Rates paid to providers of Oklahoma's Developmental Disabilities Services (DDS) rose 10% to 25% effective Oct. 1, 2024, Oklahoma Human Services announced on Oct. 3, 2024. It was the second rate increase the Legislature had funded in two years.
What changed
DDS told providers in a Sept. 27 letter that it had received approval from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for the increase. The department said its provider agencies employ habilitation training specialists and other direct support professionals.
To make room for the higher rates, annual spending limits for In-Home Supports Waivers rose 25%, to $36,143 for adults and $24,104 for children, the department said. Without that change, higher hourly rates would have bought fewer hours of support within the same cap.
DDS Director Beth Scrutchins tied the increase to a labor shortage and to the agency's push to end its 13-year waiting list, which was adding people to services and increasing the need for workers.
Why this mattered for providers and DSPs
Raising rates without raising waiver caps can cut service hours. Oklahoma raised both, which let agencies compete for DSPs without shrinking what people could buy. The increase came as the state moved thousands of people off its waitlist, which DDS reported the next month had dropped from 13 years to two.