Employment Services in District of Columbia

In the District, one department holds both funders, vocational rehabilitation pays by milestone, and the wage floor is among the highest in the country.

District of Columbia at a glance

Agency for employment services	Department on Disability Services, Developmental Disabilities Administration
How employment is funded	IDD Waiver; Individual and Family Support Waiver
Vocational rehabilitation	DDS Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA)
Medicaid agency	Department of Health Care Finance
Minimum wage	$18.40 (July 2026), indexed each July

The three biggest differences

One department, both funders. Waiver supported employment runs in four stages, from intake to long-term follow-along.
Milestone payments. RSA pays for Discovery, job development and placement, with incentives for strong outcomes.
Strict incident timelines. Every incident is entered by the next business day; serious ones immediately.

What the full addendum gives you

Twelve sections, filed directly behind Volume 0 and adopted by a single change request. Every rule cites its official source; anything not yet confirmed is marked for verification, never guessed.

How to use the addendum, and the three biggest differences
At a glance: every Maryland role and its local equivalent
Crosswalk: each Maryland reference, its replacement, and where it is amended
Waiver (or local) employment services: codes, units, rates, limits
Vocational rehabilitation: becoming a vendor, fees, invoicing, fading
Provider certification and staffing
Incident reporting and protection from harm
Billing, records and retention
Local law that changes the package: wages, recording, false claims, safety, breach
State-use purchasing and contract sites
Volume-by-volume amendments, 0 to 15
Open items to verify, and the official sources

Request the District of Columbia addendum Start the fit assessment

The addendum is issued with the Adoption License. Ask for it here and the Adoption Office replies within one business day.