Coordination of Community Services (CCS)
This program helps people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and their families gain access to local resources, plan for the future, and learn about transition services and waiver services.
To be eligible, a person must have a severe chronic disability that makes it impossible to live independently without support.
A developmental disability is a physical or mental impairment (other than a sole diagnosis of mental illness) or a combination of mental and physical impairments that:
- are lifelong,
- begin before age 22,
- require the person to need help living on their own, and
- require the person to need help getting services and treatment.
For information regarding disability services, refer to the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA).
To refer someone for services, call the Eastern Shore Regional Office at 410-572-5920 and ask for an application for services.
Applying for Services
To find out whether a person is eligible for services, the person or someone acting for them must fill out an application.
Download the application from Developmental Disabilities Administration website, have it mailed to you, or pick one up from any of DDA’s four regional offices located in central, eastern, southern, and western Maryland.
- Call our office at 410-228-3223 for general information on how to obtain an application or apply for services.
- When completing the application, give a realistic picture of the applicant’s challenges and skills. Be certain that you explain the reasons the applicant needs services.
- If you have any questions while completing the application, call the Eastern Shore Regional Office at 410-572-5920.
- Mail or drop your application to: DDA-Eastern Shore Regional Office, ATTENTION: Eligibility and Access Unit, 926 Snow Hill Road, Salisbury, MD 21804.
Which Eligible People Will Receive DDA Services?
DDA does not have enough money to serve everyone who is eligible. Typically, DDA is able to serve eligible people who are:
- In crisis situations as defined by DDA,
- Leaving nursing facilities or other institutions, or
- Youth between ages 21 and 22.
Sometimes, DDA may have additional funding for people on the waiting list. If funding is not available, DDA will place the person on a waiting list. For more information, check with your DDA regional office.
How Do People Plan for the Services they Need?
After DDA finds that a person is eligible and there is funding available, a Coordinator of Community Services will help the person choose members of a team that will make a person-centered plan.
The team will consider:
- What kind of life does the person want?
- What services are necessary to ensure the person’s needs are met in a way the person wants?
- How can the person get some or all of the needed services from sources other than DDA? (For example: from family and friends, public transit, Medical Assistance services, private health care, Medicare, the school system, or the Division of Rehabilitation Services)
Quick Links
- DDA Application Process
- Person-Centered Planning
- Self Directed Services
- Forms and Processes
- DDA Webinars
DCHD Contacts
Coordination of Community Services
Dorchester County Health Department
3 Cedar Street
Cambridge, MD 21613
410-228-3223
Adult Evaluation and Review Services (AERS) evaluates aged and/or disabled people in their homes. AERS also assesses clients who have an intellectual disability or mental illness and are in need of placement in long-term care.
AERS assesses people who:
- Are at risk of being placed in a facility or face a change in their normal living situation
- Have chronic medical conditions
- Need help with daily living, such as bathing or making food
- Have limited funds to pay for care or expenses
The programs finds services to help people:
- stay in their homes,
- in the community, or
- in the least restrictive location.
You must have Medicaid to be eligible for services.
Go to the Maryland Access Point (MAP) or call 410-742-0505, ext. 109, to see if you are eligible for services.