Gov. Justice: IDD Waiver waitlist elimination non-negotiable

CHARLESTON, WV – Gov. Jim Justice will refuse to support a budget passed by the West Virginia Legislature that does not include a full elimination of the waitlist for the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Waiver (IDDW) program.

Elimination of the waitlist will allow 1,060 additional West Virginians, including more than 600 children, to receive critical services through this waiver program.

“I will not support a budget that does not include a full elimination of the IDD Waiver waitlist,” Gov. Justice said. “When it comes to the health and well-being of some of our most vulnerable men, women, and children in West Virginia, I’m not interested in taking half-measures.

“Many of these people have been waiting for more than four years now, which is far too long. My proposed budget includes the funding to accomplish this goal.”

Gov. Justice announced during his 2020 State of the State Address that DHHR Cabinet Secretary Bill Crouch and Revenue Secretary Dave Hardy had found a solution to fund the elimination of the waitlist.

The IDDW program gives individuals the choice of receiving support and services in their home and community instead of in an institutional setting. The cost of services provided by the IDDW is 46 percent lower than the cost of services provided by an intermediate care facility for individuals with developmental disabilities.