DDD for Members

Mercy Care wants our DDD members and families to have the most current and accurate information available about COVID-19. You can learn more about what to do to keep yourself and your family healthy at the CDC website. The Arizona Department of Health Services has a list of Frequently Asked Questions to help you as well.

COVID-19 information for DDD members and families

The Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) has compiled a list of COVID-19 information resources to support families and members.
Click this link to learn more.

Click here to view a list of resources we've put together to help foster resiliency and trauma in children, as well as other community resources.

Thank you for choosing Mercy Care. We look forward to helping you meet your health care needs.

DDD is a part of the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES). It helps people with developmental disabilities achieve independence. It also provides support to family members and other caregivers.

Mercy Care provides services to DDD members in all counties. You have your own health needs. And our health plan is designed to help meet those needs. We are here to help you get healthy and stay healthy.

Member Services

We can answer your questions about benefits, help with finding or choosing a doctor, and solve problems in getting health care services.

Mercy Care Member Services representatives are available to help you Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Please call 602-263-3000 or toll-free 1-800-624-3879 (TTY/TDD 711).

Children’s Services Liaison, Erneshia Pinder
Office: 602-453-8409
Mobile: 602-489-4474
erneshia.pinder@MercyCareAZ.org

What is DDD?

What is DDD? DDD supports people who develop severe and/or chronic disabilities before their 18th birthday. These disabilities limit a person’s ability to do the tasks related to daily living. A person may be eligible to receive developmental disability services if they have a diagnosis of:

Cognitive/Intellectual disability
Epilepsy
Cerebral palsy
Autism
Developmental delays

Mercy Care provides medical services to more than 13,000 members in the DDD program. In addition, children under age 3, who are at risk for a developmental disability, are also eligible for the Arizona Early Intervention Program. Early intervention is a process in which a group of therapists and educators works with parents and families of children with special needs to support a child’s growth, development and learning.

If an individual is older than 3 years and you and the primary care physician suspect developmental delays, call Member Services at 602-263-3000 or 1-800-624-3879 (TTY/TDD 711) and ask for the DDD representative to talk about services that may be available.

For more information about the Division of Developmental Disabilities.

How to Qualify

The state’s Division of Developmental Disabilities offers services to people who meet certain requirements.

To qualify for DDD, you must:

Be a resident of the state of Arizona
Voluntarily apply
Be at risk of having a developmental disability (up to age 6) OR for people over age 6, have one of the following diagnoses:
- Epilepsy
- Cerebral palsy
- Cognitive/intellectual
- Autism
Have a disability that occurred prior to age 18
Have substantial functional limitations in three of the seven major life areas, which include:
- Self-care (eating, hygiene, etc.)
- Receptive and expressive language
- Learning
- Mobility
- Self-direction
- Capacity for independent living
- Economy self-sufficiency

You can learn more at the state’s Division of Developmental Disabilities page.

Liaison

How the DDD liaison can help you If you need extra support understanding the DDD program, we are here to help. As a member or the guardian of a member enrolled in the DDD program, you have access to Mercy Care’s DDD member representative – also known as the DDD Liaison.

The DDD Liaison is your primary contact at Mercy Care. The DDD Liaison can help you with things like:

Finding a provider
Communicating with the state’s DDD office
Coordinating care
Getting behavioral health services

You can reach the DDD Liaison by calling Member Services at 602-263-3000 or 1-800-624-3879 (TTY/TDD 1-866-602-1982).

Behavioral Health Services

If you or a family member needs behavioral health services, please call member services to connect to a behavioral health provider near you. There are many behavioral health services available to ensure you get the best care.

Resources

“Navigating the System: A Guide for Individuals and Families” – Learn more about Developmental Disability benefits and services with this Division of Developmental Disabilities tool.

Common developmental disability terms: https://des.az.gov/content/acronyms-developmental-disabilities

Transition from adolescence to adulthood

Autism Speaks has developed a toolkit to assist families on the journey from adolescence into adulthood. Visit the following Autism Speaks Transition Toolkit website to learn more.

Informative documents and bulletins: https://des.az.gov/services/disabilities/developmental-child-and-adult/bulletins-developmental-disabilities

You can learn more about the American Indian Health Program (AIHP) by visiting https://www.azahcccs.gov/AmericanIndians/AIHP

Additional resources:

SARRC – https://www.autismcenter.org

Raising Special Kids – http://www.raisingspecialkids.org

Feeding Matters – https://www.feedingmatters.org

Arizona Autism Coalition – https://www.azautism.org

Ability 360 – http://ability360.org

Autism Society of America (Arizona Chapters) – http://www.autism-society.org/

Epilepsy Foundation of Arizona – https://www.epilepsy.com/

National Center on Caregiving at Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA) – https://www.caregiver.org/pilotIntegration/indexPersistent.html?uri=%2F

Pilot Parents of Southern Arizona – http://pilotparents.org/