For an adult with an intellectual disability or autism, an ODP waiver can cover a day program almost entirely. This is the practical walkthrough — written so a family can follow it, and detailed enough that a Supports Coordinator can use it to place a participant quickly.
If you’re a parent or sibling, this page shows you how the funding actually reaches a day program. If you’re a Supports Coordinator or provider, skip to “For Supports Coordinators” below — we’ve set up our intake to make placement fast.
What ODP covers, briefly
The Office of Developmental Programs runs three waivers for people with intellectual disability and autism — Consolidated, Community Living, and P/FDS. All three can fund adult day services as part of the person’s Individual Support Plan (ISP). That means a participant can attend our intellectual disabilities program with the waiver covering the cost, and frequently the door-to-door transportation as well.
For families: how it works, step by step
From “where do I start” to first day of attendance
- Confirm ODP eligibility. Contact your county’s intellectual disability / autism office (in Philadelphia, that’s the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services). They determine ID/autism eligibility and registration.
- Get a Supports Coordinator. Once registered, you’re assigned an SC — your guide through the whole process. If your relative already attends another service, they likely already have one.
- Ask for adult day services in the ISP. Tell the SC you want a day program added to the Individual Support Plan. This is the document that authorizes the service.
- Choose the provider. You have the right to choose where your relative attends. Name Penn Village; we’ll handle the provider-side paperwork with your SC.
- Tour and start. Visit, meet the team, and once the ISP authorization is in place, set a start date.
For Supports Coordinators & providers
We know your time is the scarce resource. To make a placement easy:
- We accept Consolidated, Community Living, and P/FDS waiver participants and coordinate directly on the ISP service authorization.
- We provide structured daily programming, supervision ratios appropriate to need, and can discuss 1:1 support for participants who require it.
- Door-to-door, wheelchair-accessible transportation is available across Germantown, Mount Airy, West Philadelphia and surrounding neighborhoods — see our locations & coverage area.
- We’ll return intake documents promptly so you can close the placement. Use the contact page or call 267-437-2898 and ask for intake.
A good day program placement should take a coordinator one call and one tour to set up — not weeks of back-and-forth. That’s what we aim for.
What participants actually do here
Funding only matters if the program is good. Days are structured around routine, skill-building, social connection, and meaningful activity — communication and daily-living practice, group games and arts, light exercise, supervised community outings, and quiet low-stimulation spaces when someone needs them. Families consistently tell us the difference shows up at home: more confidence, more words, more calm.
If you’re weighing this against other models, our overview of day programs for adults with disabilities in Philadelphia lays out the full picture, and day program vs. group home vs. in-home support compares the options side by side.
Family or coordinator — let’s make the placement simple
Tell us the waiver and the support level needed. We’ll handle the provider paperwork and get a tour on the calendar.
Schedule a Free TourA note on accuracy: Waiver names, eligibility rules, and limits change over time and final eligibility is determined by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, your county, and your assigned Supports Coordinator or Service Coordinator — not by Penn Village. This guide is general information, current as of 2026, and not a benefits determination. Always confirm specifics with your coordinator or county office.
Related reading & resources
