Want to open a group home in Maryland?
We guide you on how to open a group home, or a day program, or an agency supporting adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. To operate one, you need to be an approved DDA provider — and for residential and day services, a licensed one under COMAR 10.22.02. Here's what that takes — and how we get your application approved the first time.
- What it lets you do
- Deliver DDA-funded services to people with I/DD
- Who approves it
- Maryland Dept. of Health, Developmental Disabilities Administration
- Governing regulation
- COMAR 10.22
- How it's funded
- Medicaid Home & Community-Based Services waivers
- Who can apply
- Provider agencies and qualified individuals
What is a DDA provider?
The Developmental Disabilities Administration funds community-based services for Marylanders with intellectual and developmental disabilities — residential, day, employment, and support services, among others. To deliver and bill for those services, your organization has to be approved by the DDA as a Qualified Services Provider.
Important distinction: this is about becoming a provider — the agency or individual delivering services. It's a different process from the DDA eligibility application that individuals and families complete to receive services. If you're starting a business, the provider application is the one you need.
DDA services are funded primarily through Maryland's Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services waivers, and the administration operates through regional offices across the state. Provider approval comes with real expectations around your capacity, your staff's qualifications, and your quality and service planning — which is exactly where a strong application makes the difference.
Services DDA providers deliver
Depending on your approval, a DDA provider may offer services such as:
You'll choose the specific services you're seeking approval for on your application, and you'll need to show you have the capacity and qualified staff to deliver them.
Two different paths, and knowing which one you're on matters
Most people discover this distinction halfway through an application. It changes your timeline, your costs, and what you have to produce.
DDA-licensed services
Require a full license under COMAR 10.22.02 — a Program Service Plan, site inspections, physical plant review, and ongoing survey oversight. Residential services and day habilitation generally fall here.
DDA-certified services
(non-licensed) require approval as a Qualified Services Provider but no site license. Personal supports, respite, and several community-based services generally fall here.
You may need both. An agency offering residential and personal supports is licensed for one and certified for the other, in a single application.
Services we help providers get approved for
Residential community living
Group Home, Shared Living, Individual Family Care (COMAR 10.22.08), and Supported Living.
Day and employment
Day Habilitation, Community Development Services, Career Exploration, Supported Employment, and Employment Services.
Home and community supports
Personal Supports, Respite Care, Behavioral Support Services, Nursing Support Services, and Transportation.
Case management
Coordination of Community Services (CCS) — a separate approval path under COMAR 10.09.48 that requires an executed DDA contract.
Community
Across the Community Pathways, Family Supports, and Community Supports waivers.
Not sure which applies to your services?
Book a Free ConsultationWhat a DDA provider application needs
The Qualified Services Provider application is detailed, and the attachments matter as much as the form itself. At a high level, an agency application typically includes:
- The services you're seeking approval to provide
- Resumes for your CEO, directors, managers, and supervisors
- Professional letters of reference (new providers)
- Copies of relevant licenses, certifications, or accreditation
- General commercial liability insurance
- Ownership disclosures for direct and indirect owners
- Background checks and child protective clearances (request early)
- A program service plan & quality assurance plan (COMAR 10.22.02)
- Evidence of financial capability to deliver services
- Your mission statement and approach to person-centered support
- The agency questionnaire and information form
- A completed, signed application checklist
The service plan, quality assurance plan, and the way you demonstrate capacity are where most applications get strong — or get held up. That's the heart of what we prepare with you.
From idea to approved provider
We build the plans, organize the attachments, and make sure your application demonstrates real capacity — not just that the boxes are checked.
Free consultation
We confirm DDA provider approval is the right path and which services to seek.
We build your plans
Service plan, quality assurance plan, policies, and the full attachment set.
We assemble & submit
A complete application to the DDA, with help responding to follow-ups.
You get approved
We support you through approval and into operating and staying compliant.
Do you also need an RSA license?
Some agencies serving people with disabilities also provide in-home personal or skilled care, which can require a separate Residential Service Agency license. If your plans span both, we'll map out exactly what you need so nothing trips up your launch. Read about RSA licensing →
DDA provider FAQ
Most applicants who come to us prepared reach approval in 2 to 3 months from engagement to approval. Applicants still forming an entity or securing funding take longer. Licensed residential services take longer than certified-only services because of site inspection. We can't control DDA review times, and anyone promising you a specific approval date is guessing. What we can control is submitting a complete packet the first time, which is where most of the avoidable delay lives. .
It depends on your services. Residential and day habilitation services generally require licensure under COMAR 10.22.02. Personal supports, respite, and several community services require approval as a Qualified Services Provider without a site license. Many agencies need both. We determine this on your consultation.
In practice, yes. What people call a group home in Maryland is generally a Community Living – Group Home service, licensed and funded through DDA. Individual Family Care homes serving one to three individuals are licensed separately under COMAR 10.22.08.
Different populations, different regulators. DDA serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities under COMAR 10.22. A Residential Service Agency, licensed by the Office of Health Care Quality under COMAR 10.07.05, provides nursing and personal care in the home to a general population. If you're serving people on DDA waivers, you need DDA approval. Not sure? Compare the license types →
No. Certificate of Need requirements from the Maryland Health Care Commission apply to home health agencies and certain facility types, not to DDA provider approval or RSA licensure. This is a common point of confusion and often the reason founders choose one path over another.
NCompleteness of the initial submission is the single biggest variable you control.
For licensed residential and day services, yes — facility documentation and physical plant inspection are part of the application. For certified-only services like personal supports, generally no. Worth confirming before you sign a lease.
Yes. Medicaid provider enrollment, LTSS Maryland setup, staff training documentation, policy updates, and survey readiness. Most of our clients continue with us after approval.
DDA is a Maryland agency, so DDA approval is Maryland-only. We also handle DC DDS Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Medicaid Waiver Provider applications, Virginia DBHDS License Application, RSA licensing and behavioral health licensing across Maryland, DC, and Northern Virginia.
Ready to Become a DDA Provider?
Book a free consultation and we'll confirm the right services to seek, then map out exactly what it takes to get your agency approved.
Request a free consultation
Tell us about your plans and we'll be in touch.