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DDD Provider Search: How to Find and Choose a DDD Provider in NJ

By Ameriwell Care

7 min read

Once a DDD plan is being written, the next question is who will actually provide the services. New Jersey has many approved agencies, and choosing between them is up to the family. This page explains how to find them with DDD Provider Search, what your support coordinator has to do to help, what to ask before you choose, and how to change providers later.

Quick answer: DDD Provider Search is the Division’s online database of approved providers, and you can narrow it by service and county. The family chooses each provider. Your support coordinator cannot pick or recommend one, but has to help you research, set up meetings and handle the referral. Once contacted, a provider has five working days to say whether it is interested.

Who chooses the provider?

You do. DDD’s manuals say the individual selects the provider they prefer for each service in the Individualized Service Plan (ISP). DDD encourages families to research before choosing: phone calls, interviews, provider fairs, site visits, word of mouth and the providers’ own materials all count.

The support coordinator’s role is set out just as clearly. They cannot select a provider for you or recommend a specific one. They do have to help, unless you would rather do it yourself:

  • researching providers and matching approved ones to the services in the plan;
  • helping you work out what matters most, so you can narrow the list;
  • contacting providers to arrange interviews, tours, meetings and intake appointments;
  • helping you send any referral information a provider asks for;
  • checking that the provider can support the goals in the plan, and when it has openings.

DDD’s manuals also say support coordinators and providers must include the person with a disability in problem solving and decisions, and give them enough information to make informed choices.

How to use DDD Provider Search

DDD Provider Search is the database DDD keeps of Medicaid/DDD approved providers, so families can find providers that serve their area. DDD’s Supports Program manual describes the filters like this. Its example is support coordination; choose the service you need instead.

  1. Open the Filter menu on the right of the screen.
  2. Under Service, tick the service you are looking for.
  3. Under County Served, tick the county where the person lives.
  4. Under Language, tick a language if it matters.
  5. Click the magnifying glass next to the Filter menu to see the list of approved providers.
  6. To keep the list, print it or export it to a spreadsheet with the icons on the left, under “Name, Service”.

If the person’s tier includes acuity (a lowercase “a”, such as Ca or Da), check that the provider is qualified to give the medical or behavioral supports that acuity calls for. DDD’s manual explains how: search for the provider by name, open its Agency Information Report, and look at the Services section. Our page on 2026 DDD tiers and budgets explains what acuity means.

Questions worth asking a provider

A list from Provider Search tells you who is approved, not who is the right fit. These questions help with that. The first four come straight from what DDD’s manuals ask the support coordinator and the provider to sort out.

  • Do you provide this service in our county, and can you start by the date we need?
  • What do you need from us before services start: an intake interview, a referral packet, a tour?
  • How will your service help with the goals in the person’s plan?
  • If the tier includes acuity, are you qualified for acuity services?
  • Who will the regular staff be, and how do you cover absences?
  • How do you keep the family and the support coordinator updated?
  • If you ever had to stop services, how would that work?

What happens after you choose

DDD’s manuals set out the referral steps in order:

  1. The support coordinator contacts the provider to say the person is interested and follows any intake process the provider has.
  2. They share what the person needs. That means the goals in the plan, the person’s needs and anything the provider asks for, plus setting up intake meetings.
  3. The provider answers within five working days of that first contact, to you or the support coordinator, saying whether it is interested.
  4. The support coordinator confirms the fit: that the provider can meet the person’s needs and has room by the date services are needed. If the person has an acuity tier, the support coordinator and provider also complete an Addressing Enhanced Needs Form.
  5. The provider accepts or declines.
  6. The plan is updated. The support coordinator adds the provider, start dates and units to the ISP and sends the approved plan to the provider, who confirms it is accurate.
  7. Services start. Once the ISP is approved it works as the prior authorization for the services in it. A prior authorization is sent to the provider electronically, and services begin on the start date it shows.

Our NJ DDD services guide explains each service and how the plan comes together.

If no provider can take the person

Sometimes there is no provider with room in the area, or none that can meet the person’s particular needs. When that happens, the support coordinator must report it to their DDD quality assurance contact, and DDD tracks these reports to work on gaps in the provider network. Tell your support coordinator as soon as you hit this problem.

For some services, families can also hire their own staff, called self-directed employees, instead of using an agency. Our page on New Jersey programs that pay family caregivers explains how that works under DDD.

Changing providers

You can change providers. Tell your support coordinator. Under DDD’s rules that is the family’s job, and the support coordinator then revises the ISP. A provider change needs updated signatures and plan approval, though the whole planning team does not always have to meet again.

If a provider decides to stop serving the person, DDD’s manuals say it must:

  • tell the person, guardian or family that it intends to end services;
  • give its reasons, in line with its own discharge policy;
  • tell the support coordinator at least 30 days before stopping, so they can help find a replacement and revise the plan; and
  • keep supporting the person until replacement services and a new provider are in place.

If something is wrong

For problems with a service, start with your support coordinator. Planning team members can ask them for a special team meeting whenever the person’s situation changes significantly.

If you suspect abuse, neglect or exploitation and do not want to report it through the support coordinator, you can call DDD’s Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 1-800-832-9173. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911 first.

Frequently asked questions

What is DDD Provider Search?

It is DDD’s online database of Medicaid/DDD approved providers in New Jersey. You can filter it by service, by the county served and by language, then print the list or export it to a spreadsheet.

Can my support coordinator recommend a provider?

No. DDD’s manuals say support coordinators cannot select a provider or recommend a specific one. They do have to help you research providers, narrow the list, and set up interviews, tours and intake meetings.

How long does a DDD provider have to respond?

Five working days. Once the support coordinator contacts a provider about a referral, the provider must tell the family or the support coordinator within five working days whether it is interested.

Can I change my DDD provider?

Yes. Tell your support coordinator, who updates the ISP. A provider change needs updated signatures and approval in the plan.

Can a provider stop services?

Yes, but it must explain why, give the support coordinator at least 30 days’ notice, and keep supporting the person until a replacement is in place.

Do we have to use an agency?

Not for every service. For some services, families can hire self-directed employees instead, paid through a fiscal intermediary.

How do I know if a provider can support acuity needs?

Look the provider up in DDD Provider Search, open its Agency Information Report and check the Services section.

Comparing providers?

Ameriwell Care is a DDD-approved provider of home-based, community-based, family-based and behavior support across New Jersey. If you are comparing agencies, we are glad to answer your questions about how we work. Call (732) 655 2911 ext. 101 or send us a message.

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