How to Apply for Medicaid Home Care in Maryland

Starting the Medicaid home care application from Baltimore

Most families land here after something changes fast. A parent in Highlandtown falls, or a discharge planner at Johns Hopkins Bayview asks who will help at home.

Maryland Medicaid can pay for personal care at home, but there is no single form. Below is the path a Baltimore City or Baltimore County resident follows, in order, with the real phone numbers and offices. Our office in Canton helps families understand each step. Maryland Medicaid makes every eligibility decision.

Three programs cover most in-home personal care: Community First Choice, CPAS and the Community Options Waiver. All three share one front door. The Maryland Medicaid home care overview compares them.

Six steps to apply for Medicaid home care in Maryland

Step 1: Call Maryland Access Point (MAP)

MAP is the state’s front door for long-term services and supports. The statewide line is 1-844-MAP-LINK (1-844-627-5465), or dial 211.

Baltimore has two local MAP offices. Call the one where the person needing care lives, not where you live.

On this call, ask for options counseling. Ask how to request CFC or CPAS; MDH routes both through MAP and the Community First Choice Program at 410-767-1739. And ask to join the Community Options Waiver Registry if waiver services may be needed later.

MAP specialists make most CFC referrals. Local health departments, social services offices and family members can also refer.

Step 2: Confirm or apply for full Medicaid

CFC and CPAS both require full Medicaid. MDH puts it simply: you have full Medicaid if you have a red and white card.

If the person doesn’t have it, file the long-term care Medicaid application online through MDThink. Paper applications from Baltimore City and Baltimore County go to the state’s Bureau of Long Term Care in Catonsville, not a local social services office. Confirm the mailing address with MAP first.

Baltimore City residents with Medical Assistance questions can also call the city Department of Social Services Public Assistance line, 443-423-6400.

MDH describes eligibility in three parts: medical (a level-of-care tool), technical (permanent Maryland residence, choosing community care over an institution, and a workable plan of service) and financial (an income and asset review). Our Maryland Medicaid eligibility guide covers the 2026 numbers.

Step 3: Complete the interRAI level-of-care assessment

A trained nurse or social worker from the local health department completes the interRAI assessment (interRAI-HC for adults), per 2019 MDH training material. It’s requested through LTSSMaryland, Medicaid’s case management system.

The result answers one question: does the person meet a nursing facility level of care, or the lower CPAS level? That decides which program fits.

The assessment also drives the budget. Under Maryland’s CFC plan, the interRAI produces a Resource Utilization Group score that sets a recommended personal assistance budget. Describe bad days honestly during the visit, not just a good morning.

Step 4: Choose a supports planning agency

A supports planner is an independent case manager the person chooses. The planner coordinates services and builds the plan of service with the person or their representative.

For Community Options Waiver applicants, MDH reports no waitlist for a supports planning agency assignment.

Step 5: Build and approve the plan of service

The plan lists the help the person will get and who provides it. Under COMAR 10.09.84.04, it names the personal assistance provider and is signed by the participant or representative, the supports planner and the provider agency.

This is where you pick a provider. If you want a home care agency in Baltimore such as ours, tell your supports planner early so the agency can be named on the plan.

MDH or its designee approves every plan before services start, per Maryland’s CFC state plan amendment. Since June 2024, the utilization control agent Telligen has reviewed plans.

Step 6: Services start at home

Since October 1, 2023, CFC participants can choose the agency model or the self-directed model, where they hire their own qualified workers.

With an agency, a caregiver comes to the home for personal care such as bathing, dressing and moving around safely. Visits are logged through electronic visit verification, and the participant signs off on services at least monthly.

MDH re-evaluates CFC eligibility every 12 months, or sooner if needs change. Going 30 days in a row without services can end eligibility, so tell the planner right away if care stops.

The Community Options Waiver registry is a separate track

You don’t apply for the CO Waiver on day one. You join the Community Options Waiver Registry through MAP and get an invitation to apply when it’s your turn.

The registry held 23,461 people on June 30, 2025. Since December 2024, the state has mailed about 700 invitations a month.

One exception: a nursing facility resident whose stay Medicaid has paid for at least 30 days can apply without waiting. The facility social worker can help.

Joining the registry doesn’t stop you from applying for CFC or CPAS now. If the person lives in a nursing facility and their income is above the waiver limit, read about Increased Community Services.

Documents to gather before you apply for Medicaid in Maryland

The sources we use don’t publish an official checklist, so treat this as preparation. Each item matches a question the process asks.

• Identity and Maryland residence. Permanent residence is part of the technical test.
• The Medicaid card, if the person has one.
• Income records, such as Social Security and pensions. Waivers cap income at 300% of the SSI benefit.
• Asset records: bank statements, life insurance and property.
• Gifts or transfers in the past five years. Maryland’s long-term care look-back covers 60 months.
• Doctor and hospital contacts, especially after a recent stay at Bayview or MedStar Franklin Square.
• A list of daily needs: which tasks, what time of day, how often.
• Power of attorney or guardianship papers, if someone else will sign.

Common holdups when applying for Medicaid home care

Unanswered invitations. Only 26% of CO Waiver invitations in fiscal 2025 led to a submitted application. Keep your address current with MAP and open every MDH letter.

Plan review backlogs. The statewide backlog fell from 11,740 plans in August 2024 to 3,318 in August 2025. Ask your supports planner where the plan stands.

A denial on one criterion. Since May 1, 2025, a CO Waiver applicant denied on one or more of the three criteria can file a reconsideration within the original 6-month application period.

Calling the wrong county. A Canton resident calls the city line; someone in Towson or Rosedale calls the county.

We can’t give a reliable number of weeks for the whole process. Our sources don’t publish one.

What your family can do while the application is pending

Private-pay care as a bridge. Some families pay for a few hours of help until Medicaid services start, such as companion care, short-term help after a hospital stay or dementia care at home. Ask us for a free in-home consultation.

Maryland Senior Care. For people 65 and older at risk of nursing home placement, Senior Care offers case management and gap-filling funds for personal care, respite and meals. Income and asset limits apply.

In-Home Aide Services. DHS In-Home Aide Services helps adults 18 and older with personal care and chores. Funding is limited, highest-need cases come first, and clients may pay part of the cost. Apply through your local Department of Social Services.

Baltimore City Family Caregivers Program. If the care recipient lives in the city, family caregivers may get grants of $300 to $600 a year, subject to funds. Processing can take up to 90 days.

If you’re worn out, a few hours of respite care can carry you through the wait. Call our Canton office at 410-421-1041 to talk it over.

How Beulah helps Baltimore families with the Medicaid steps

We serve families in Canton, Fells Point, Highlandtown and across Baltimore County who use Maryland Medicaid personal assistance programs. Our care coordinators explain where you are in the process and what to ask MAP, the assessor and your supports planner.

We don’t decide eligibility, and we can’t speed up a state review. We can be ready to start care once your plan names us. Read about Beulah Home Care, see our home care services or contact our office at 3700 O’Donnell Street.

This page is general information, not legal or benefits advice. Rules change, so confirm every detail with Maryland Medicaid or Maryland Access Point.