[1] The change in terminology was implemented after the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS)[2] modified the State Operations Manual Appendix J - Guidance to Surveyors: Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities[3] The changes were implemented after President Obama signed Rosa's Law.
"[12] Appendix J (W160 through W163) requires a QIDP to have a bachelor's degree in human services or a related field of study, plus at least one year of experience working with people diagnosed as developmentally disabled.
Qualified Mental Retardation Professional (QMRP)[13][14] was the term first used in federal standards developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s for intermediate care facilities for developmentally disabled people.
In December 2013, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) formally updated Appendix J to change the language used to describe developmental disabilities.
[16] It is possible that, as facilities start to phase out or convert to other programs (such as waiver-type settings) for people with disabilities, the terms QMRP, QDDP, and QIDP may be removed completely.