Adult Autism Waiver 5-Year Renewal Open for Public Comment
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) is pleased to invite public comment on proposed changes for the renewal of the Adult Autism Waiver (AAW). The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approves waivers for a five-year period, and the current AAW expires on June 30, 2026. Therefore, ODP must submit a renewal for the AAW to CMS no later than April 1, 2026. The AAW renewal is anticipated to be effective on July 1, 2026. The public comment period starts on January 17, 2026, and ends on February 16, 2026, at 11:59 pm.
As part of this process, ODP is seeking your valuable feedback and comments on the AAW. Proposed substantive changes include:
- Separating out Life Sharing and Residential Habilitation: Community Homes as distinct services.
- Removing the lifetime funding limit on Assistive Technology devices and replacing it with a $3,000 annual limit. Participants who need Assistive Technology that exceeds this limit may request an exception.
- Extending the re-authorization period for Career Planning services from 90 days to 6 months and removing time limitations for the Supported Employment service.
- Clarifying the components of the Specialized Skill Development (SSD) service.
- Removing Speech/Language service component from the Therapy service.
- Enhancing Home Modification service to include additional allowances.
The proposed changes discussed in the section above are available to help all interested persons provide public comment. Public comments will be accepted via email, written comments, and verbal comments during a webinar held on February 9, 2026. All comments received by 11:59 pm on February 16, 2026, will be reviewed and considered for revisions to the AAW submitted to CMS.
Please review ODPANN 26-011 for more details.
