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The DDA Connection
June 27, 2025
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Dear DDA Community,
In May, I attended the Maryland Association of Community Services (MACS) 2025 Direct Support Supervision Conference at the Ashore Hotel & Beach Club in Ocean City. On behalf of the Maryland Department of Health’s Developmental Disabilities Administration, I extend our heartfelt thanks and deep appreciation to MACS and those who assisted with planning this special occasion for recognizing and celebrating the incredible work of Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) and supervisors.
Your commitment to highlighting the dedication, compassion, and the vital role DSPs play in supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities makes a meaningful impact. By sharing their stories and shining a light on their contributions, you honor their work and help strengthen the respect, understanding, and value of this essential workforce within our communities.
Thank you for helping us amplify their voices and joining us in our mission to ensure every person receives the support and dignity they deserve.
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Pictured above: Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) and Supervisor Honorees
And to our amazing Direct Support Professionals and supervisors: We applaud each and every one of you. We are grateful for all that you do. We recognize your vital work in supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in becoming more independent, providing caregiving and support, and advocating for social justice and human rights. Thank you again, and congratulations to the honorees!
I also had the great opportunity to visit the Center for Social Change (CSC) in Elkridge, which provides residential and meaningful day programs, support services, advocacy, and volunteering opportunities to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The face-to-face opportunities to engage with people living their best lives with the support of providers such as CSC are a strong reminder to me about why we serve.
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Lastly, the Developmental Disabilities Administration has provided resources to support the public comment period for the 2025 DDA-Operated Medicaid Waiver amendment, which opened on June 9, 2025, and closes on July 8, 2025. We want, and need, to hear from you to ensure that the proposed amendments address concerns and maintain the integrity of Medicaid waiver service delivery to all participants.
Sincerely,
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Marlana R. Hutchinson, Deputy Secretary
Developmental Disabilities Administration
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DDA-Operated Medicaid Waiver Amendments Resources
The DDA is requesting that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) make important changes to the DDA-operated Medicaid waiver programs. Creating a single, streamlined Medicaid waiver — the Community Pathways Waiver — will simplify service delivery, enhance efficiency, and provide equitable access to all essential services. The amendment proposals also include exciting new opportunities to modernize our services and strengthen provider capacity to deliver expert, person-centered supports!
When a waiver is amended, the public has 30 days to comment. The DDA is seeking your feedback on the amendments. Your input is crucial to ensuring that our waiver programs effectively support individuals and families across Maryland.
Public comment will be accepted until July 8, 2025. Public comments can be submitted to wfb.dda@maryland.gov or mailed to:
DDA Federal Programs Unit
201 West Preston Street, 4th Floor
Baltimore MD 21201
The DDA shared an overview of the proposed amendments to the DDA-operated Medicaid waiver programs in a series of webinars this month. The recordings, presentation slides, and waiver information are posted on the DDA Waiver Program website page.
Click below to review each of the presentations and download the presentation slides.
- DDA Operated Medicaid Waiver Amendments - June 16, 2025
| | - Waiver Application Overview and Input Process - June 17, 2025
| | - Self-Direction - June 17, 2025
| | - Services and Provider Qualifications - June 17, 2025
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Waiver Amendment Public Comment Period Extended for Respite and Supported Living
Due to challenges with uploads to the DDA website, Respite Services and Supported Living Services were not posted on June 9, 2025. To address this, the public comment period for Respite Services and Supported Living Services only will be extended until July 13, 2025.
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Self-Directed Services Updates: Reasonable and Customary Wage and Rates Reminder
The DDA Reasonable and Customary Standard tables were updated in the Self-Directed Services Manual. The new standards are based on the Maryland Fiscal Year 2026 legislative budget bill. The new standards will apply on July 1, 2025.
All participants who self-direct their services must be in compliance with the new Reasonable and Customary rate tables by July 1, 2025. Updated rate tables can be found in the updated version of the Self-Directed Services Manual.
For more information, please click below to review the Developmental Disabilities Administration’s Self-Directed Services Updates Reasonable and Customary Wage and Rates webinar.
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Medicaid Redetermination
Medicaid checks your eligibility status every 12 months. This includes checking your income and assets to be sure you are still eligible.
To keep getting your Medicaid and DDA-operated Medicaid waiver services, you may be required to complete a renewal, also called a redetermination, to find out if you still qualify for Medicaid and the DDA-operated Medicaid waiver program you are enrolled in.
We strongly encourage you to take action right away if you get a renewal/redetermination notice. Responding quickly is the best way to ensure your health coverage or waiver services are not interrupted or stopped.
