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The DDA Connection
September 23, 2025
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Dear DDA Community,
Over the past year, DDA has been working with its community partners and its State and federal partners to think of ways to make program operations easier for participants and families, as well as providers. As a result of these efforts, DDA drafted a Medicaid waiver application (also known as a waiver amendment) to make changes to the three Medicaid waiver programs that DDA operates: Community Pathways, Community Services, and Family Supports. One of the biggest changes in the waiver amendment is combining all three Medicaid waiver programs into one Medicaid waiver program, Community Pathways. I am excited to announce that on Friday, September 19, 2025, we received official notice that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved the waiver amendment. This means that the suggested changes to the DDA-operated Medicaid waiver programs are approved and will go into effect on October 6, 2025.
To prepare for these changes, the DDA has been conducting information (virtual/remote and in-person) sessions to help the community understand the changes to the Medicaid waiver programs and what the changes mean to people who receive services or provide services. This information is available on DDA’s website and YouTube Channel. DDA is also working with its State and information technology partners to plan for changes to the information technology (IT) system, LTSSMaryland, to make certain that participants, their families and their teams, and providers (including Coordinators of Community Services) are not negatively impacted by any IT system changes. Last, but not least, DDA will be hosting more community meetings, with both in-person and virtual/remote options, in the near future, so that we can continue to hear directly from our community partners. As we celebrate the approval of this waiver amendment, which is stronger because of your collaboration and input, I also thank the DDA, Medicaid, and information technology teams who helped make this happen!
DDA’s Annual Technology First Event
On August 18, 2025, the Developmental Disabilities Administration hosted our fourth annual Technology First event in partnership with the Maryland Technology First Task Force, Maryland Department of Disabilities, and over 20 technology vendors. More than 450 people joined our virtual/remote event to learn about low-tech to high-tech options and items or equipment that can support people in living more independent and fulfilling lives. As we all keep pace with new technologies, the DDA will continue to highlight technology that can help Marylanders with intellectual and developmental disabilities live more independently in their communities. Did you know that the new Community Pathways waiver program (effective October 6, 2025) includes payment for fees associated with setting up some of these new technologies?
Many Thanks to Direct Support Professionals
DDA recently recognized Direct Support Professionals Week from September 7 to 12, 2025. Direct Support Professionals deserve deep appreciation for their very important role in shaping a more inclusive world. DSPs help to build community connections for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and help empower them to live with independence and dignity. Their work often happens quietly, behind the scenes, but its impact is great—changing lives, strengthening families, and enriching entire communities.
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To elevate DSP recognition to the State level, the Maryland Department of Disabilities will be hosting an award ceremony on October 6, 2025, to recognize the DSPs that community partners, providers, and participants and their families have nominated. The Developmental Disabilities Administration will highlight a few of these stories in an effort to expand our DSP recognition beyond the designated weeklong celebration in September. By sharing these stories, the DDA will continue to celebrate the many contributions that Direct Support Professionals provide that support the DDA’s mission throughout the year. DSPs are the cornerstone of our mission, and we honor the work they do. Let’s keep celebrating them – during Direct Support Professionals Week, today, tomorrow, and year-round!
Sincerely,
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Marlana R. Hutchinson, Deputy Secretary
Developmental Disabilities Administration
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You Are Invited to a DDA Community Meeting!
The Maryland Department of Health’s Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) wants to hear from you! Join us at our next Community meeting, where we will share updated information about what’s happening at DDA and invite open discussion about the issues that matter most to you.
Date: Monday, Sept. 29, 2025
(new date – we are no longer meeting Sept. 18)
Time: 1 - 3 p.m.
Location: In person:
Wilde Lake Interfaith Center
10431 Twin Rivers Rd.
Columbia, MD 21044
The meeting will be held in person and virtually online so that everyone in our community has the opportunity to participate in a way that works best for them. We have limited capacity for in-person attendees. Please register for the Sept. 29 event below (even if you previously registered for the Sept. 18 event). Thank you!
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New DDA October 2025 Waiver Changes and You Webpage
The DDA has created a new designated webpage titled “October 2025 Waiver Changes and You”. The purpose of the new page is to share information and guidance related to the changes with the DDA-operated Medicaid waiver program.
Starting in October 2025, the Family Supports Waiver and the Community Supports Waiver will be combined into a single program called the Community Pathways Waiver.
