Frequently Asked Questions

Iowa’s waiver programs give an extra set of benefits and services beyond those usually offered by Medicaid. These benefits and services are meant to help you stay your own home or apartment in the community instead of living in an institution or hospital, so they are often called Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS).

Waivers have extra rules for eligibility and usually have a higher income limit than regular Medicaid. Learn more about Iowa’s waiver programs.

Iowa has separate waiver programs that help people with different conditions:

• The Elderly Waiver is for people who are 65 or older.
• The Health and Disability Waiver is for people under age 65 who are blind or disabled and have a disability determination.
• The Physical Disability Waiver is for people ages 18 to 64 who are blind or have a physical disability, have a disability determination, and are not eligible for the Intellectual Disability waiver.
• The Intellectual Disability Waiver is for people who have a primary diagnosis of an intellectual disability.
• The AIDS/HIV Waiver is for people of any age who have AIDS or HIV.
• The Brain Injury Waiver is for people of any age with a brain injury.
• The Children’s Mental Health Waiver is for children under 18 who have a serious emotional disturbance.

Note: Iowa’s waivers are changing in 2026 and 2027. These individual waivers will merge into more general waivers, called HOME waivers. Get more information about Iowa’s waiver changes and the HOME project.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is in the process of changing its waiver system. Instead of seven separate waivers that help people with different conditions, there will be three waivers that are based on age: one waiver for people 65 or older, one waiver for adults under 65, and one waiver for children.

However, this will not affect your eligibility or application. If you meet the qualifications for one of these seven waivers, you will still be eligible for the new waiver for your age group. The services you get from the waiver will depend on your needs and your condition.

Iowa HHS also plans to update the waiting list system, so that your placement on the waiting list is determined by the urgency of your need, and not just the date you applied.

These changes are planned to start sometime in 2026 and continue in 2027. You can read more about them on the Iowa HHS website.

No, you do not need to currently have Medicaid to qualify for a waiver. You may qualify for a waiver if you:

• Have income that is $2,982 or less a month
• Have resources that are $2,000 or less if you are single ($3,000 for couples)
• Need a level of care normally provided in a facility, like a nursing home or a hospital, and
• Meet the specific waiver’s additional eligibility requirements.

If your income or resources are more than these limits and you work, you may qualify through Medicaid for Employed People with Disabilities (MEPD).

Note: If your disability began before you turned 46, you can open an ABLE account where you can save up to $20,000 in resources each year (plus more if you have earned income) and not have it counted by Medicaid. Learn more about ABLE accounts on DB101.

Not everybody with Medicaid qualifies for a waiver program. Waiver programs are for people who need a level of care that would usually be provided in a nursing home or other institution. That’s why waivers are designed to give you the benefits and services to keep living in the community. Each waiver program has a different threshold for the level of care you must need.

Yes, you can apply for a waiver if you live in a nursing home or institution! Waivers are meant to help you live in a home in the community and a waiver could let you move out of your nursing home, hospital, or other institution into a house or apartment.

For people with intellectual disabilities or brain injuries, Iowa’s Money Follows the Person program can help you move out of a facility into your own home, including paying for your moving costs. Learn more about Money Follows the Person.

To qualify for a waiver program, you usually must have limited income and resources. If you get Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits or State Supplementary Assistance, you automatically meet these requirements.

If you get Medicaid for Employed People with Disabilities (MEPD), you can qualify even if your income and resources are higher than the regular limits. Learn more about MEPD.

If you don’t get SSI, State Supplementary Assistance, or MEPD, you must:

• Have $2,982 or less a month in income, and
• Have $2,000 or less in resources if you are single ($3,000 or less for couples).
  • Note: If you are under 21, the resources of your family members are not counted in most cases.
  • Note: If your disability began before you turned 46, you can open an ABLE account where you can save up to $20,000 in resources each year and not have it counted by Medicaid. Learn more about ABLE accounts on DB101.

Tip: If you have earned income from working, look into Medicaid for Employed People with Disabilities (MEPD). You can qualify for a waiver through MEPD even if your income or resources are more than the waiver limits. Learn more about MEPD.

If you already have Medicaid, you don’t need to fill out a new application to apply for a waiver. Just go to your local Health and Human Services (HHS) office and say that you want to request waiver services. They’ll have you fill out a one-page Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Waiver Request.

If you don’t already have Medicaid, you have to apply for it and select the waiver you want to apply for. You can apply:

• In person at your local Health and Human Services (HHS) office
• By downloading a paper application and faxing or mailing it in to your local Health and Human Services (HHS) office, or
• Online using the Iowa HHS Benefits Portal.

Note: If you use a paper application, make sure to fill out Appendix A and select which waiver you want to apply for.

Learn more about applying for waivers.

Yes, many waivers have waiting lists. After you apply for a waiver, you have to wait for a slot to open up in the program before you can get approved and start getting services. That’s why it’s important to apply as soon as possible.

If you are on the waiting list and you have an emergency or urgent need for services, you may be eligible to apply for waiting list priority. Complete the Waiver Priority Need Assessment (WPNA) form and turn it into your local Health and Human Services (HHS) office.

Note: Starting sometime in 2026, your placement on the waiting list will be determined by the urgency of your need, and not just the date you applied. You can read more about this change on the Iowa Health and Human Services website.

Yes, you can qualify for a waiver if your income is under the waiver income limit ($2,982 or less per month). If your income is more than this limit, you can qualify for a waiver through Medicaid for Employed People with Disabilities (MEPD), which has a much higher income limit and resource limit.

If you have an intellectual disability or a brain injury, you may be able to get waiver services that can help you find a job, including:

• Pre-vocational services and career exploration, which can help you learn skills and connect you with an employer, and
• Supported employment (with the Brain Injury and Intellectual Disability Waivers only), which helps with training, job development, and getting a job.

For other conditions, waivers do not offer job support. However, many waiver services are helpful when looking for work and once you get a job. For example, you could use non-medical transportation to go to and from your job.

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services can help you with education, training, finding a job, and building your career. You can work with a vocational rehabilitation counselor to understand how waiver services can help build your career.

For more information on waiver programs, visit Iowa’s website about Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers.

For more information on how waiver programs are changing in 2026 and 2027, visit Iowa’s website about the waiver redesign.