What You Need to Know:
- People in DDA-operated Medicaid waiver programs have different types of Medicaid coverage.
- Some types of Medicaid coverage groups require financial renewals or redeterminations.
- Redetermination notices may come from:
- Eligibility Determination Division,
- Your Local Department of Social Services, or
- Maryland Health Benefit Exchange
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It’s very important to respond to any requests from the State of Maryland, including the Eligibility Determination Division, your Local Department of Social Services, or the Maryland Health Benefits Exchange, before the due date, or you could lose your Medicaid waiver eligibility and services.
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You may receive notices after receiving approval for Medicaid waiver services. Please be sure to respond to all notices and direct any specific questions to your assigned Coordinator of Community Services (CCS).
What To Do:
- If you get a redetermination request - even if you have already got a letter telling you that you are eligible - tell your Coordinator of Community Services (CCS). They can help you through the process.
- Make sure your contact information is up to date so you don’t miss important notices.
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Log in to MyMDThink.
- Contact your local Department of Social Services.
- By phone: 1-800-332-6347.
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In person: Click here to view a list of locations.
- Or ask your Coordinator of Community Services for help
- Check your mail regularly.
- You will get renewal/redetermination notices about 60 days before it is due.
- Look for your renewal/redetermination packet and open it right away.
- Check your email for reminders about renewal/redetermination and take appropriate steps immediately.
- Complete, sign, and return all forms and documents right away.
- Missing your deadline could mean losing your Medicaid and waiver coverage.
- Need help?
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Contact your Coordinator of Community Services or your Regional Office.
What happens if you miss the deadline?
If you miss the renewal due date:
- You have 4 months (or 120 days) from the due date to submit a signed renewal/redetermination packet.
- During those 4 months, you will not be covered by Medicaid.
- Your coverage will only reopen if you're found eligible after review.
- If you are not found eligible, you will need to reapply for coverage by submitting a new waiver application.
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Reminder Regarding the Processing of Billing Exceptions on DDA Services
The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) will continue to provide important information about billing exceptions in LTSSMaryland. As a general reminder, billing and administrative provider roles in the LTSSMaryland Provider Portal can resubmit most pending services that have billing exceptions in the system. If the root cause of a billing exception has been addressed (e.g., a participant’s eligibility has been re-established), and the services continue to pend due to the exception, this functionality can prompt the system to process services again if the initial processing attempt failed because of the exception. Some services need to be re-processed for exceptions to clear, as the system's large volume of billing activities can slow down processing times. "Please note: billing exceptions must be resolved within one year from the date of service. If not resolved by this time, the billing entries will not be processed for payment in the LTSSMaryland system."
Key Information:
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Disapproval of Pending Services: Services with exceptions that have been pending for more than 90 days and are not actively being resolved may be disapproved by MDH.
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Impact on Provider Portal: Disapproved activities will be removed from the count in the Actions Required section of your Provider Portal homepage.
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Finding Disapproved Activities: You can find disapproved activities using the “Service & Claim Search” and the DDA “Services Rendered Report” for activities marked as "Not Authorized."
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Re-entering and Resubmitting Services: If an issue is resolved after disapproval (such as updating eligibility and/or PCP), your agency may re-enter and submit the billing activity for payment. Activities can be submitted through the Provider Portal, so long as the service date is within 364 days of today’s date.
Action Required:
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Review Pending Exceptions: Please ensure that all billing exceptions pending for more than 90 days are actively being worked on. If they are not, they may be disapproved.
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Correct and Resubmit: Once any billing issues (e.g., eligibility, PCP updates) are resolved, please resubmit services for payment.
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Monitor the Provider Portal: Check the “Actions Required” section to track the status of your activities and ensure timely resolution.
If you encounter any issues or have questions regarding the resubmission process, please do not hesitate to contact our LTSSMaryland Provider Billing Support Office through the LTSSMaryland Provider Portal Billing Support Contact Page for assistance.
We appreciate your prompt attention to this matter and your continued partnership in providing quality services to our members. Thank you for your cooperation.
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Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients (CRISP) Enhancements
The below memorandum and user guide are being shared on behalf of the Maryland Department of Health Medicaid Office of Long Term Services and Supports. The purpose of this memorandum is to alert and provide guidance to case managers across Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) programs on a recent system enhancement that allows LTSSMaryland to import certain Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients (CRISP) data.
