we serve collectively," Miller said (00:18:28).
Dave Money, a regional employment specialist, told the committee DDCS continues to push waiver requests that allow students and clients to access employment and other services as they leave school and transition to adult services. He said staff will work with counties and the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) to keep services in place while state-level changes occur (00:16:22).
On federal and state Medicaid rule changes, Miller said the Health Care Authority (the state's single Medicaid agency, referred to as Apple Health in Washington) coordinates with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on policy and that supports and services provided under DDCS would generally be exempt from proposed "community engagement" work requirements for eligibility. "We anticipate limited impacts for those that we serve specifically under DDCS," she said, while noting that other DSHS-administered benefits such as SNAP are outside DDCS's administration and may have separate impacts (00:20:31).
Miller named Chris Peterson as director of DDCS and said assistant secretary B. Rector oversees HCLA. Staff advised committees and families to consult the DSHS/DDCS web notices and linked guidance in the meeting materials for detailed timelines and program-level information. DVR representatives on the call said certain DVR categories will close "imminently" but no firm date was provided during the meeting (00:16:22, 00:18:28).
Why it matters: The administrative move signals closer coordination of long-term services across programs that serve adults with disabilities. DDAC members and provider representatives said they welcomed continued direct communication, and DDCS offered to stay on the line during the meeting to answer later questions about eligibility and service access (00:25:36).
What DDAC members asked: Members requested clearer timelines and direct links to guidance; Miller shared that the DDCS/DHS website and the meeting agenda include links to the HR1 guidance and other resources and that staff would bring updates as they are available (00:25:36).
Looking ahead: DDCS staff said they will continue to partner with counties and DVR on transition and waiver supports and to provide updates to local advisory committees as federal and state rules are clarified (00:25:36).
