Frequently Asked Questions

Trained ERI Staff known as Habilitation Training Specialists (HTS) teach individuals with disabilities:

  • Daily Living Skills
  • Housekeeping Skills
  • Laundry Skills
  • Cooking Skills
  • Money Management Skills
  • Personal Care Skills
  • Accessing Public Transportation where available

You must be 18 or older and able to pass a criminal background check to be an HTS. We offer fully-paid training for all of our HTS staff. Many of our clients already have a family member or friend interested in filling the position, but ERI also hires interested applicants to fill other openings. Contact us for more information or view our openings here.

ERI’s in-home program serves both children and adults. Children ages 3 to 17 and adults ages 18 to 99 are eligible for services.

After you have been approved by OKDHS for the IHSW or the Community Waiver, you can choose to work with ERI as your service provider. 

Each year an individualized plan is developed by the ERI team. We meet with clients and their families to determine what outcomes and goals are most important to the client as well as their family or guardians. 

Then, we develop objectives and an action plan to meet those goals. Our interdisciplinary team identifies and initiates the services needed to support the individual as they progress through their plan.

Oklahoma DHS determines the number of hours per week you are eligible to receive services through the In-Home Supports Waiver (IHSW) or the Community Waiver. Services can vary from just a few hours per week to more than 40 hours per week depending on funding and individual needs.

The Oklahoma Department of Human Services sets the eligibility criteria for Developmental Disabilities Services (DDS).

To qualify for services a person must:

  • Be an Oklahoma Resident
  • Be at least 3 years old
  • Be diagnosed with an intellectual disability by a licensed psychologist
  • Meet SoonerCare financial eligibility (available at OKHCA.org)
  • Have unmet needs DDS can address
  • Live in their own home, the home of a family member or friend, an OKDHS group home or OKDHS foster home

In-home support services are available at NO COST to individuals with disabilities.

Oklahoma’s In-Home Supports Waiver (IHSW) and the Community Waiver covers the costs associated with the program. ERI staff can help you determine what services your loved one qualifies for and how much support you are eligible to receive.

In May 2022 the Oklahoma legislature appropriated $32.5 million to end the DDS  wait list and increase provider rates. (Learn more about the announcement here.)

The legislature engaged Liberty of Oklahoma to help work through the backlog. Currently, more than 5,000 families are on the waiting list.

OKDHS anticipates it will take roughly 18-24 months to provide services for these families. During that time, the state will conduct an analysis to understand the future need for services and what additional funding is needed to maintain a no-wait status. 

Liberty of Oklahoma  is working to contact families who applied for the wait list through May 1, 2022 and assist them with obtaining documents for eligibility confirmation.

Oklahoma’s Developmental Disabilities Services (DDS) serves people in chronological order. Individuals who have been on the waiting list the longest will be served first. 

There are a number of steps to confirm eligibility to receive services through Oklahoma’s In-Home Supports Waiver (IHSW) and the Community Waiver. Once you are on the waiting list you must complete the requested documentation as you work through the process. 

Step 1: Names Comes Up On List 

Step 2: Liberty Wait List Specialist Assigned

Step 3: Conduct Liberty Wait List Assessment (If Not Already Completed)

Step 4: Confirm Eligibility & Medicaid Status

Step 5: Complete Application Packet 

Step 6: DDS Submits Application to OHCA

Step 7: Case Manager Assigned 

Step 8: Choose a DDS Service Provider, like ERI. 

Learn More about the Wait List Steps.

As of May 2022 more than 5,000 Oklahomans remained on the DDS Wait List. Recently, the Oklahoma legislature appropriated funds to end the DDS  wait list and increase provider rates. 

OKDHS anticipates it will take roughly 18-24 months to provide services for the more than 5,000 families on the list as of May 2022. 

View the Wait List Elimination Timeline 

View the Wait List Dashboard to see where the wait list currently stands as the state works to eliminate the wait list as quickly as possible.