This change is part of an official update (called a waiver amendment). It will help make services easier to access, faster to receive, and more focused on each person’s needs. These changes will go into effect on October 6, 2025. On this day, participants enrolled in the Family Supports Waiver and Community Supports Waiver programs will move into the Community Pathways Waiver program.
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New Update: Waiver Amendment 2025 Webinar Series
The Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) has updated the Medicaid waiver programs webinar series to accommodate religious observances.
These sessions are for:
- People receiving services in the Family Supports, Community Supports, and Community Pathways Waivers.
- Families
- Coordinators of Community Services (CCS)
- Providers
- Anyone else who wants to learn more
| | | DATE | TOPIC | TIME | | October 1, 2025 | New and Updated Forms | 12-1:30 p.m. | | October 3, 2025 | LTSSMaryland Updates | 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. | | | Register once to be automatically enrolled for all webinars. If you have registered before, you do not need to register again. Please note, you will receive a reminder email the day before the webinar and again one hour before the webinar. It has the date of the first in the series but is the same link you will use to log in to the session. | | To get updates and webinar information, join the DDA email list. Should you have any questions, please contact your Regional Office or your Coordinator of Community Services. | | | DATE | TOPIC | VIEW | | September 16, 2025 | Waiver Changes and You | VIEW HERE | | September 19, 2025 | Self-Directed Services Updates | VIEW HERE | | September 19, 2025 | Provider Opportunities and Requirements | VIEW HERE | | | To get updates and webinar information, join the DDA email list. Should you have any questions, please contact your Regional Office or your Coordinator of Community Services. | | |
Support Broker Services Training - Recertifications and Updates for October 2025
The DDA is updating its Support Broker Services certification training based on the waiver amendment, Support Broker feedback, and updates to the Self-Directed Services Policy and Manual. This training equips Support Brokers with skills to help participants exercise their employer and budget authorities.
The Self-Directed Services Training Series is being updated and will be published on October 1, 2025. The updated videos and tests will be available for those wishing to become Support Brokers for the first time and those wishing to recertify as Support Brokers for 2026.
Recertification for Current Support Brokers
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All Support Broker certifications expire on December 31, 2025.
- This means that you will need to become recertified as a Support Broker between October 1 and December 31, 2025, to continue providing Support Broker Services to participants on January 1, 2026.
- If you do not complete recertification training before December 31, 2025, you will not be able to provide Support Broker Services to participants until you complete the training.
Those Wishing to Become Support Brokers for the First Time
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Support Broker Certification Training is currently available online; these videos and tests will certify any Support Broker through December 31, 2025.
- However, it is recommended that you wait until the updated training begins on October 1, 2025.
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Completion of the updated training will allow you to be certified from the day you complete the training through December 31, 2026.
Updates to the Support Broker Certification Training
Based on Support Broker feedback, the DDA has changed how the updated Support Broker training will be conducted (on and after October 1, 2025):
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The training will only be available in a self-paced format. Training videos will be shared as links to the DDA’s YouTube page. Test links will be shared with those who register.
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From October through December, test links will be shared with registrants within one week of registration; in 2026, test links will be shared within one month of registration.
- Instead of 17 tests (one per module), the DDA will require three tests to be taken:
- Test A, covering Modules 1-5;
- Test B, covering Modules 6-11; and
- Test C, covering Modules 12-17.
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Each test will have 50 questions and be untimed. The tests will continue to be conducted in the Classmarker platform.
- Each registrant will have two chances to pass each test with an 80% or higher.
- Retesting opportunities for registrants who fail any of the tests will begin in January 2026.
A complete overview of the training and how it will be conducted is available now:
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Next Steps
- The DDA will offer online, self-paced Support Broker certification training beginning in October 2025.
- To gain access to the updated Support Broker certification tests, everyone will need to register online:
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Share Your Success Stories for National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)
Did DDA services help you land your dream job, start a business, or help you excel in your career? Or do you provide services that have helped someone to prepare for, find, excel in, or retain employment? If so, please share your story with us!
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In honor of NDEAM this month, the DDA wants to showcase how the positive impact of work can transform lives. We’re looking for stories and photos about people’s employment journeys and the services that helped them achieve success. Throughout October, we’ll feature your stories on the DDA Facebook page and in The DDA Connection.
Help us celebrate your achievements and inspire others to dream big while reaching for their employment goals or helping someone to achieve their goals. Submit your success stories and photos to the DDA by Wednesday, October 1, 2025, by submitting your story here:
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The DDA thanks all who joined our 2025 Technology First event on Monday, August 18, 2025!
