Funding a GPS tracker in New Jersey
In New Jersey, help for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities runs through the Children's System of Care until age 21, and through the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) from 21. Both list assistive technology. This page explains which services to ask about, how to apply, and what to ask. It is general information, not advice.
Last updated 7 October 2026. Written by StepSafe, which sells a GPS tracker for children who wander, so read the product parts with that in mind.
Read this first
This is general information, not legal or medical advice. We are not benefits advisors and we have no relationship with any program named here. No product of ours is covered, approved or endorsed by any of them, and we cannot tell you whether your child qualifies.
Programs change. Treat this page as a list of questions to ask, confirm everything with the agency before you spend money, and keep your receipts.
Last checked: 7 October 2026. That is the date we last read the official pages linked below.
Programs in New Jersey to ask about
None of the official pages we read names GPS trackers for children who wander. What they do list are services such as assistive technology, adaptive aids, specialized equipment and personal emergency response systems. Those are the words to use when you ask.
Children's System of Care: Family Support Services
New Jersey Department of Children and Families, through PerformCare
The Children's System of Care (CSOC) serves youth under 21 with intellectual or developmental disabilities, among others. PerformCare, its contracted system administrator, is the single point of access to its services.[2]
Family Support Services help families caring at home for a young person with an intellectual or developmental disability. They include respite, assistive technology, and home and vehicle modifications.[1]
CSOC describes Assistive Technology Devices as items used to "increase, maintain or improve an individual's functional capabilities", including to make the environment more accessible and to enhance independence. The device must be prescribed by a physician or therapist, and families must get three competitive bids unless only one vendor sells it.[3]
Family Support is not an entitlement. CSOC weighs each request against the young person's need, the services already available and its budget, and families must use any other services they are entitled to first.[3]
Safety devices: May cover safety or assistive technology; ask your coordinator. We did not find an official page that names GPS trackers for wandering.
Supports Program and Community Care Program
New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD), from age 21
DDD runs two Medicaid home and community-based services programs under the state's Section 1115 FamilyCare Comprehensive Demonstration. Both list Assistive Technology, Environmental Modification and Personal Emergency Response System (PERS) among their services.[4]
DDD's Community Care Program manual says assistive technology includes "ongoing maintenance fees to utilize the assistive technology (e.g., remote monitoring devices)". Each item needs prior approval from DDD, based on a functional evaluation.[6]
The same manual describes PERS as an electronic device that lets a participant get help in an emergency, with a portable "help" button that signals a staffed response center.[6]
These programs start at 21, but DDD accepts applications from age 18, so families can find out about eligibility well before then.[5]
Safety devices: May cover safety or assistive technology; ask your coordinator. We did not find an official page that names GPS trackers for wandering.
Richard West Assistive Technology Advocacy Center (ATAC)
New Jersey's Assistive Technology Act program, at Disability Rights New Jersey
ATAC is New Jersey's federally funded assistive technology project.[7] Through a partner's Technology Lending Center, which ATAC says is free for New Jersey residents, people with disabilities can borrow devices to try before buying.[8] We have not confirmed whether it lends GPS trackers.
Safety devices: Lends assistive technology; ask whether a locating device is available to try.
Who qualifies, in general terms
New Jersey describes a developmental disability as a chronic physical or intellectual disability that shows before age 21, is permanent and substantially limits at least three life activities, such as self-care, learning and mobility. Examples include autism spectrum disorders, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy.[1]
Services for young people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, from birth through age 21, go through CSOC. Families must first complete a Developmental Disability (DD) Eligibility application.[1]
For DDD's adult programs, a person must meet DDD's functional criteria for a developmental disability, be 21 or older, be a US citizen and New Jersey resident, and be eligible for or enrolled in Medicaid. The Community Care Program also requires an institutional level of care and specific Medicaid income and resource criteria.[4]
Only the agency can decide whether your child is eligible. These are the general rules as published, not a test you can apply yourself.
How to apply, step by step
- For a child under 18, apply for DD eligibility through PerformCare online or by calling 1-877-652-7624. Young people aged 18 through 21 apply through DDD instead.[1]
- Once your child is eligible, ask PerformCare about Family Support Services, including assistive technology devices.[1],[3]
- Ask your child's physician or therapist for a written prescription for the device, and gather three bids if more than one vendor sells it.[3]
- Plan ahead for adult services. DDD accepts applications from age 18, and can take up to 60 days to decide once the application is complete.[5] There is no waiting list for the Supports Program; the Community Care Program has a waiting list to be evaluated.[4]
- While you wait, ask ATAC whether you can borrow or try a device.[8]
What to ask your case manager or service coordinator
Questions to take to the meeting
- Could a wearable locating device be requested as an Assistive Technology Device through Family Support Services?
- What should the prescription from my child's doctor or therapist say about wandering?
- When my child moves to DDD at 21, could monitoring fees be included under assistive technology?
- What documentation do you need from my child's doctor or therapist about the wandering?
- Do you need quotes, a product description, or a specific vendor?
- Does the program pay for an ongoing service plan, or only for the device?
- If it is not approved, can I have the decision in writing, and how do I appeal?
For a sample request letter and a note on how wandering is recorded in a medical file, see what to say when you ask.
Programs change
Waiver services, eligibility rules and application steps are updated regularly. We last read these pages on 7 October 2026. Before you rely on anything here, confirm it with the agency or your coordinator. If you find something out of date, email support@stepsafekids.com and we will fix it.
Other states
- CaliforniaPrograms, who qualifies and how to apply →
- TexasPrograms, who qualifies and how to apply →
- FloridaPrograms, who qualifies and how to apply →
- New YorkPrograms, who qualifies and how to apply →
- PennsylvaniaPrograms, who qualifies and how to apply →
- IllinoisPrograms, who qualifies and how to apply →
- OhioPrograms, who qualifies and how to apply →
- GeorgiaPrograms, who qualifies and how to apply →
- North CarolinaPrograms, who qualifies and how to apply →
- MichiganPrograms, who qualifies and how to apply →
- VirginiaPrograms, who qualifies and how to apply →
- WashingtonPrograms, who qualifies and how to apply →
- ArizonaPrograms, who qualifies and how to apply →
- MassachusettsPrograms, who qualifies and how to apply →
Not listed? Read the United States overview for the routes that exist in every state.
What we make
StepSafe makes a clip-on cellular GPS tracker for children who wander. StepSafe ships in early 2027. Nothing on this page means any program will pay for it.
See the shop, or start with our free safety toolkit, which works whatever device you choose.
Sources
- NJ Disability Information Hub: Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Services
- NJ DCF: Division of Children's System of Care
- NJ DCF: Developmental Disabilities Family Support Services
- NJ DDD: Programs and Services
- NJ DDD: Application for Determination of Eligibility
- NJ DDD: Community Care Program Policies and Procedures Manual, version 7.0.1, September 2025 (PDF)
- ATAC, New Jersey's Assistive Technology Act program
- ATAC: Device Loans