The DHHS Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS), the Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) and the Office of MaineCare Services (OMS), are working together on an exciting project to develop a new Lifespan Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) option to support Maine people living with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) and/or Autism to meet their changing needs as they transition through various stages of life.
The goals of the project include assisting individuals with IDD and/or Autism and their families in ways that:
- Offer more flexibility to address goals and needs that naturally change across the lifespan
- Improve transition and in-home support services to support successful transition from childhood to adulthood.
- Use new ideas that work to support access to innovative services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.
Project Milestones
This page will be the central hub for information about the HCBS Lifespan project, including stakeholder engagement forums and other ways to be involved in the project’s development.
Lifespan Reimbursement Rates Public Hearing and Comment Period
A rate study that has been underway since fall 2023 was released at a public hearing on April 14, 2025. For more information on the hearing, the rate structure, a recording of that hearing, rates comments and the posting of final rates, follow these instructions:
- Visit the MaineCare Rate System Reform page.
- Click the dropdown for the section “CY 2024 Rate Determination – in Progress”.
- Scroll to the table with the header: 18, 20, 21, 29, HCBS for Individuals with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities or Autism & New Lifespan Waiver.
- All relevant materials will be posted here when available.
Lifespan Spring 2024 Partner Tour
Planning for a Lifespan Waiver in Maine - Providers Presentation (PDF)
Proposed HCBS Lifespan Waiver Statewide Stakeholder Informational Tour
The Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS) offered a series of two Zoom and eight in-person question-and-answer sessions on the proposed Lifespan Waiver in September and October 2023. These sessions provided stakeholders with an opportunity to learn more about the proposed waiver concept, and to provide input and comment.
The Zoom sessions were held:
- Wednesday, September 27, 2023, from 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM
- Monday, October 2, 2023, from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM
A slide deck of the presentation is also available.
Public Comment on HCBS Lifespan Waiver- Concept Paper
The Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS) offered two public comment sessions on the proposed Lifespan Waiver Concept Paper. These sessions allowed stakeholders to submit verbal comments on the proposed waiver concept. The public comment presentation is below.
Lifespan Waiver Concept Paper – Public Comment Session Presentation (PDF)
Lifespan Concept Paper Public Comment Summary (PDF)
Stakeholder Engagement
- Maine Lifespan Project Stakeholder Sessions (September 2022)
- Maine Lifespan Project Statewide Stakeholder Feedback Summarization Meeting, October 27, 2022
- Participant Goals and Needs to be Addressed in the Lifespan Waiver (PDF)- A table outlining example Lifespan participant goals and needs, and the corresponding proposed services that would address them.
Lifespan Stakeholder Advisory Group
Starting in January 2023 through the spring, OADS is meeting with the Lifespan Stakeholder Advisory Group. Nominations for this advisory group were invited through the stakeholder informational events held in September and October 2022.
The advisory group meets twice a month from January to June 2023. The advisory group is co-led by Dr. Lisa Mills, consultant to the Lifespan Project, and OADS Associate Director Betsy Hopkins.
The Lifespan Stakeholder Advisory Group includes representatives from the following groups:
- Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
- Family members and guardians of individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
- Service provider representatives
- Advocacy organizations
DHHS staff serving on the group will include the following representatives: one case manager liaison; one resource coordinator; one community support and employment manager; one Office of Children and Family Services representative; and one Office of MaineCare Services representative.
Stakeholder Advisory Group Meeting Presentations
| Meeting Topics and Presentations | Meeting Notes | Meeting Date |
| Meeting Notes (PDF) |
1/25/2023
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| Meeting Notes (PDF) |
2/8/2023
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| Meeting Notes (PDF) |
2/22/2023
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| Meeting Notes (PDF) |
3/8/2023
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| Meeting Notes (PDF) |
3/22/2023
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| Meeting Notes (PDF) |
4/19/2023
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| Meeting Notes (PDF) |
5/3/2023
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| Meeting Notes (PDF) |
5/17/2023
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| Meeting Notes (PDF) |
5/31/2023
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| Meeting Notes (PDF) |
6/14/2023
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| Meeting Notes (PDF) |
6/28/2023
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New Focus on Youth in Transition, Ages 14-21
We have consistently received feedback that youth and their families need assistance navigating from high school transition services provided by the Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) to adult services provided by OADS. A new project underway is hiring staff and developing services and supports to improve these transitions.
Transitions from OCFS Youth to OADS Adult Services 9817 ARPA Project
The project has hired a Director and four Transition Liaisons, who will support key goals, including:
- Quality assurance and quality improvement oversight
- Transition case management support and implementation
- Facilitate access to state systems to ease application process
- Training and education in the regions
- Systems level reporting and monitoring
For more information, please visit the Transition Planning webpage.
A Path for ME SIS-A™ Assessment and Person-Centered Planning
Closely linked to the Lifespan project is the implementation of a new needs assessment for Maine people living with IDD and Autism. This is expected to provide high-quality, reliable, and consistent information about the support needs of waiver members and those on the waitlist. This information will help shape how the Lifespan project is designed, along with a primary focus on identifying the strengths of individuals with IDD, their families, and their communities. This will be done through strengths-based Person-Centered Planning, which will focus on helping people with intellectual and developmental disabilities achieve the lives they want and be valued members of their communities.
You can learn more about the new needs assessment here:
You can learn more about the new approach to strengths-based Person-Centered Planning here:
Contact Us
Please send us your questions, comments, or feedback to: OADS.LifespanProject@maine.gov