Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

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Nevada program

Nevada's disability waivers

Nevada’s disability waivers support care at home for people with lasting physical or developmental disabilities.

What it is

Nevada’s disability waivers support care at home for people with lasting physical or developmental disabilities.

A waiver may help with long-term support at home. Nevada has separate routes for physical disabilities and intellectual or developmental disabilities. Katie Beckett is another route to discuss when a child needs substantial care.

Eligibility rules
  • The physical-disabilities waiver serves all ages and requires a physical disability with nursing-facility-level need.
  • The intellectual-and-developmental-disabilities waiver requires a qualifying disability and institutional-level need.
  • For the physical-disabilities waiver your child would need to be at risk of a nursing-home placement within 30 days without support, and to use at least one waiver service a month. The child's own income must be under $2,982 a month and savings under $2,000.
What you get
  • Long-term home support for people who meet a waiver’s disability and care tests.
What the help includes
  • Both waivers can serve children, and both leave parents' income out of the child's Medicaid test, though a separate parental contribution can be assessed. The physical-disabilities waiver needs nursing-home-level care; the other needs a qualifying intellectual or developmental disability.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the social worker to discuss your child’s care needs with Nevada Medicaid’s waiver team.
  2. Ask which waiver, if any, fits and how it compares with Katie Beckett.

Nevada Medicaid: 866-569-1746 · Official page ↗

After you ask
  • The social worker can help contact Nevada Aging and Disability Services for the appropriate waiver screening. The agency confirms current openings, waiting-list priorities and which steps can proceed while waiting. A Medicaid decision deadline does not guarantee a waiver place or service-start date.
Good to know

Hospital discharge alone does not give priority on the physical-disabilities waiver.

Other details
  • Level 1 priority for the physical-disabilities waiver requires discharge within six months, changed supports and a crisis.

Federal background: Medicaid home and community-based services waivers.

Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Could either disability waiver meet my child’s longer-term needs, or would Katie Beckett fit better? Could you help compare the services and waiting times before a referral?”

Why I’m asking: I want to understand which home-support route fits our child’s actual care needs.

More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules

Who does what

The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.

You

Ask whether either waiver fits before spending time on a referral.

Your social worker

The social worker can ask the Division which route fits your child.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
The Division of Health Care Financing and Policy.
Ask the agency
“Does either Nevada waiver fit a child in leukaemia treatment, or is Katie Beckett the right door for us?”

How to apply

First step: Call 866-569-1746 and ask whether either waiver fits, or whether Katie Beckett is your door.

  1. Ask the Division whether either waiver fits your child at all before joining any list.
  2. If the need comes from the leukaemia, ask about Katie Beckett instead.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Ask the Division about a waiver referral. Ask about Katie Beckett first if the need comes from the leukaemia.

What to gather

The diagnosis letter, the child’s insurance card, and the last two pay stubs cover most applications. The official page lists the rest.

How long: Not published.

What a yes looks like

A referral and an assessment date.

What a no looks like, and the next move

A referral back to Katie Beckett, which for a child in leukaemia treatment is usually the right answer.

Watch out

  • Hospital discharge alone does not give priority on the physical disabilities waiver.
  • Nevada's capacity and waiting numbers were not published, so nobody can tell you how long a wait is.

Dates that change this

2025-04-01: Nevada's approved capacity and waiting numbers for both waivers were not published. How long a wait is, and whether there is one, is unknown.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.

What it is worth

Long-term support at home for a child with a lasting physical or developmental disability.

Covers: Case management and long-term support at home under one of the two waivers

What it costs the family: Any premiums and cost sharing were not published.

The eligibility facts, as published

Physical disabilities waiver
a physical disability with nursing-facility level need; all ages
Idd waiver
an intellectual or developmental disability with institutional level need
Priority
the physical disabilities waiver's Level 1 priority needs discharge within six months and changed support and a crisis

The trap: Being discharged from hospital is not on its own enough for priority on the physical disabilities waiver. That priority needs discharge within six months and a significant change in support and a crisis.

Where I read this

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