When help with one or two daily tasks keeps someone at home
Not every family needs round-the-clock care. Sometimes a parent in Patterson Park manages most of the day alone but can’t safely get in and out of the shower. Or an adult son with a disability needs help dressing each morning before he heads out.
That is the gap CPAS was built for. If the person already has Maryland Medicaid, CPAS can pay for a worker to help with those specific tasks, without the person needing a nursing-home level of care.
What CPAS means in Maryland Medicaid
If you searched “CPAS Maryland” and found accounting firms, you’re in the right place now. In Maryland Medicaid, CPAS stands for Community Personal Assistance Services.
MDH lists three CPAS services: nurse monitoring, personal assistance services and supports planning. These come on top of all Medicaid-covered benefits (MDH CPAS program page).
The medical rule is short. The person must need help with at least one activity of daily living (ADL). ADLs are the basic self-care tasks: bathing, dressing, toileting, eating, and moving from bed to chair or around the home.
CPAS sits next to two other Maryland programs that pay for personal care at home. Our overview of Maryland Medicaid home care compares all of them.
CPAS vs CFC in Maryland: the key differences
CPAS and Community First Choice are often mentioned together, and MDH routes both through the same office. The main difference is the level of care.
| CPAS | Community First Choice (CFC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Level of care | Help needed with at least one ADL; a “CPAS level of care” | Institutional (nursing facility) level of care |
| Medicaid status | Full Medicaid required first | Full Medicaid required first |
| Age | No age limit | No age limit |
| Where the person lives | Community setting | Community setting; not a nursing facility, hospital or provider-controlled setting |
| Services | Personal assistance, nurse monitoring, supports planning | Those three, plus home-delivered meals, PERS, assistive technology, accessibility adaptations, environmental assessments, consumer training and transition services |
| How to apply | MAP at 844-627-5465 or 410-767-1739 | Same two numbers |
CFC details come from the MDH Community First Choice page. The “CPAS level of care” wording comes from Anne Arundel County’s program page, which notes that CPAS does not require a nursing facility level of care.
In practice, the assessment decides which program fits. If the result shows a nursing facility level of care, Community First Choice is the usual route. If it shows the lower CPAS level, CPAS is.
Who qualifies for CPAS in Maryland
CPAS has three kinds of requirements:
- Medical. Needs help with at least one ADL.
- Technical. No age limit, and the person lives in a community setting, not an institution.
- Financial. The person already has full Medicaid. MDH’s shorthand on its CFC page: you have full Medicaid if you have a red and white card.
The medical part is checked with the interRAI assessment. A 2019 MDH training deck describes a trained Local Health Department nurse or social worker completing the interRAI-HC for adults, with the request made through LTSSMaryland (MDH interRAI training, 2019). The result shows whether the person meets a nursing facility level of care or the lower CPAS level.
The financial part depends on the person’s Medicaid eligibility group, not on a separate CPAS income figure. Our Maryland Medicaid eligibility guide explains those groups.
What CPAS help can look like at home
The approved plan of service sets the tasks and hours, so every case is different. These examples show the kind of daily help CPAS personal assistance is meant for:
| Situation | ADL help a plan might include |
|---|---|
| Older adult unsteady after a fall | Standby help in the shower, help with dressing, walking with them to the kitchen |
| Adult with arthritis or limited hand use | Help with buttons, zippers, shoes and grooming |
| Person recovering strength at home | Help getting from bed to chair and to the bathroom |
| Younger adult with a physical disability | Morning routine help so they can get to work or school |
CPAS centers on help with daily activities. For skilled nursing after surgery, Medicare home health may apply. For chores and errands on their own, some families pay privately for homemaker services or companion care.
How to apply for CPAS from Baltimore City or Baltimore County
The steps mirror the CFC process.
- Call MAP or the CFC Program. Statewide MAP is 844-627-5465 and the Community First Choice Program is 410-767-1739. City residents can also call MAP of Baltimore City at 410-396-CARE (2273), weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. County residents can call the Baltimore County Department of Aging in Towson at 410-887-2594.
- Get full Medicaid in place. If the person isn’t enrolled, that application comes first.
- Complete the interRAI assessment. Have the person’s medication list, diagnoses and doctor contacts ready, and be honest about the hard parts of the day.
- Work with a supports planner on the plan of service.
- Choose a provider and start services once the plan is approved.
Our guide to applying for Medicaid home care has a full documents checklist. If you’d like help preparing for the MAP call, reach our Canton office at 410-421-1041.
Filling the gaps CPAS doesn’t cover
Because CPAS covers three services, families can combine it with local help:
- Meals. Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland is based at 515 South Haven Street in 21224. Main phone 410-558-0923.
- Rides to appointments. MTA Mobility is shared-ride paratransit for people whose disability keeps them from using a bus or train on their own. The fare is $2.20 each way, and a certified rider’s approved Personal Care Attendant rides free. Reservations: 410-764-8181.
- Equipment. The Baltimore County MAP office runs a durable medical equipment loan closet for residents 60 and older.
- Caregiver relief. Baltimore City’s Family Caregivers Program offers grants of $300 to $600 a year, subject to funds, that can go toward respite care and in-home help.
If needs grow, ask the supports planner about a new assessment. A person who now meets a nursing facility level of care may qualify for CFC. Adults 18 and older can also ask MAP about the Community Options Waiver registry.
Where Beulah fits for CPAS families in Baltimore
Beulah Home Care is a Baltimore home care agency on O’Donnell Street in Canton. We serve Baltimore families who use Maryland Medicaid personal assistance programs, from Highlandtown and Fells Point to the Baltimore County neighborhoods we cover. Our office helps families through the application steps.
We don’t run the assessment or decide eligibility, and we can’t speed up approval. MDH and the Local Health Department handle those steps.
What we provide is personal care at home: bathing, dressing and getting around safely. Visit lengths and schedules are explained on our care options page, and families coping with memory loss can read about dementia home care. When a hospital stay changes the picture, our post-hospital home care can help. See the full area we serve, or ask for a free in-home consultation.
This page is general information, not legal or benefits advice. Program rules change, so confirm the details with Maryland Medicaid or Maryland Access Point before you act.