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The DDA Connection
March 5, 2025
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Dear DDA Community,
Let’s Celebrate Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month!
March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month in Maryland, recognizing the unlimited potential of Marylanders with intellectual and developmental disabilities. While the Developmental Disabilities Administration seeks regular opportunities to celebrate the achievements of people with developmental disabilities, we join many organizations in highlighting these accomplishments during Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. Here’s why it matters:
Celebrates Abilities and Contributions: Recognizes talents, achievements and contributions of people with developmental disabilities.
Promotes Advocacy and Policy Change: Supports discussions about rights, resources, and policies that improve quality of life and access to services.
Builds Stronger, More Inclusive Communities: Promotes continued opportunities for collaboration between people with developmental disabilities, their families, organizations, providers, and policymakers to create a more inclusive society. It helps to highlight the need for accessible education, workplaces and communities.
As a part of our celebrations, the Developmental Disabilities Administration is honored to spotlight some of your successes! If you want to share your inspirational journey or success with us, please email Dr. Yemonja Smalls at yemonja.smalls@maryland.gov with your contact information by Monday, March 10, 2025. Please stay tuned as we share updates throughout March.
Sincerely,
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Marlana R. Hutchinson, Deputy Secretary
Developmental Disabilities Administration
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The Council on Quality and Leadership Webinar Series
Since 1969, The Council on Quality and Leadership has been a leader in working with human service organizations and systems to continuously define, measure, and improve quality of life and quality of services for youth, adults, and older adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and psychiatric disabilities. The Council on Quality and Leadership offers accreditation, training, certification, research, and consultation services to agencies that share their vision of dignity, opportunity, and community for all people.
The Developmental Disabilities Administration and The Council on Quality and Leadership have partnered to develop an educational webinar series to help transform Maryland's disability services system. We invite you to join us to learn more about these efforts to enhance the lives of Marylanders with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families across the lifespan.
Who Should Attend
These webinars have been designed to connect families, advocates, and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Maryland, and those who support them.
Dates, Times, and Topics
Registration is required for each session and is limited to 500 participants. Each session will be recorded and will be made available on the DDA’s YouTube Channel.
Each session will run from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 23, 2025: Family Advocacy In The Planning Process
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Wednesday, May 28, 2025: DDA Insights Into Self-Directed Services | |
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MDH/DDA Rate Review Advisory Group
The Maryland Department of Health has established the MDH Rate Review Advisory Group to provide a formal, consistent, and unified approach for stakeholders of the Developmental Disabilities Administration to impact the review of Medicaid rates for the DDA-operated home and community-based services waiver programs.
The MDH/DDA Rate Review Advisory Group is a critical component of the DDA’s annual rate review process. This year’s process will continue to support the DDA’s open structure of in-depth rate reviews, rate components, and policies impacting rate operationalization.
Members of the group and all interested public attendees are invited to register for the meetings by clicking the link below. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 6, 2025, from 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. Please refer to the complete 2025 Rate Review Advisory Group meeting schedule provided below.
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The DDA will post the meeting minutes on our website following each session.
Thank you!
Remaining 2025 Rate Review Advisory Group Meeting Schedule:
- Thursday, March 6, 2025 12:30 PM to 1:45 PM
- Thursday, April 10, 2025 12:30 PM to 1:45 PM
- Thursday, May 29, 2025 12:30 PM to 1:45 PM
- Thursday, July 10, 2025 12:30 PM to 1:45 PM
- Thursday, August 21, 2025 12:30 PM to 1:45 PM
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Support Broker Retesting
The DDA is offering a new opportunity for those who did not pass Support Broker certification tests. Anyone who has not passed one or more of the Support Broker certification module tests (after two attempts) will be able to retake each of those module tests once per month until they successfully pass it.
Starting March 3, 2025, individuals who did not pass received an email from the DDA for each module they did not pass. Each email included the module curriculum and test link. Please make sure you are ready to take the test when you click on the link, as you will only get one opportunity per month.