Please use the links below to access the documents:
CRISP MEMO 05.21.2025
LTSSMaryland and CRISP Interface User Guide
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LTSSMaryland EVV App Training Dates for July 2025
Providers, the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) wants to remind you of our Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) App training sessions in July for agencies billing for EVV services through LTSSMaryland/Provider Portal.
Agency administrators can attend training on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, and Wednesday, July 16, 2025, to learn how to help their staff get started with the EVV app.
If you haven't attended yet, please consider attending soon! You are welcome to attend as many times as you need; there are no restrictions on attendance.
| | Coming Soon! Choking and Dysphagia Training | |
Choking is one of the leading causes of preventable death among people with developmental disabilities. Provider staff play a critical role in reducing this risk, but only when they’re properly trained.
The Developmental Disabilities Administration is excited to collaborate with Rehabilitative Services, Inc. to offer a two-part training course, which includes an online self-paced pre-requisite training course and an in-person train-the-trainer course that will prepare you to train staff who work with people at risk for choking with:
- A known swallowing disorder
- Prescribed altered texture diets
- A behavior plan that addresses eating behaviors such as food stealing/pica
Please stay tuned for registration details coming soon!
| | Maryland Inclusive Housing 5th Anniversary Celebration! | | |
In January of 2020, Maryland Inclusive Housing launched as a nonprofit organization, supported by DDA, and intended to become Maryland’s leader in helping Marylanders with intellectual and developmental disabilities successfully access and maintain inclusive, affordable housing. In five years, Maryland Inclusive Housing has done exactly that, helping find affordable housing for nearly 50 Marylanders with intellectual and developmental disabilities, who are living richer, fuller lives.
Maryland Inclusive Housing would like to invite you to its 5th Anniversary Celebration on Tuesday, September 9, 2025. It will be held at the B.C. Brewery in Hunt Valley from 5 to 8 p.m. It will be an evening of fun, food, camaraderie, and celebration in honor of the incredible partnerships from across the state.
Admission is free, but we’d like you to register for the event through this Eventbrite by September 1, 2025.
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Where: B.C. Brewery, 10950 Gilroy Road, Suite F, Hunt Valley, MD 21301
When: Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. 5-8 p.m.
Food & Drink: Heavy hors d’oeuvres and soft drinks will be served. A cash bar will be available.
Admission: Free
We hope you join us at B.C. Brewery for a night filled with fun, laughter, and celebration as we mark our 5th year milestone. Let's raise a glass together and toast to the memories we've created and the journey ahead!
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New Provider Relocation Process
The DDA is committed to ensuring the health and safety of all individuals receiving DDA services, especially during emergencies or planned relocations from their provider homes or day habilitation programs. According to COMAR 10.22.02.05, providers must notify their regional office at least 30 days in advance of any planned relocation. In the event of an emergency relocation, immediate notification to the regional office is required.
Effective immediately, the DDA will not approve community traditional providers to use any Airbnb for DDA-funded participants to reside in.
Effective August 1, 2025, the DDA is implementing a new process to notify the regional office of any relocations. Please review the new guidance and ensure you submit the relocation and any applicable updates via the Participant(s) Relocation Form.
All information about relocations can be found on the DDA website at Provider Resources.
If you have any questions/concerns regarding relocations, please contact your regional office Quality Enhancement Director and/or Statewide Director of Quality Enhancement, Nicole Kropfelder at Nicole.Kropfelder1@maryland.gov
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Opportunity: Statewide Behavior Supports Committee Member
Seeking a Behavior Support Services Clinician to fill a vacancy in the Statewide Behavior Supports Committee.
Responsibilities Include:
- Offering guidance on best practices in behavior analysis.
- Participating in policy discussions and decision-making.
- Contributing to training materials and resources.
- Staying updated on research and trends.
Qualifications:
- Active LBA, BCBA, LCSW-C, or LCPC license
- Experience conducting functional behavior assessments and developing behavior support plans.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
- Commitment to ethical practice.
- Passion for improving the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities.
Application Process (due July 31, 2025, to meg.depasquale@maryland.gov):
- Letter of interest outlining experience and expertise.
- De-identified sample behavior plan.
Selection Timeline:
- Deadline: July 31, 2025
- Review: August 2025
- Notification: August 30, 2025
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DDA Vision
People with developmental disabilities will have full lives in the communities of their choice where they are included, participate, and are active citizens.
DDA Mission
Create a flexible, person-centered, family-oriented system of support so people can have full lives.
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DDA Headquarters
201 W. Preston Street, 4th Floor
Baltimore, MD 21201
Phone: (410)767-5600
Fax: (410)767-5850
Toll Free: 1(844)253-8694
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