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MARYLAND

The Maryland legislature enacted several long-term care measures in 2002 that related to end of life, elder abuse, and nursing homes, and provided funding for a new Medicaid home and community-based waiver program. The state reported progress on providing community services to people with developmental disabilities who had been on waiting lists.

2002 Legislation

In 2002, the legislature established the State Advisory Council on Quality Care at the End of Life. The council is required to monitor trends in the provision of care to state residents with life-limiting illnesses, study the effects of public policies on the provision of care at the end of life, and advise the General Assembly on legislative proposals on this issue. The legislature also:

• Enacted the Financial Crimes Against Vulnerable Adults Act to curb elder abuse, which allows for penalties of up to 15 years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both, for such crimes.

• Required social workers to provide all Medicaid-covered nursing facility residents with a one-page information sheet that explains the availability of services under the Medicaid home and community-based waiver program and provides referrals to further information.

• Funded the Community Attendant Services and Supports Medicaid waiver program, which the legislature created in 2001, at $10 million in FY 2002. Services include attendant care, assistive technology, environmental adaptations, a personal emergency response system, and occupational and speech therapies.

Developmental Disabilities

The Waiting List Initiative created by the governor and the legislature to reduce the backlog of 5,000 people with developmental disabilities waiting for community services entered its fifth and final year in 2003. Maryland officials estimated that the initiative will have served 5,977 individuals by the end of 2003, with FY 2003 spending on the initiative exceeding $160 million. From FY 2000 to FY 2003, the budget for the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Administration increased by an average of 9 percent annually as a result of the efforts to expand availability of community services and to increase wages of direct service workers.

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