Policy Tracker from

Maryland

9 rows on record, in 6 of 8 topics.

Follow Maryland in the weekly Pulse email

By topic

No record found means this tracker has no row yet, not that the state has no policy.

Topic	Status	Key detail	Date
TopicPaying family caregivers	StatusNo record found	Key detailNo row in this topic yet	Date
TopicPaid family leave	StatusLaw, not yet in effectMoving in the last 12 months	Key detail Maryland FAMLI paid family and medical leave implementationShow details and sources Maryland FAMLI paid family and medical leave implementationEffective Soon, Implementation Jan 1, 2027 Maryland is building its paid family and medical leave program, with employer preparation and payroll/contribution steps preceding employee benefits that begin in January 2028. Who it affects: family caregivers, Maryland workers, employers, workers caring for loved ones Why it matters: Caregivers need early notice because program eligibility, payroll deductions, employer communications, and future leave applications all become planning issues before benefits are payable. Maryland FAMLI Maryland FAMLI for employees Last reviewed Jun 18, 2026	DateImplementationJan 1, 2027
TopicRespite care	StatusIn effect or in use	Key detail Maryland Home and Community-Based Options WaiverShow details and sources Maryland Home and Community-Based Options WaiverEffective, Implementation Jan 1, 2026 Maryland's waiver remains a home- and community-based pathway that can cover services such as assisted living, case management, medical day care, respite care, family training, and nutrition supports. Who it affects: older adults, adults with physical disabilities, family caregivers, Maryland Medicaid participants, people at nursing-facility level of care Why it matters: Caregivers need a plain-language way to compare waiver eligibility, available services, and waitlist/application steps with facility-care alternatives. Maryland Medicaid HCBS waiver regulatory information Medicaid.gov Maryland waiver factsheet Last reviewed Jun 18, 2026	DateImplementationJan 1, 2026
TopicHome and community services	StatusIn effect or in use	Key detail Maryland Home and Community-Based Options WaiverShow details and sources Maryland Home and Community-Based Options WaiverEffective, Implementation Jan 1, 2026 Maryland's waiver remains a home- and community-based pathway that can cover services such as assisted living, case management, medical day care, respite care, family training, and nutrition supports. Who it affects: older adults, adults with physical disabilities, family caregivers, Maryland Medicaid participants, people at nursing-facility level of care Why it matters: Caregivers need a plain-language way to compare waiver eligibility, available services, and waitlist/application steps with facility-care alternatives. Maryland Medicaid HCBS waiver regulatory information Medicaid.gov Maryland waiver factsheet Last reviewed Jun 18, 2026	DateImplementationJan 1, 2026
TopicKeeping Medicaid coverage	StatusLaw, not yet in effectMoving in the last 12 months	Key detail Maryland Medicaid renewal and 2027 check-in changesShow details and sources Maryland Medicaid renewal and 2027 check-in changesEffective Soon, Implementation Jan 1, 2027 Maryland Health Connection maintains Medicaid renewal routing now and is warning members that new federal Medicaid check-in rules are expected in 2027. Who it affects: Maryland Medicaid members, MCHP families, family caregivers, disabled people, benefits navigators Why it matters: More frequent Medicaid renewal checkpoints increase paperwork, account access, and deadline-management burdens for caregivers who manage benefits. Maryland Health Connection renew or change your plan Maryland Health Connection changes coming to health care Last reviewed Jun 18, 2026	DateImplementationJan 1, 2027
TopicCaregivers at hospital discharge	StatusNo record found	Key detailNo row in this topic yet	Date
TopicEnd-of-life choices and planning	StatusIn effect or in use	Key detail Maryland advance directive and health care agent authorityShow details and sources Maryland advance directive and health care agent authorityEffective, Effective May 1, 2025 Maryland maintains an official advance directive form and guidance for appointing a health care agent and stating life-sustaining treatment preferences. Who it affects: adults planning future care, family caregivers, health care agents, clinicians, serious illness patients Why it matters: Families need these documents before a crisis because caregiver status alone may not create medical decision-making authority. Maryland advance directive form Last reviewed Jun 18, 2026	DateEffectiveMay 1, 2025
TopicCaregiving AI	StatusProposed or pendingMoving in the last 12 months	Key detail Maryland HB 952 companion chatbot safeguardsShow details and sources Maryland HB 952 companion chatbot safeguardsProposed, No date set Would require companion chatbot disclosures, suicide and self-harm response protocols, and related operator obligations. Who it affects: family caregivers, care recipients, care technology users Why it matters: Digital support tools for caregivers may need to explain their role, data use, safety boundaries, or escalation limits differently in this jurisdiction. Maryland HB0952 bill details Last reviewed Sep 25, 2026	DateNo date set

