End the Wait Act

End the Wait Act

At Service Coordination, we are committed to providing quality case management. And over the decades, we’ve remained a leading provider. We’ve been able to impact thousands of lives by focusing on transformative services and resources that support people and families of all abilities and ages as they develop and achieve a vision for a good life.  

We remain devoted to the important work we do each day — and we always will. At SCI, we’re not content to simply provide services and resources. We are dedicated to equity, inclusion, and diversity, and will continually improve service delivery systems to create A World for Everyone. 

One way we’re doing this is by making an impact at the state and federal level — and we have some good news. The 2023 Maryland legislative session ended in the middle of April, and there are a lot of positive results for our community. 

One notable update was the passage of the End the Wait Act, which is an important step towards addressing the long waitlist for Medicaid waiver services in Maryland, including DDA services and the Autism Waiver. This act will allow people with disabilities to receive the support they need faster. 

 This is wonderful because the act requires the governor to allocate funding to reduce waitlist times by 50%. Faster turnarounds for Medicaid waivers will allow people who need support to get it in a timely manner. You can look at the bill on the Maryland website here. [link: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/sb0622?ys=2023RS] 

 But this isn’t the only good news that has come out of the 2023 legislative session. New increases in funding will help ensure that people with developmental disabilities have access to the services they need, while new increases in rates will help ensure that providers can continue to offer high-quality services. 

 Additionally, the governor’s budget includes a 12% rate increase for community services, which amounts to $117 million. Millions of dollars have been set aside for transitioning youth, a program that SCI works to support. And that’s not all. Stay tuned for more! 

We will continue to share stories of our transformative work, from the ground level to legislative. Keep checking this blog — or sign up for our newsletter and follow us on our social media at Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn — to make sure you’re among the first to see the news.