<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<meta name="description" content="The Kansas Autism Waiver serves ages 0-5 with support services. The I/DD Waiver serves ages 5+ with a years-long waitlist. Neither is how most Kansas families fund ABA therapy.">
<title>What Is the Difference Between the Kansas Autism Waiver and the I/DD Waiver? Ages, Services, Waitlists, and the Newer Third Option Most Families Have Not Heard Of | Achieving Stars Therapy</title>
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com">
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.gstatic.com" crossorigin>
<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=DM+Sans:wght@400;500;600&family=Fraunces:opsz,wght@9..144,500;9..144,600&display=swap" rel="stylesheet">
<style>:root { --white: #FFFFFF; --off-white: #F9FAFB; --gold: #F5A623; --gold-light: #FEF7E8; --navy: #1A2B4A; --navy-soft: #2D3E5F; --gray: #6B7280; --border: #E5E7EB; }
* { margin: 0; padding: 0; box-sizing: border-box; }
body { font-family: 'DM Sans', system-ui, sans-serif; background: var(--off-white); color: var(--navy); line-height: 1.7; font-size: 17px; }
h1 { font-family: 'Fraunces', Georgia, serif; font-size: clamp(28px, 6vw, 42px); font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.15; color: var(--white); margin-bottom: 16px; }
h2 { font-family: 'Fraunces', serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: 600; color: var(--navy); margin-bottom: 16px; padding-bottom: 8px; border-bottom: 2px solid var(--gold); }
h3 { font-family: 'Fraunces', serif; font-size: 19px; font-weight: 600; color: var(--navy); margin: 24px 0 10px; }
p { margin-bottom: 14px; color: var(--navy-soft); }
a { color: var(--gold); font-weight: 500; text-decoration: underline; text-underline-offset: 2px; }
a:hover { color: var(--navy); }
ul, ol { margin: 14px 0; padding-left: 24px; }
li { margin-bottom: 8px; color: var(--navy-soft); }
strong { color: var(--navy); }
table { width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; margin: 18px 0; font-size: 15px; }
th, td { padding: 10px 12px; text-align: left; border-bottom: 1px solid var(--border); vertical-align: top; }
th { background: var(--gold-light); color: var(--navy); font-weight: 600; font-family: 'Fraunces', serif; }
tr:hover { background: var(--off-white); }
.hero { background: linear-gradient(135deg, var(--navy) 0%, var(--navy-soft) 100%); padding: 130px 24px 48px; text-align: center; }
.hero-inner { max-width: 720px; margin: 0 auto; }
.location-badge { display: inline-block; background: var(--gold); color: var(--navy); font-size: 12px; font-weight: 600; letter-spacing: 0.06em; text-transform: uppercase; padding: 6px 14px; border-radius: 20px; margin-bottom: 16px; }
.hero p { font-size: 18px; color: rgba(255,255,255,0.85); line-height: 1.7; max-width: 600px; margin: 0 auto; }
.quick-info { display: grid; grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(140px, 1fr)); gap: 16px; background: var(--white); border-radius: 12px; padding: 24px; margin: -32px auto 32px; max-width: 800px; box-shadow: 0 4px 20px rgba(26,43,74,0.08); position: relative; z-index: 10; }
.info-item { text-align: center; }
.info-label { font-size: 12px; color: var(--gray); text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.05em; margin-bottom: 4px; }
.info-value { font-size: 15px; font-weight: 600; color: var(--navy); }
.content { max-width: 800px; margin: 0 auto; padding: 24px 24px 72px; }
section { margin-bottom: 36px; }
.highlight-box { background: var(--gold-light); border-left: 4px solid var(--gold); border-radius: 0 10px 10px 0; padding: 18px 22px; margin: 20px 0; }
.highlight-box p { margin: 0; color: var(--navy); }
.faq-item { margin-bottom: 22px; }
.faq-item h3 { font-size: 17px; margin-bottom: 8px; }
.faq-item p { font-size: 16px; }
.disclaimer { font-size: 13px; color: var(--gray); font-style: italic; margin-top: 20px; padding: 12px; background: var(--off-white); border-radius: 8px; }
.cta-section { background: linear-gradient(135deg, var(--navy) 0%, var(--navy-soft) 100%); border-radius: 16px; padding: 40px 32px; text-align: center; margin-top: 36px; }
.cta-section h2 { color: var(--white); border: none; padding: 0; margin-bottom: 12px; font-size: 26px; }
.cta-section p { color: rgba(255,255,255,0.9); margin-bottom: 8px; font-size: 17px; }
.cta-section strong { color: var(--gold); }
.cta-button { display: inline-block; background: var(--gold); color: var(--navy); font-weight: 600; font-size: 16px; padding: 14px 32px; border-radius: 8px; text-decoration: none; margin-top: 20px; }
.cta-button:hover { color: var(--navy); }
.cta-grid { display: grid; grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(200px, 1fr)); gap: 16px; margin-top: 20px; }
.cta-item { background: rgba(255,255,255,0.1); border-radius: 10px; padding: 18px; min-width: 0; }
.cta-item-label { font-size: 12px; color: var(--gold); text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.05em; margin-bottom: 6px; }
.cta-item-value { color: var(--white); font-weight: 600; font-size: 15px; word-break: break-word; overflow-wrap: anywhere; min-width: 0; }
.cta-item-value a { color: var(--white); text-decoration: none; word-break: break-word; overflow-wrap: anywhere; }