Every row

State	What changed	Stage	Date
StateMaryland	What changed Maryland HB 952 companion chatbot safeguardsWould require companion chatbot disclosures, suicide and self-harm response protocols, and related operator obligations.Show details and sources Would require companion chatbot disclosures, suicide and self-harm response protocols, and related operator obligations. Who it affects: family caregivers, care recipients, care technology users Why it matters: Digital support tools for caregivers may need to explain their role, data use, safety boundaries, or escalation limits differently in this jurisdiction. Maryland HB0952 bill details Last reviewed Sep 25, 2026	StageProposed	DateNo date set
StateMaryland	What changed Maryland Office of Health Care Quality complaint processMaryland's Office of Health Care Quality monitors health care facilities and community-based programs and routes complaints through an online complaint process.Show details and sources Maryland's OHCQ provides the official complaint and monitoring channel for health care facilities and community-based programs. Who it affects: facility residents, family caregivers, older adults, disabled people, community-based program users Why it matters: When caregivers see unsafe care, neglect, or facility failures, they need a concrete state complaint route and a way to understand who oversees the provider. Maryland OHCQ file a complaint Maryland OHCQ home Last reviewed Jun 19, 2026	StageEffective	DateImplementationJan 1, 2026
StateMaryland	What changed Maryland Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias state planMaryland's 2022-2026 ADRD state plan sets goals for awareness, early detection, care coordination, family caregiver support, research, and dementia data…Show details and sources Maryland's ADRD plan remains in its 2022-2026 implementation window and explicitly includes expanding supports for family caregivers as a core goal. Who it affects: people living with dementia, family caregivers, older adults, public health agencies, community service providers Why it matters: For caregivers, dementia policy becomes real through diagnosis pathways, care coordination, respite and support programs, and public-health resources that reduce family burden. Maryland ADRD State Plan 2022-2026 Last reviewed Jun 18, 2026	StageImplementing	DateImplementationMay 1, 2022
StateMaryland	What changed Maryland advance directive and health care agent authorityMaryland's Health Care Decisions Act allows people to use an advance directive to name a health care agent and record treatment preferences.Show details and sources Maryland maintains an official advance directive form and guidance for appointing a health care agent and stating life-sustaining treatment preferences. Who it affects: adults planning future care, family caregivers, health care agents, clinicians, serious illness patients Why it matters: Families need these documents before a crisis because caregiver status alone may not create medical decision-making authority. Maryland advance directive form Last reviewed Jun 18, 2026	StageEffective	DateEffectiveMay 1, 2025
StateMaryland	What changed Maryland Home and Community-Based Options WaiverMaryland's Home and Community-Based Options Waiver provides Medicaid home- and community-based services for older adults and adults with physical disabilities…Show details and sources Maryland's waiver remains a home- and community-based pathway that can cover services such as assisted living, case management, medical day care, respite care, family training, and nutrition supports. Who it affects: older adults, adults with physical disabilities, family caregivers, Maryland Medicaid participants, people at nursing-facility level of care Why it matters: Caregivers need a plain-language way to compare waiver eligibility, available services, and waitlist/application steps with facility-care alternatives. Maryland Medicaid HCBS waiver regulatory information Medicaid.gov Maryland waiver factsheet Last reviewed Jun 18, 2026	StageEffective	DateImplementationJan 1, 2026
StateMaryland	What changed Maryland Online Data Privacy Act implementationMaryland's Online Data Privacy Act is in effect and creates consumer data rights and controller obligations that can affect care-adjacent digital services.Show details and sources Maryland enacted a comprehensive privacy law regulating how controllers and processors handle consumer personal data, including rights and obligations relevant to sensitive care-adjacent data. Who it affects: Maryland residents, family caregivers, care recipients, digital health users, care technology vendors Why it matters: Caregiver tools can hold household, health, location, and support-needs data; Maryland is a useful state model for privacy rights and vendor obligations outside HIPAA-only framing. Maryland Online Data Privacy Act chaptered bill Maryland Attorney General state privacy protections release Last reviewed Jun 18, 2026	StageEffective	DateImplementationApr 1, 2026
StateMaryland	What changed Maryland State Advisory Council on Serious Illness CareMaryland's State Advisory Council on Serious Illness Care studies state policy effects on care for people with life-limiting illnesses and care for the dying.Show details and sources Maryland maintains a public advisory council that studies how statutes, regulations, policies, and public policy affect care for the dying and people with life-limiting illness. Who it affects: people with life-limiting illness, family caregivers, clinicians, hospice teams, palliative care providers Why it matters: This is a policy-intelligence lane for tracking serious-illness care priorities, education, and state-level end-of-life policy development before it becomes a direct benefit or mandate. Maryland Department of Aging Serious Illness Council Last reviewed Jun 18, 2026	StageImplementing	DateHearingMay 18, 2026
StateMaryland	What changed Maryland FAMLI paid family and medical leave implementationMaryland's FAMLI program is preparing to provide paid, job-protected leave for eligible workers, including leave to care for a loved one, with benefits…Show details and sources Maryland is building its paid family and medical leave program, with employer preparation and payroll/contribution steps preceding employee benefits that begin in January 2028. Who it affects: family caregivers, Maryland workers, employers, workers caring for loved ones Why it matters: Caregivers need early notice because program eligibility, payroll deductions, employer communications, and future leave applications all become planning issues before benefits are payable. Maryland FAMLI Maryland FAMLI for employees Last reviewed Jun 18, 2026	StageEffective Soon	DateImplementationJan 1, 2027
StateMaryland	What changed Maryland Medicaid renewal and 2027 check-in changesMaryland Health Connection says Medicaid and MCHP enrollees generally renew every 12 months now, with new federal Medicaid check-in rules coming in 2027.Show details and sources Maryland Health Connection maintains Medicaid renewal routing now and is warning members that new federal Medicaid check-in rules are expected in 2027. Who it affects: Maryland Medicaid members, MCHP families, family caregivers, disabled people, benefits navigators Why it matters: More frequent Medicaid renewal checkpoints increase paperwork, account access, and deadline-management burdens for caregivers who manage benefits. Maryland Health Connection renew or change your plan Maryland Health Connection changes coming to health care Last reviewed Jun 18, 2026	StageEffective Soon	DateImplementationJan 1, 2027