Once a person has successfully passed all 17 module tests, they will be added to the Certified Support Broker listing. They will be able to provide Support Broker services beginning on the date they became certified through December 31, 2025. A person must be certified in order to provide Support Broker services.
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Participant Agreement Update
The Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) has updated the Self-Directed Services Participant Agreement. A participant or their designated representative may authorize individual(s) on their team to contact their Financial Management and Counseling Services provider by phone or email on the participant’s behalf. This section of the Participant Agreement is optional and is only needed if a participant wants to use it.
Effective March 1, 2025, this authorization is documented in the Participant Agreement in a new designated section. When another individual is authorized to contact the Financial Management and Counseling Services provider on the participant’s behalf, the participant or their designated representative may choose to be on the phone call when contact is made.
The participant, their designated representative (as applicable), and their Coordinator of Community Services must be copied on all emails to the Financial Management and Counseling Services provider. This authorization may be used regardless of whether Option 1, 2, or 3 is selected in the Participant Agreement.
These authorized individuals may not make decisions about the participant’s services or supports, but may discuss issues and address questions with the Financial Management and Counseling Services provider. The information must then be shared with the participant, their designated representative (as applicable), and their Coordinator of Community Services.
When this authorization is granted, the Coordinator of Community Services must email a copy of the Participant Agreement to the participant’s Financial Management and Counseling Services provider in addition to uploading the Participant Agreement into the “Client Attachments” section of LTSSMaryland.
If you have any questions, please contact the Self-Directed Services team at dda.sds@maryland.gov.
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Support Broker Code of Conduct Updates
The Support Broker Code of Conduct has been updated to support Support Broker agencies that may have relatives working together to provide Support Broker services.
While Support Brokers may not support a participant who has hired an employee or vendor who is a direct family member of the Support Broker, we have updated the Support Broker Code of Conduct to note that certified Support Brokers who are related to one another may provide Support Broker Services to the same participant.
Additionally, while Support Brokers may not support a participant who has hired an employee or vendor who lives at the same address as the Support Broker, we have updated the manual to note that certified Support Brokers who live at the same address may provide Support Broker Services to the same participant.
If you have any questions, please contact the Self-Directed Services team at dda.sds@maryland.gov.
Resources:
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National Core Indicators (NCI) State of the Workforce Survey
The Human Services Research Institute (HSRI) is launching the portal for the 2024 National Core Indicators (NCI) State of the Workforce Survey (formerly known as Staff Stability Survey). You’ll be receiving an email from their portal on March 17, 2025, that will include your agency’s unique survey link for completion.
With a more comprehensive understanding of the status of the workforce, states can launch informed efforts to improve the quality, longevity, and sustainability of the workforce. The data can be used to inform policy and program development, monitor and evaluate the impact of initiatives, compare workforce data to those in other states, and provide context for participant and family outcomes (measured in National Core Indicators’ surveys).
DDA will be using this survey data in place of the annual required wage survey per Md. Health-General Code Ann. § 7-306.1:
Providers shall submit a wage survey by the later of:
- (i) 60 days after the last day of the pay period for which the data is requested; or
- (ii) 60 days after receipt of a request from the Administration for wage survey information.
The NCI Staff State of the Workforce Survey will be the required document that you must complete and submit by June 30, 2025 to meet the above requirement. This survey will ask about the status of your agency’s DSP workforce employed between January 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024. Should you have any questions, or have not received the survey link on or after March 17, 2025, please contact Kianna Blakeney, Statewide Director of Provider Services, at kianna.blakeney@maryland.gov.
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3/5/25: Positive Behavior Supports Facilitator Series
3/11/25, 3/13/25: Case Manager Delegating Nurses (CMDN) Medication Technician Training Program (MTTP) Trainer Orientation
3/20/25: Community Webinar
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DDA Vision
People with developmental disabilities will have full lives in the communities of their choice where they are included, participate and are active citizens.
DDA Mission
Create a flexible, person-centered, family-oriented system of support so people can have full lives.
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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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