.cta-item-value a:hover { color: var(--gold); }
@media (max-width: 600px) { .quick-info { margin: -24px 16px 24px; grid-template-columns: repeat(2, 1fr); } .cta-grid { grid-template-columns: 1fr; } table { font-size: 13px; } th, td { padding: 6px 8px; } }
.hero,.ash-hero,.ash-loc-page .ash-hero{padding-top:130px !important}</style>
</head>
<body>
<div class="hero"><div class="hero-inner"><span class="location-badge">Kansas Funding</span><h1>Autism Waiver vs I/DD Waiver in Kansas</h1><p>These are two different Kansas Medicaid waivers, with different ages, different services, and very different waitlists. A child does not roll from one to the other automatically, which is the part that catches families off guard.</p></div></div>
<div class="quick-info"><div class="info-item"><div class="info-label">Autism Waiver</div><div class="info-value">Ages 0-5</div></div><div class="info-item"><div class="info-label">I/DD Waiver</div><div class="info-value">Ages 5+</div></div><div class="info-item"><div class="info-label">I/DD Waiting</div><div class="info-value">About 4,300</div></div><div class="info-item"><div class="info-label">Third Option</div><div class="info-value">Community Support</div></div></div>
<div class="content">
<section><p>Kansas runs several Medicaid home and community based services (HCBS) waivers. Two come up constantly in autism spectrum disorder conversations, and they do genuinely different jobs.</p>
<table>
<tr><th></th><th>Autism Waiver</th><th>I/DD Waiver</th></tr>
<tr><td><strong>Ages</strong></td><td>0 to 5</td><td>5 and up</td></tr>
<tr><td><strong>Main services</strong></td><td>Respite, parent training, family counseling</td><td>Day supports, residential, employment, personal care</td></tr>
<tr><td><strong>Served</strong></td><td>About 60</td><td>About 9,400</td></tr>
<tr><td><strong>Waiting</strong></td><td>About 797</td><td>About 4,300</td></tr>
<tr><td><strong>Pays for ABA?</strong></td><td>No</td><td>No</td></tr>
</table>
<p>Read the bottom row twice. Neither waiver is how you fund applied behavior analysis in Kansas.</p></section>
<section><h2>Aging out at 5 is not automatic</h2><p>Families assume the Autism Waiver hands off to the I/DD Waiver on a sixth birthday. It does not. Separate programs, separate applications, separate queues, and the I/DD queue is enormous. The Disability Rights Center of Kansas has campaigned on it for years; the average wait has run close to a decade.</p>
<div class="highlight-box"><p><strong>If your child is approaching 5, get on the I/DD list now rather than later.</strong> Position in the queue is the only thing you control. And do not let the waiver question delay ABA, which runs on a separate track entirely.</p></div></section>
<section><h2>The third option nobody mentions</h2>
<p>Kansas has been rolling out a <strong>Community Support Waiver</strong> for people age 5 and up. Unlike the other two, its service list explicitly includes <strong>behavior therapy</strong>, alongside personal care, respite, and other therapies. It is designed as a lighter, faster-to-access alternative for people who do not need the full I/DD Waiver.</p>
<p>It is new enough that many case managers have not caught up. Ask about it by name, and confirm its current status with the state.</p>
<p>What actually pays for ABA is KanCare, through EPSDT, for children. No waiver slot, no multi-year queue. Achieving Stars Therapy accepts KanCare and delivers in-home ABA across <a href="/location/states/aba-therapy-kansas">Kansas</a>, including <a href="/location/city/aba-therapy-wichita-ks">Wichita</a> and <a href="/location/city/aba-therapy-kansas-city-ks">Kansas City</a>.</p></section>
<section><h2>Frequently Asked Questions</h2>
<div class="faq-item"><h3>Should we apply for a waiver at all?</h3><p>Yes, for what they actually provide: respite, personal care, family support, and later day and employment services. Apply early because of the queues. Just do not treat a waiver as your therapy plan.</p></div>
<div class="faq-item"><h3>Does the waitlist affect ABA at all?</h3><p>No. That is the whole point. ABA is a KanCare medical benefit and does not sit behind the waiver queue. Families across the state start therapy while their waiver application is still pending.</p></div>
</section>
<p class="disclaimer">Enrollment and waitlist figures come from Kansas legislative testimony reflecting late-2024 data and the federal Medicaid waiver record. Numbers change; confirm with KDADS.</p>
<div class="cta-section">
<h2>ABA Does Not Need a Waiver</h2>
<p>Free benefits check. BCBA-led, in-home, flexible day and evening scheduling.</p>
<a href="https://www.achievingstarstherapy.com/contact" class="cta-button">Check Your Coverage</a>
<div class="cta-grid">
<div class="cta-item"><div class="cta-item-label">Call</div><div class="cta-item-value"><a href="tel:8336663115">(833) 666-3115</a></div></div>
<div class="cta-item"><div class="cta-item-label">Email</div><div class="cta-item-value"><a href="mailto:info@achievingstarstherapy.com">info@achievingstarstherapy.com</a></div></div>
<div class="cta-item"><div class="cta-item-label">Ages</div><div class="cta-item-value">18 months to 15 years</div></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>
