Area Office
The Area Offices are the DDS offices that families will interact with the most. Each of our 23 Area Offices covers a specific geographic area, and serves all the DDS eligible people who live in their service area.
DDS-eligible individuals and families are assigned an adult, children’s, or transition service coordinator. This person works in their Area Office and is a primary contact for families. Each Area Office is overseen by an area director, and also has service coordinator supervisors, an assistant area director, and other staff.
To locate your local Area Office, go to mass.gov/dds or see the list at the end of this booklet.
Regional Office
There are four regional offices in the state. They oversee the Area Offices in their region. Families will work with the regional eligibility team in the regional office when applying for DDS Eligibility. The regional director, community systems director, and many other staff are in the regional office. Each regional office also has a family-support director, who serves as a resource to Area Offices, family- support providers, and families on family-support services and programs.
To locate your Regional Office, go to mass.gov/dds or see the list at the end of this booklet.
Central Office
Central Office is the statewide DDS Office. Central Office oversees all DDS functions and operations throughout the state and establishes statewide policies and procedures. The DDS commissioner and all the other Central Office staff, including the statewide director of family support, are in this office. Most families will not have to go to Central Office but may interact with Central Office staff when they visit their local Area Office or at statewide conferences, family forums, or other events. Central Office also has an ombudsperson who families can contact in the rare circumstance when their issues or concerns have not been addressed by area or regional staff.
When you have questions, contact your local Area Office first.