Over four hundred fifty (450) attendees joined us virtually to learn about and explore the unique assistive technologies. A special thank you goes to our assistive technology vendors who showcased innovative tools and solutions to support independence for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Click the image below to view the Tech Vendor showcase!
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We know that there were a few technical challenges, and we appreciate your patience. These moments remind us that technology is always a work in progress, and each challenge presents an opportunity to review and improve.
Click below to listen to this special message from Daphni Steffins, Co-Chair of the DDA’s Technology First Task Force.
| | Additionally, we have included the event’s welcoming video remarks from our very own Secretary of Health, Dr. Meena Seshamani. | Please take a moment to complete a short satisfaction survey about your experience. We will use your feedback to enhance our Technology First efforts in planning for next year. | To extend the celebration of Maryland’s commitment to helping to open new doors for people with developmental disabilities, the DDA will continue to spotlight vendors in our Let’s Talk Tech series during the remainder of this year. You can watch previous showcased vendors on our Let’s Talk Tech playlist on our DDA YouTube channel by clicking here. Additional resources are listed on the DDA’s Technology First webpage. | | Upcoming Technology Events |
Let’s Talk Tech: Smart Home Possibilities
Date: Wednesday, September 24, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Presenter: Ade Obadare
Description: Explore the possibilities that smart home technologies can offer to improve daily living.
REGISTER HERE
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Let’s Talk Tech: Employment and Low Tech Possibilities
Date: Monday, September 30, 2025
Time: 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Presenters: Lori Berrong and Nora Walker Maryland Department of Disabilities
Description: Learn about employment opportunities and low-tech assistive solutions.
REGISTER HERE
If you are not able to attend or want to watch one of the series talks again, just click below to watch on our DDA Maryland YouTube playlist series, Let’s Talk Tech.
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College of Direct Supports Information Session for Organizations
The DDA is offering a new online training platform called DirectCourse! DirectCourse is a competency-based online training program that provides online courses to help support people with disabilities, their families, and professionals who work with them.
Maryland is offering free access to:
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College of Direct Support (CDS): For employees who support people with disabilities as they live the lives they choose fully and actively in their communities.
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College of Employment Services (CES): For employees who support people with disabilities as they search for, find, and maintain Competitive Integrative Employment (CIE).
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College of Frontline Supervision, Management, and Leadership (CFSM): For supervisors, managers, and leaders. Lessons focus on developing supervision and management skills, as well as finding, selecting, training, and retaining frontline workers and other employees. Additionally, they emphasize the use of data-informed decision-making to enhance workforce stability and effectiveness.
Through DirectCourse, direct support professionals can enhance their skills to advance professionally in their careers. DirectCourse also allows providers to offer additional agency-required training, assign courses, and track employee learning.
Provider agencies are invited to join us for an upcoming informational session, Direct Course: Utilizing Best Practice Training Solutions in Maryland, which will be held on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, at 10 am.
After attending the information session, you can attend the onboarding sessions that will cover setting up your agency's portal and how to assign and track staff training.
| | After attending the information session, you can attend the onboarding sessions that will cover setting up your agency's portal and how to assign and track staff training. | | |
The informational session will provide an overview of DirectCourse and its usage.
After the informational session, agencies will have the opportunity to request access for their agency and join the upcoming DirectCourse Implementation Group.
If you have already participated in the training in Groups 1, 2, and 3, you do not need to sign up for this training. The dates for the training are as follows:
- September 23, 2025 - Group 4 Informational Session
- Group 4 Implementation Group Sessions:
- Session 1 – September 30, 2025
- Session 2 – October 7, 2025
- Session 3 – October 14, 2025
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If you have any questions, please contact Stephanie Jones, Director of Innovations, at Stephanie.Jones2@maryland.gov.
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Choking and Dysphagia Training Available Now!
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 Rehabilitation 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
Why This Matters
- Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are at significantly higher risk of choking-related death — up to 10 times higher than the general population.
- A major review of mortality data found that choking is among the top 5 preventable causes of death in supported living and group home settings.
- Many incidents happen during meals — yet they are highly preventable with proper awareness and protocols.
Part I Prerequisite Training: Self-Paced Online Train-the-Trainer Course
Designed specifically for provider agency staff, this course prepares you to train others in your organization on how to identify dysphagia, prevent choking, and respond to emergencies.
Click below to complete the online prerequisite self-paced course. You may take it at your own pace, but you must complete the entire session and knowledge check to be allowed to register for the in person course, which will be scheduled in the upcoming months. You will receive a certificate upon completion.
