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Effective: 01/08/2026

C12.10 Supports for Community Living (SCL) Waiver Application and Placement Search

Legal Authority

Introduction

​​​​​​​​​Early planning for youth who have disabilities that will prevent them from living independently is necessary, especially if the youth is unlikely to achieve permanency through reunification or adoption. The supports for community living (SCL) waiver program serves individuals with an intellectual disability or other developmental disabilities who qualify for intermediate care and choose to live in a community-based setting. However, funding and slots for this program are limited, which makes early planning critical to ensure youth are on the waiting list and applications are submitted in a timely manner.  ​​

Practice Guidance


  • Application for a youth to be placed on the SCL waiver waiting list should be made as early as possible if they have a developmental or intellectual disability that will prevent them from living independently as an adult. This process should begin as soon as the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) is aware that a child in out-of-home care (OOHC) has a developmental or intellectual disability that would qualify them for the waiver. The SCL waiver waiting list includes youth over the age of three (3) for future planning. 
  • It is always preferable for youth in OOHC to live in a family setting whenever possible, but SCL providers may be considered if less restrictive options have been exhausted and SCL will be the long-term plan into adulthood. 
  • SCL waivers can be allocated for young adults ages eighteen (18) to twenty-one (21) who have an extended commitment to DCBS if SCL placement is needed.  
  • SCL placement may be considered for youth under age eighteen (18) through an individual placement agreement (IPA) with the Division of Protection and Permanency (DPP) director or designee approval, if all other options have been exhausted. 
  • Youth may be eligible for the SCL waiver with an IQ of up to seventy-five (75) if the adaptive functioning assessment shows low functioning in more than one area.  
  • IQ testing and an adaptive functioning assessment will be needed for the waiver application.
  • Eligibility for other waiver programs, such as Michelle P., home and community-based (HCB), or acquired brain injury (ABI) waiver programs, may also be determined when the Medicaid Waiver Management Application (MWMA)​ is submitted to apply for the SCL waiver. In addition to the MWMA, the MAP-10 must be completed by the youth’s physician, who will recommend specific waiver programs. Therefore, it is helpful to communicate and collaborate with the physician to determine which waiver programs are being recommended. 
  • Before selecting an SCL family home provider, a visit is recommended to ensure the provider is a good fit to meet the youth’s needs.  ​


Procedure

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The SSW:  
  1. Ensures that youth in OOHC who will be unable to live independently due to intellectual disability are placed on the SCL waiting list. The supportive living specialist (SLS) may assist with this process as needed;
  2. Obtains an updated psychological examination that includes an IQ score for the youth, as well as an adaptive functioning assessment completed within the past two (2) years; 
  3. Completes an MWMA to determine if the youth can be placed on the SCL waiting list or other waiver services, as needed, if the youth has an IQ below seventy (70) or below seventy-five (75) with low functioning in more than one area; 
  4. Emails the MWMA and the most recent psychological examination with an IQ score and adaptive functioning assessment to chfsdfscps@ky.gov;
  5. Works with Children's Review Program (CRP) to search for SCL providers at any time the best option for the youth is determined to be SCL placement. The SLS may assist with this process as needed; 
  6. Provides CRP with any necessary information to obtain approval from the DPP director or designee for placement of a youth under age eighteen (18) in an SCL placement; 
  7. Completes all necessary documentation for the young adult between the ages of eighteen (18) and twenty-one (21) to potentially be allocated a SCL waiver slot for placement. This documentation includes: 
    1. The SCL Emergency Request Form; 
    2. An updated psychological evaluation, including IQ, particularly if the most recent version is not the adult version; and
    3. Adaptive functioning assessment completed within the previous two (2) years. 
  8. ​Emails required documentation to chfsdfscps@ky.gov;  
  9. Ensures that a case manager has been identified upon emergency SCL allocation; 
  10. Works in partnership with the Out of Home Care Branch and Division of Administration and Financial Management (DAFM) to establish a spending plan utilizing the youth’s disability funds to support the youth while in SCL placement, including:
    1. ​Monthly funding for room and board;
    2. Monthly funds for personal spending/incidentals; and
    3. Additional one-time expenses that may arise;
  11. ​Ensures placement screens are entered or updated in TWIST in a timely manner once placement occurs;
  12. Follows procedures in SOP C12.11 Individual Placement Agreements ​for youth under eighteen (18) or those aged eighteen (18) to twenty-five (21) without an SCL slot allocation and for whom SCL placement has been determined to be the best option.

The SLS:
  1. May assist the worker by confirming supplemental security income (SSI) status and contacting the Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental, and Intellectual Disabilities (DBHDID) to confirm waiver status of youth;
  2. Provides consultation to the worker as needed regarding the SCL waiver application;
  3. Schedules a transition planning meeting for the youth at age twenty and a half (20.5)  to finalize the plan for the youth as they exit care, including SCL placement progress;
  4. Provides consultation to workers and regional staff on issues related to meeting the needs of youth with disabilities, including SCL placement;
  5. Upon receiving notification from DBHDID, notifies the following if the SCL waiver slot is allocated for youth currently placed in SCL under an IPA:
  6. IPA lead from the Out of Home Care Branch; 
  7. Division of Guardianship if involved; and 
  8. SSW.

The Out of Home Care Branch:
  1. ​Provides consultation and support to staff in navigating the SCL placement search and allocation process;
  2. Develops a spending plan and forwards it to DAFM, utilizing the youth’s disability funds to support the youth while in the SCL placement, including:
    1. ​​Monthly funding for room and board;
    2. Monthly funds for personal spending/incidentals; and
    3. Additional one-time expenses that may arise.​



Documents

Revisions