Posted on 03/05/26
| News Source: FOX45
Margo Thomas is fighting the state’s recent denial of disability services for her son, Bret Barwick – services he’s received for the past 12 years.
The services greatly contribute to his quality of life by providing him with social engagement and skill-building opportunities.
“I can’t even imagine not having the help,” she said, during a recent interview at the State House in Annapolis, where she traveled to advocate for her son’s care.
Thomas, a single parent, said she’s so far spent $10,000 on a lawyer to challenge the denial of her son’s Developmental Disabilities Administration plan and took out a home equity line of credit (HELOC) loan on her house to cover the legal fees. Even if her son gets back on his DDA plan, Thomas said state budget cuts proposed by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore could still force him to lose the staff who care for him at home through what’s known as a Community Pathways waiver.
“What's going to happen to these kids is they're going to end up in institutions,” she said, holding back tears. “He tremored all the way down here. That's why he's not smiling and happy.”
Moore is proposing to cut $150 million from the DDA, which doubles to $300 million when factoring in the loss of matching federal Medicaid funding. The proposal comes as the state faces a $1.5 billion budget deficit.
The governor’s office says the move is necessary to meet federal requirements. But some of the families impacted by the proposal, as well as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, are questioning why the cuts are falling so heavily on a vulnerable group.
Federal funding concerns
Moore’s office pointed to federal “cost neutrality” requirements, where the cost per person on the Community Pathways waiver can’t exceed the cost per person in institutional settings. If the state doesn’t comply with this, it could throw the entire waiver program in jeopardy, according to Moore’s press secretary, Ammar Moussa.
But advocates like Eastern Shore resident Cody Stevens, whose son has developmental disabilities, question the state’s calculations and believe it’s possible to find budget cuts elsewhere.
“You’re talking about just over $310 million. Well, that's devastating to families, but it's chump change to the budget,” he said. “It makes you want to [say], ‘Is there anywhere else you can pull this from?’ I mean, I understand that there are priorities and we get that. But you would think that the most vulnerable population in the state would have priority.”
‘It’s exhausting’
It’s not just the cuts that are a concern. Families also say they deal with last-minute policy changes and what they describe as a lack of transparency from the DDA.
That includes people like Shana Farlow, who has been caring for her two brothers, Nathan and Andrew Holland, for the past 23 years, including after their mom passed away five years ago.
“It's not taking care of Andrew and Nathan that's the hard part,” Farlow said. “What the hard part is, is all of this, this bureaucratic stuff, the fighting, the constant fighting. It’s exhausting.”
Republican Senator J.B. Jennings, who represents Baltimore and Harford counties, is sponsoring a bill that would give families more time to adjust to administrative changes.
Amanda Hils, a spokesperson for the Department of Health – which houses the DDA – noted the department’s letter of support for Jennings’ bill, with amendments, and said the department “is committed to stakeholder engagement in policy development.”
When it comes to the budget cuts, Jennings said lawmakers need to contain soaring costs for the Community Pathways waiver program, which have almost doubled in recent years — from $1.7 billion in the 2022 fiscal year to $3.3 billion in the 2027 fiscal allowance.
“Everybody has to take a haircut when it comes to tough budget times,” Jennings said.
“I absolutely feel for these families in trying to help them,” he added. “When people call, we work our tails off to do whatever we can to help them. But in the same breath, I have to say, we have to figure out what we can do to make sure that we don't bankrupt the state.”
Finding cuts elsewhere
But Senate Minority Whip Justin Ready, R-Carroll and Frederick counties, suggested there are other places to look for budget cuts, such as the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future — a multibillion-dollar education reform plan passed into law a few years ago.
“There's no question that our budget — which has been mismanaged by the governor, and we're in this situation because of bad mismanagement over the years — there's no question that we have to make cuts in government spending. So some of it may need to come from DDA, but the way that it's been done is sort of falling very heavily on the most vulnerable people.”
Democratic Delegate Michele Guyton of Baltimore County said she probably would find somewhere other than the disability budget to make cuts, although she didn’t specify where.
“If I had a red pen on the budget underwriting it, I would probably identify other places to take that money,” she said.
‘I want to keep my sweethearts’
The DDA cuts in this year’s budget plan include proposals to reduce wages for staff and to cap person-centered plan budgets at $500,000.
The proposals are designed “to slow cost growth and align Maryland’s program more closely with federal guidance and best practices across other states like Pennsylvania are following,” said Hils, the MDH spokesperson, in an email.
Asked about the recent denial of Barwick’s plan, Hils said people who are denied a service or Person-Centered Plan through the DDA “have clear due process rights” and that the multi-step process “is designed to ensure transparency, fairness, and an independent review of any disputed decision.”
This is the second year in a row that Moore proposed DDA cuts. Much of last year’s proposed funding cuts were later restored.
The state funds make all the difference to people like Nathan Holland, who’s grown close to his care staff over several years and can’t imagine losing them.
“I want to keep my sweethearts,” he said.