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CRISP: How Your Health Information Helps Coordinate Care
The DDA respects the concerns raised by participants and families about how their health information is shared and used through LTSSMaryland and the Chesapeake Regional Information System for our Patients (CRISP). CRISP, Maryland’s official health information exchange, is now directly connected with LTSSMaryland, to ensure healthcare providers and authorized case managers receive important updates like hospital admission, discharge, and transfer information.
This information helps Coordinators of Community Services (CCS) remain informed and check in with you or your family when something important happens. This helps them to make sure your services match your current needs, and help to connect you with any additional resources or supports that may be necessary.
How do you know if your information is shared with CRISP?
Your doctor or healthcare provider is required to tell you if they share information with CRISP or if they access your information through CRISP. This is usually explained in the privacy paperwork you sign when you check in for a visit. Many offices also have CRISP materials in their waiting rooms.
Where can you learn more or opt out?
CRISP’s patient information page includes videos that explain what a Health Information Exchange (HIE) is, how to create and share your Advance Directive, and how CRISP protects your sensitive health information in compliance with HIPAA regulations. You can find this and more, including your rights and privacy protections, by visiting:
https://www.crisphealth.org/for-patients
If you have questions, you can also talk with your Coordinator of Community Services for help understanding how CRISP works with your services.
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Services Update - New Provider Enrollment for Behavioral Support Services Specialists and Nurse Individual Providers
Beginning December 31, 2025, all individual Registered Nurses and Behavior Support Services specialists who provide services to participants in a DDA-operated Medicaid waiver must be enrolled as a Maryland Medicaid provider. To accomplish this, Registered Nurses and Behavior Support Services specialists must be approved by the DDA and enrolled in the Maryland Electronic Provider Revalidation & Enrollment Portal (ePREP).
Please complete the form to inform the DDA that you would like to submit the provider application. To meet the December 31st deadline, it is recommended that you submit your application to DDA by October 15, 2025, and your ePREP application by November 15, 2025. Please note that DDA must approve you before you may submit an application in ePREP.
A webinar on enrollment in ePREP will be held on October 3, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
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Maryland Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Sustainability and Equity Committee (MIDSEC)
The Developmental Disabilities Administration is excited to announce that over 200 applications were submitted for membership on the Maryland Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Sustainability and Equity Committee (MIDSEC), which will begin on Tuesday, October 7, 2025. Your response demonstrates your keen interest in actively participating and contributing to discussions that foster the continued development of sustainable and equitable program services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Stay tuned for updates.
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General Ledger (GL) Data Collection Template Submission
The Maryland Department of Health Rate Review Advisory Group (RRAG) was established to provide Maryland stakeholders with the opportunity to collaborate with the Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) through a formal, consistent, and unified approach in reviewing Medicaid rates for Home and Community-Based Waiver services.
To support a data-driven rate development process, the DDA has collaborated with the RRAG, stakeholders, and providers to develop and implement the General Ledger (GL) Data Collection Template. This template enables the collection of standardized cost and utilization data from providers that collectively serve approximately 19,000 Maryland citizens. Guided by feedback from the provider community, the template has been updated to streamline the data entry process. All DDA Medicaid Waiver Traditional Service providers are required to submit data for fiscal year 2025 (July 1, 2024–June 30, 2025).
The GL Data Collection Template, instructions, sample template, frequently asked questions, and recordings of past training sessions are available on the DDA Website.
GL Data Collection Template
GL Data Collection Template Instructions
EXAMPLE: GL Collection Template
All questions, clarifications, and technical assistance requests regarding the GL Data Collection Template should be directed to The Hilltop Institute: dda_rate@hilltop.umbc.edu.
All providers required to submit a GL Template are highly encouraged to begin the data reporting process promptly and to contact Hilltop for technical support as soon as possible. As part of an extended quality assurance process and added automation, the DDA has decided to extend the submission period. The link to submit GL Templates is open for providers to upload templates once completed, with all GL Data Collection Templates due no later than October 31, 2025.
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New Provider Rates Effective October 6, 2025
We are pleased to announce that the new rate tables, effective October 6, 2025, are now available on our website at the following link:
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Our Vision:
To connect Marylanders with intellectual and developmental disabilities to services that help empower them so they can live the lives they want to live in communities they choose.
Our Mission:
To provide a high-quality and sustainable healthcare system that is equitable and accessible to all.
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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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