Maryland DDA Waiting List: Priority Categories, Wait Times, and How to Escalate

How the DDA Waiting List Works

The Maryland Developmental Disabilities Administration determines eligibility separately from funding. Once the DDA determines that someone meets the developmental disability criteria, that person is placed on the statewide waiting list. The waiting list is not first-come-first-served. It is triaged by urgency of need, divided into three active priority categories and one inactive registry.

The state budget controls how many new waiver slots open each fiscal year. In recent years, that budget has been cut significantly — FY2026 saw approximately $164 million in DDA service reductions, and FY2027 reduced funding by another $127 million. These cuts have slowed slot openings even as the End the Wait Act of 2022 set goals for reducing the backlog.

The Three Priority Categories

Crisis Resolution (Category I)

This is the highest priority. Under COMAR 10.22.12.07, Crisis Resolution applies when:

• The individual is homeless or in temporary housing with a clear end date and no alternative
• There is a serious risk of physical harm to the individual or others in the current living arrangement
• The primary caregiver is unable to provide adequate care due to severely impaired physical or mental health

Crisis Resolution status triggers the most intensive monitoring — monthly face-to-face contacts with the assigned Coordinator of Community Services (CCS) for the first 90 days, followed by quarterly contacts. This is the category most likely to receive funded waiver services within months rather than years.

Crisis Prevention (Category II)

This applies when someone has an urgent need for services but doesn't meet the immediate severity of Crisis Resolution. The regulatory criteria include:

• Being at substantial risk of meeting Crisis Resolution criteria within one year
• Residing with a primary caregiver who is age 65 or older

CCS monitoring for Crisis Prevention is quarterly face-to-face contact. This category is the middle ground — not immediate danger, but the trajectory is headed there.

Current Request (Category III)

The default category for most new applicants. The individual has an active, documented need for DDA services, but health and safety are not in immediate jeopardy. Priority within this category is partly determined by the number of fiscal years spent on the waiting list.

CCS monitoring is annual face-to-face contact. This is where the longest waits happen.

How to Escalate Your Priority

If your family member's circumstances change while on the waiting list — a caregiver develops a serious illness, the living situation becomes unsafe, homelessness becomes a realistic possibility — you can request a priority category upgrade.

The process works through your assigned Coordinator of Community Services:

1. Document the change. Gather evidence: medical records showing caregiver health decline, eviction notices, police reports documenting safety incidents, psychiatric discharge summaries, clinical behavioral assessments showing new or escalating dangerous behaviors.

2. Request a formal assessment. The CCS conducts a functional assessment and reviews the documented evidence.

3. CCS submits a priority change request. The CCS drafts a formal request to the DDA Regional Director, including all supporting documentation.

4. Regional office review. The regional director evaluates the completed escalation packet. Under COMAR 10.22.12.08, the regional office must issue a determination within 60 business days of receiving the completed request.

The most common successful upgrade path is from Current Request to Crisis Prevention when a caregiver turns 65, since the age threshold is an objective, documentable criterion. Upgrades to Crisis Resolution require evidence of acute and immediate risk.

What You Get While Waiting

Being on the waiting list doesn't mean receiving nothing. Several supports are available before waiver funding arrives:

Coordinator of Community Services (CCS): Every person on the waiting list is assigned a CCS — an independent case manager from agencies like Service Coordination Inc., The Arc, or Coordinat­ing Center. The CCS provides targeted case management, helps connect families with available resources, and conducts the required face-to-face monitoring contacts.

Low Intensity Support Services (LISS): State-funded grants of up to $1,000 per fiscal year for adaptive equipment, therapies, respite care, or camp. LISS operates through a random selection lottery — applications open August 1 through September 15 each year, with selections made on October 1. Regional providers like Penn-Mar Human Services and Maryland Community Connection administer the program.

DORS Pre-Employment Transition Services: Students with disabilities ages 14–21 can access Pre-ETS through the Division of Rehabilitation Services without any DDA eligibility requirement. Services include job exploration counseling, workplace readiness training, self-advocacy instruction, and work-based learning.

Medicaid (if separately eligible): SSI recipients in Maryland automatically receive Medicaid through the Section 1634 agreement. Medicaid covers medical care, behavioral health services, and some therapeutic services independently of DDA waiver status.

The Long-Term Picture

There is no published average wait time for DDA waiver funding, and the DDA does not provide individual timeline estimates. The wait depends on the priority category, the regional office's caseload, and the state budget cycle. Families in Current Request should plan for the possibility of waiting several years.

The most productive use of waiting time is building documentation. Keep records of every behavioral incident, every caregiver health change, every housing instability event. If circumstances deteriorate, that documentation becomes the basis for a priority escalation request — and the difference between waiting years and receiving services within months.

For the full sequencing of DDA waiting list management alongside SSI, Medicaid, and school-to-adult transition deadlines, the Maryland SSI at 18 & Adult Disability Benefits Guide maps each agency's timeline and critical action steps on a single chronological checklist.

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