Respite options in DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia

01The short answer

There are three routes to respite. County and nonprofit programs are free or subsidized but limited, with enrollment windows and rules about what they can be used for. Waiver respite is available only once your child is enrolled in a waiver, and the waits are long. Private-pay care has no waitlist and you choose the hours, but you pay for it. Many families combine them.

02The three routes compared

Want help sorting this out for your family? Send us a question

03Maryland

The Arc Montgomery County respite (county-funded)

• Who: an unpaid primary caregiver living in the same household in Montgomery County, caring for a child 17 or under with intellectual, developmental or functional disabilities or challenging behavior.
• How much: families “may be eligible for up to 140 hours. Nothing is guaranteed.” The Arc coordinates care through a group of agencies; it doesn’t provide care directly.
• When: enrollment runs from July to February only, and renewal packets are mailed in May. Processing takes up to 30 business days.
• Not for work: “Respite cannot be used for regular, long-term, or continuing care, nor to allow the unpaid primary caregiver to regularly go to work.”
• Not with a waiver: families receiving state, county, federal, military or veteran funding for in-home or community services, including the Community Pathways and Autism Waivers, aren’t eligible.
• Apply: Respite@TheArcMoCo.org. Income questions are for data only and won’t disqualify you.

Montgomery County Community Support Network

Respite for unpaid live-in caregivers, Autism Waiver service coordination and the My Turn program, which offers limited short-term help with recreation and camp costs for residents aged 3 to 18 with a developmental disability. Call 240-777-1216.

Low Intensity Support Services (LISS)

Up to $1,000 for eligible services or items for children and adults with developmental or intellectual disabilities who are not receiving DDA support services. LISS uses a separate application and random selection. Check the official LISS page for application dates and requirements.

Waivers

Respite is a covered service in the DDA’s Community Pathways Waiver and in the Autism Waiver. Both have waitlists. See our Maryland DDA and Autism Waiver guide.

04Washington, DC

DC’s Department on Disability Services runs two waivers that include respite: the IDD Waiver and the Individual and Family Support (IFS) Waiver. DC’s IDD and Individual and Family Support waivers serve eligible adults age 18 and older. Respite is available through these programs only for enrolled participants, through their DDS service coordinator. To apply to DDS, call (202) 730-1700 or email dds-dda.intake@dc.gov.

We didn’t find a DC government respite program for children who aren’t on a waiver. Family Ties of DC ((202) 459-4002) and DC Health’s program for children and youth with special health care needs ((202) 442-5925) can point you to current options.

05Northern Virginia

DD Waivers

Respite is covered under Virginia’s Family and Individual Supports Waiver and Community Living Waiver. The first step is your Community Services Board (Fairfax–Falls Church 703-324-4400). In September 2026, 2,632 people were in Priority One, the most urgent group, on the statewide waiting list.

Virginia Lifespan Respite Voucher Program

Reimburses some respite costs for primary caregivers who live at least part-time with a person with a documented disability. Virginia’s published Lifespan Respite Voucher materials describe funding of up to $595 per household through June 30, 2026, or until funds were exhausted. Contact DARS at vlrvp@dars.virginia.gov to ask about current funding and applications.

Local programs

• FCPS Family Resource Center keeps a respite list for Fairfax families, including the Hartwood Foundation (703-273-0939), which administers Fairfax County’s Respite Subsidy Program; Jill’s House (703-639-5660), with short-term overnight respite for children 6 to 17 with intellectual disabilities; and Northern Virginia Family Service, with therapeutic respite from birth to 17.
• Arlington County offers center-based respite at the Irving Street group home through your support coordinator, and Family Support for extraordinary disability-related costs.
• Individual and Family Support Program funding from DBHDS is for people on the DD Waiver waiting list. Its last cycle ran October 1 to 30, 2025.

06Where private care fits

Families often use public respite for occasional breaks and private care for everything it can’t cover: work hours, school pickup, a regular weekly schedule or the months and years on a waitlist.

Many families call time away from caregiving respite, and use Novinway’s specialized childcare for it. Novinway is private pay and doesn’t bill Medicaid or waiver programs, so families can use waiver respite for part of the week and private care for the rest. Navigation Services can help you apply for public programs and see it through.

Sources

Program rules, phone numbers and figures change. We checked each source below in October 2026; confirm details with the program before you rely on them.

• Maryland DDA: Low Intensity Support Services (LISS)
• Virginia DARS: Lifespan Respite Voucher FAQ
• The Arc Montgomery County: respite FAQ
• The Arc Montgomery County: FY26 child respite packet
• Montgomery County: My Turn program
• Montgomery County: developmental disabilities resources
• Maryland DDA: Guide to the October 2025 waiver changes
• DC DDS caregiver resources (December 2024)
• DC DDS: IFS Waiver 2025 renewal
• Virginia DBHDS: Navigating the DD Waivers
• Virginia DBHDS: DD Waiver services report (2026)
• Virginia Lifespan Respite Voucher Program
• FCPS Family Resource Center: respite care
• Arlington County Developmental Services
• Virginia DBHDS: Individual and Family Support Program