Division of Disability Services
The Division of Disability Services (DDS) focuses on serving people who became disabled as adults, whether through illness or injury. However, through its toll free hotline (1-888-285-3036), the Division also responds to as many as 5,000 requests each year for Information and Referral Assistance on issues affecting people with any type of disability in the state of New Jersey. DDS also publishes New Jersey Resources 2003 (Printable Version PDF), the most comprehensive guide available about services in this state for people with disabilities.
With an operating budget of $291,000,000 for FY 2003 and 29 employees, The Division of Disability Services administers programs that allow people with different types of disabilities to live more independently in the community and in many cases avoid the need to move into an institution. These programs include:
- NJ WorkAbility , a program that offers people with disabilities who are employed, and whose income normally would preclude them from receiving the comprehensive benefits for the disabled offered by Medicaid, the opportunity to pay a small premium and receive full New Jersey Medicaid health coverage.
- Personal Assistance Services Program, which provides routine, non-medical assistance to people with disabilities who work, attend school or are involved in community and volunteer activities.
- Personal Preference, part of a national research project that currently is enrolling disabled New Jersey Medicaid recipients in order to study the effects of allowing them to direct their own personal care assistant services as an alternative to accepting services arranged by an agency.
- Home and community-based services programs that provide services designed to let severely disabled people avoid institutionalization and remain in the community.
- Personal Care Assistant Services, an optional benefit for New Jersey Medicaid recipients that provides assistance with daily tasks for people who have either a short-term or long-term disability.
- New Jersey Disability Health & Wellness Initiative (NJDH&W), funded by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is located at the Department of Human Services, Division of Disability Services.
For more information about these programs or other activities of the Division of Disability Services, please contact us:
By mail:
Division of Disability Services
New Jersey Department of Human Services
P.O. Box 700
Trenton, N.J. 08625-0700
Or telephone: 1-888-285-3036.
(609) 292-7800 - Main
(609) 292-1233 - Fax
(609) 292-1210 - TTY
www.state.nj.us/humanservices/dds/index.html
