DC Department of Aging and Community Living
The Front Door to DC's Aging Network
The Department of Aging and Community Living (DACL) is the District's designated Area Agency on Aging — the single agency responsible for coordinating community-based services for DC residents aged 60 and older. If you're an adult child trying to figure out where to start when a parent needs help, DACL is the intake point for nearly everything: EPD Waiver applications, home-delivered meals, transportation assistance, home modifications, adult day health referrals, and connections to your parent's local senior services provider.
DACL's centralized phone number is (202) 724-5626. This connects you to the Information and Assistance unit, which triages your situation and routes you to the right service. For families in the middle of a care crisis, this single call can replace hours of searching government websites that haven't been updated since 2019.
The Aging and Disability Resource Center
DACL operates the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC), which functions as the District's "no wrong door" entry point for seniors and people with disabilities. The ADRC conducts preliminary screenings for public benefits, helps families understand what services their parent might qualify for, and coordinates across the multiple agencies involved in elder care.
For EPD Waiver applications specifically, the ADRC at 250 E Street SW is the submission point. The complete application package — including the signed Supplemental Form for Long-Term Care Benefits and the approved clinical Level of Care determination from Liberty Healthcare — goes to the ADRC, which forwards the verified packet to the Economic Security Administration (ESA) for financial determination. You can also submit EPD Waiver materials by email to [email protected].
Ward-Based Lead Agencies
DACL doesn't deliver most direct services itself. Instead, it funds a network of ward-based lead agencies — local organizations that provide hands-on senior services in each DC ward:
- Ward 1: Seabury Resources for Aging — (202) 234-4128
- Wards 2 & 3: Iona Senior Services — (202) 966-1055
- Ward 4: Seabury — (202) 882-1824
- Ward 5: Seabury — (202) 529-8701
- Ward 6: Family Matters of Greater Washington — (202) 397-1725
- Ward 7: East River Family Strengthening Collaborative — (202) 534-4880
- Ward 8: Family Matters of Greater Washington — (202) 562-6860
These agencies offer localized support that the central DACL office can't match: connecting families to specific adult day health programs in their neighborhood, coordinating respite care slots, helping with benefit applications, and providing the kind of ongoing case management that keeps a care plan from falling apart after the initial crisis passes.
Your parent's ward of residence determines which lead agency serves them. If you're not sure which ward your parent lives in, DACL's Information and Assistance line can look it up.
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Key Programs Worth Knowing About
Safe at Home funds home modifications — grab bars, wheelchair ramps, bathroom renovations — that help seniors remain in their own residences safely. This program doesn't require Medicaid eligibility and targets the physical barriers that often push families toward residential placement prematurely.
Services My Way allows EPD Waiver beneficiaries to self-direct their care, including the option to designate a family member or friend as a paid caregiver. Instead of receiving services through an assigned agency, your parent (or you, as their authorized representative) manages the care budget, hires workers, and sets schedules.
Community Transition Program helps seniors who are currently living in nursing homes transition back into community-based settings. If your parent was placed in a nursing facility after a hospitalization and has since stabilized, this program can help coordinate the move home with appropriate support services.
Home-delivered meals, transportation, and nutrition counseling are available through the lead agency network. These aren't glamorous services, but they directly address the isolation and malnutrition risks that accelerate cognitive and physical decline in seniors living alone.
The EPD Waiver Connection
DACL is the intake point for the Elderly and Persons with Physical Disabilities (EPD) Waiver — DC's primary public funding mechanism for home care and assisted living services. If your parent meets a nursing facility level of care and passes the financial eligibility screen (individual assets under $4,000, monthly income under $2,982 in 2026), the waiver can cover personal care aide hours, adult day health, skilled nursing visits, and case management.
The application starts at the ADRC. Submit the complete package — including the Supplemental Form for Long-Term Care Benefits and the approved clinical Level of Care determination from Liberty Healthcare — to the ADRC at 250 E Street SW, or email it to [email protected]. The ADRC verifies the packet and forwards it to the Economic Security Administration for financial determination. Families can also submit applications directly through the consumer portal at districtdirect.dc.gov.
What DACL Can't Do
DACL coordinates intake and community services, but it doesn't make the financial eligibility determination for Medicaid. That's the Economic Security Administration under the Department of Human Services. And it doesn't license or inspect care facilities — that's the Health Regulation and Licensing Administration (HRLA) under DC Health.
Understanding which agency handles which function prevents the circular referral problem that frustrates most families. DACL gets you into the system. ESA determines whether you qualify financially. HRLA tells you whether a facility meets safety standards. DHCF sets the policies and pays the bills.
The DC Care Decision Toolkit maps this multi-agency structure with a step-by-step workflow showing exactly when to contact each agency, what documentation they need, and how long each stage takes — so you're not bouncing between departments hoping someone picks up.
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