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For additional Tennessee Budget Review Partnership information visit www.tennbudget.com
Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (DIDD)
Population Served The Department of Intellectual Disabilities is the state agency responsible for administering services to persons with
intellectual and developmental disabilities. An intellectual disability is defined as below-average cognitive ability that
happens before age 18 and is characterized by an I.Q. of 70 or below, along with significant limitations in the ability to
adapt and carry on everyday life activities. Developmental disabilities are physical or mental impairments that begin
before age 22 and alter or substantially inhibit the capacity to do activities of daily living. About 1.7% of the population
has an intellectual or developmental disability. That is approximately 88,400 children and adults in Tennessee.
Services/Persons Served Medicaid Waiver - DIDD provides long term care services to approximately 9,000 individuals with intellectual
disabilities (formerly called mental retardation) through three home and community based Medicaid Waiver programs.
Services are designed to help individuals live healthy and meaningful lives. This includes residential, employment and
day services, behavioral supports, personal assistance services, transportation, and physical, occupational and speech
therapy services, as well as needed nursing and nutrition services.
Family Support Program - In FY 2010-2011, the DIDD Family Support Program served over 4,500 people with
developmental or severe disabilities across all 95 counties of the state.
Funding Medicaid Waiver - The primary source of the DIDD's funding is Medicaid/ TennCare,
representing 97% of its budget. That means for the most part, every one dollar the state spends on services for people
with ID, two dollars come from the federal government.
Over the last seven years state appropriations for DIDD services have declined by 83%.
Over the last three years the TennCare state appropriations for DIDD long term supports and services has declined by
7%.
Family Support Program - The Family Support Program will receive slightly over
$7,300,000 in state funding in FY 2012.
Job Creation The statewide service system that provides supports to individuals with intellectual disabilities operates in every county in
Tennessee. It includes over 470 private community providers (small businesses) that employ 27,000 direct support
professionals. Additionally, there are approximately 2,200 state employees in administrative offices, developmental
centers, state operated residences, and resource centers.
Current Issues More than 7,100 persons with intellectual disabilities are on the waiting list for Medicaid Waiver services, and over 800
of those persons are categorized as being in crisis or urgent situations. The Family Support program has over 3,400
persons with developmental or severe disabilities on the waiting list.
Serving people with Developmental Disabilities other than ID is a responsibility of the department, but since the addition
of that responsibility, there has been no money appropriated for that purpose. Developmental Disabilities include such
diagnoses as Autism, Cerebral Palsy, and Spina Bifidia. Contacts: Tennessee Disability Coalition The Arc Tennessee
Sarah Sampson, Communications Office Carrie Hobbs Guiden
615-383-9442 615-248-5878
www.tndisability.org email: [email protected] www.thearctn.org email: [email protected]
Resources: The Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities http://www.tn.gov/didd/index.shtml http://forward.tn.gov/toptobottom/files/chapters/intellectual.pdf
