We need your help with one final push of grassroots advocacy this week on the FY27 budget!

The Senate and the House of Delegates have both announced their intended budget cuts, but those decisions are not final until they go through a Conference Committee made up of key budget leaders from both chambers.

There has been a very vocal effort and presence by self-direction advocates opposing the budget cuts for their community, including the alignment of wage guidelines, for family as staff, with what is in the rate for provider DSPs.

However, it is critically important that legislators hear from community providers like Compass, the people we support, and their families, with requests to protect the funding for people who choose the provider model and urge that there be no further cuts to DDA, DSP wages, and provider organizations.

Will you help us by writing letters to your Maryland representatives? It’s easy – start by filling out your details to the right so we can target your legislators, and then customize the letter template on the next page by following the directions there.

Thank you for your support.

Maryland’s FY2026 budget proposal includes major cuts to the Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA)—reductions that would significantly weaken supports for thousands of people with developmental disabilities and strain the workforce that provides essential care.

The proposal includes over $155 million in State General Fund cuts, affecting:

• Dedicated staffing supports (1:1 and 2:1) for nearly 3,800 people with complex medical or behavioral needs.
• An arbitrary $500,000 cap on individual budgets, putting more than 800 people at risk of losing critical services or community placements.

These changes would make it harder for people with disabilities to stay safe, healthy, and included in their communities—and would further destabilize a workforce already facing shortages. Without adequate supports, Maryland will see increased crises, hospitalizations, institutional placements, and costs that far exceed any short-term savings.

Your Voice Can Help Prevent These Cuts

We invite families, advocates, professionals, and community members to contact Maryland legislators using the ActionNetwork tool on this page. It takes only a few minutes:

1. Enter your address to identify your representatives.
2. Personalize the highlighted sections of the pre-drafted letter.
3. Click “Send Letter.”

Why Take Action?

Every message sent helps lawmakers understand the real impact of these cuts—and the importance of preserving person-centered, community-based supports that Maryland has spent decades building.

Thank you for speaking up to protect the rights, safety, and dignity of people with developmental disabilities.