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Contact UsThe Dan Thompson Memorial Developmental Disabilities Community Services Account was created in 2005 after the death of Dan Thompson. Dan was an advocate, a Microsoft employee, and a person with a developmental disability. In 2021, the account received $50 million from the Washington State Legislature. The Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) is required to get recommendations from the Developmental Disabilities Council (DDC) on how to spend funds from the account. The DDC created the Dan Thompson Advisory Committee to identify priorities and create an application process to distribute funding.
The Washington State legislature established the Dan Thompson Developmental Disabilities Community Services Account in RCW 71A.20.170. State grants are made to community organizations providing “supports and services in a community setting to benefit eligible individuals with developmental disabilities. Expenditures from the account must supplement (not replace, supplant, or reduce) current state expenditure levels” or duplicate Medicaid HCBS waivers.
The Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) is required to get recommendations from the Developmental Disabilities Council (DDC) on how to spend the funding. The DDC created the Dan Thompson Advisory Committee to identify priorities and create an application process. DSHS will make the final decisions about which projects to fund. Organizations will be required to report on how the funding is being spent.