Innovations Waiver Services

The NC Innovations Waiver provides people with intellectual and developmental disabilities with services and supports in their own community. This helps people live as independently as possible.

Alliance Health manages the NC Innovations Waiver program in Cumberland, Durham, Harnett, Johnston, Mecklenburg, Orange and Wake counties.

Individuals can get intellectual and developmental disability services through Alliance Health who:

• Live in Cumberland, Durham, Harnett, Johnston, Mecklenburg, Orange, or Wake County
• Are age 3 or older, and have a severe, lifelong disability that is:
  • Due to a mental or physical disability or a combination of both
  • Begins before age 22 or is caused by a traumatic brain injury before age 22
  • Causes major challenges in completing daily tasks
• You have Medicaid from Cumberland, Durham, Harnett, Johnston, Mecklenburg, Orange or Wake counties, or live in one of these counties and do not have insurance. Most requests for these services require a review to make sure they are the right service for you.

Learn more information about NC Innovations Waiver services or to start an application for the Innovations Waiver, call Member and Recipient Services at 800-510-9132, Monday-Saturday, 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.

The Registry of Unmet Needs is a first-come, first-served list managed by Alliance Health to keep track of people waiting for the NC Innovations Waiver in Cumberland, Durham, Harnett, Johnston, Mecklenburg, Orange, and Wake counties. We strongly encourage parents of children who may need these services in the future to contact us to add your child to the Registry of Unmet Needs.

To learn more about the eligibility review process or the Registry of Unmet Needs, call Alliance Member and Recipient Services at 800-510-9132, Monday-Saturday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

How do I get started?
To learn more, visit  the Innovations Waiver handbook or call Alliance Member and Recipient Services at 800-510-9132, Monday-Saturday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Centers for Medicaid and Medicaid Services (CMS) requires Individuals who participate in a Medicaid waiver to have a valid, comprehensive assessment. NC Medicaid uses the Supports Intensity Scale-Adult Version® (SIS-A®) to fulfill this requirement for individuals 16 and older. The SIS-A® was created to measure the supports a person needs to be successful in their life. Since 2016, each person receiving Innovation Waiver services has participated in a Supports Intensity Scale Assessment. In February 2022, the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) announced that SIS-A® was re-normed, to include modern language and to gather additional information.

Since 2016, Sessions Law 2011-254 required each person on the Innovations Waiver to receive a support budget. NC Medicaid has contracted with the Human Services Research Institute to evaluate the support budget model to decide whether any changes will be needed to better support individuals on the Innovations Waiver as we move into the next version of SIS-A® 2nd edition.

Beginning October 1, 2023, as part of SIS assessments, SIS interviewers will start asking SIS Advance questions. The advance questions reflect the addition to SIS-A® 2nd Edition. The answers to these questions will not print on the SIS Family Friendly Report or affect the individual’s level and tier. The sole purpose of asking these questions is data collection. The information collected will help inform decisions as we move forward. NC Medicaid plans to transition to SIS-A® 2nd Edition in Fall of 2024.