Division of Developmental Disabilities

The New Jersey Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD)

What is DDD: The NJ state agency that provides public funding for services and supports to individuals age 21 and older with an intellectual and/or a developmental disability (I/DD).

Who is eligible:

  1. Must be Medicaid eligible and maintain Medicaid eligibility, and
  2. Must meet the functional criteria:
    1. Have a chronic physical and/or intellectual disability that:
    2. Manifests in the developmental years, before age 22, and
    3. Is lifelong in nature, and
  3. Substantially limits the individual in at least three of these areas of life activity:
    • self-care;
    • learning;
    • mobility;
    • communication;
    • self-direction;
    • economic self-sufficiency; and
    • the ability to live independently.
  1. Must be a legal US resident
  2. Must be a NJ resident

How to apply for DDD:

The individual must be 18 years of age or older to be evaluated by the DDD for functional eligibility for services even though the services will not start until their 21st birthday.

Your child can begin receiving transition-assistance services from the DDD after he or she turns 16.

How to apply for DDD:

  1. For individuals NOT previously determined eligible for developmental disability services through the NJ Children’s System of Care, you will need to complete the full application for eligibility. nj.gov/humanservices/ddd/documents/Full-Application-for-Eligibility-English.pdf
  2. Individuals who are 18 or older and were previously determined eligible for developmental disability services through the NJ Children's System of Care can complete the short application: nj.gov/humanservices/ddd/documents/Short-Application-for-Eligibility-English.pdf

    Both the full and short application need to be mailed along with supporting documentation to the Community Services Office that covers your county and addressed to Division of Developmental Disabilities Intake. nj.gov/humanservices/ddd/about/contactus/communityservices/

For help filling out the application:

Call the Community Service Office that covers your county and ask to speak with an Intake Worker about filling out the application and what information needs to be submitted. https://www.nj.gov/humanservices/ddd/about/contactus/communityservices/

Or, submit a request for assistance from the ARC Family Institute: https://www.thearcfamilyinstitute.org/what_we_do/ddd-intake-form.html

For non-English speakers, please refer to the following link: nj.gov/humanservices/ddd/assets/documents/language-assistance-1557-taglines.pdf

For more information regarding DDD eligibility, go to https://www.thearcfamilyinstitute.org/resources/ddd-eligibility-go-bag.html

How long does the review take: Once all required paperwork has been submitted, it should take up to 60 days for the DDD to inform you about service eligibility.

What happens if found eligible:

You must fill out the NJCAT form to determine whether eligible to receive funded resources. (NJCat page). The NJCAT assessment will determine if the individual is functionally eligible and if so, the support needs and budget.