The Individual Options is often called the IO Waiver for short. The IO Waiver is a more comprehensive waiver. It can be a good fit for people who may need a lot of help in their home, or for people who need many different services.

The IO Waiver is for people with developmental disabilities who

•  are eligible for Medicaid,
• have a developmental disabilities level of care,
• and need at least one IO Waiver service.

There are no age requirements.

Listed in each person’s service plan are the start and end dates for a waiver, or the waiver span. Waiver spans are usually 12 months long.

Each person enrolled in an IO Waiver is assigned a funding range, or an individual funding level, based on the results of their Ohio Developmental Disabilities Profile, or ODDP assessment, and the services in their service plan.

Individual funding levels are calculated using

• the payment rates for each service as defined in rule,
• the units of service, or the amount of time the service will be performed over a 12-month period to meet the needs identified in the service plan as a result of the assessment,
• and the “cost-of-doing-business” category of the county where the person receives their services.

OAC 5123-9-07 outlines how prior authorization may be obtained by the county board of developmental disabilities to exceed an assigned funding range.

The ODDP assessment does not assign a funding range for all the services available through the IO Waiver. The Adult Acuity Instrument, or AAI assessment, establishes the need for services and funding range for Adult Day Support, Career Planning, Group Employment Support, Individual Employment Support, and Vocational Habilitation services.  

Waiver nursing services are authorized by DODD. Waiver Nursing Delegation includes an assessment every 60 days in the person’s home or adult day service setting.

A person may receive up to 10 hours of waiver nursing delegation or consultation each month, regardless of the number of providers delivering the service.

Service Limitations

Some services may have specific limitations related to number of units available per year, the cost of service per year, or the cost of service per unit.

For example,

• Ohio Shared Living daily rate is established by the results of the ODDP.
• Community Respite is limited to 60 calendar days of service per waiver span.
• Residential Respite is limited to 90 calendar days of service per waiver span.
• Specialized Medical Equipment and Supplies cannot exceed $10,000 per item.
• Environmental Accessibility Adaptions cannot exceed $10,000 per project.
• Waiver nursing delegation or consultation may be available for up to 10 hours each month, regardless of the number of providers delivering the service..