Maryland laws and regulations (i.e., rules) tell us who may be eligible for the LISS Program.1
You may be eligible for the LISS Program if you meet all the eligibility requirements.
The requirements are:
1. You are a Maryland resident. You have to provide proof of address (where you currently live) and proof of who you are. To show where you live, you can give a copy of your electric bill or water bill, or your rental lease or mortgage statement.
2. You have an eligible diagnosis. That means you are:
A. Either:
β A child or an adult who is living in your familyβs home.
β An adult who is living in your own home.
And
B. You have a developmental disability.
β Examples can be intellectual disability, cerebral palsy and autism. There are many others.
β You will probably have your disability your whole life (that means you were probably born with it or developed it at a young age).
And
C. You are not enrolled in any Medicaid home and community-based services waiver program or receiving any services funded by the DDA. Examples of Medicaid home >and community-based services waiver programs are:
β Community Pathways Waiver
β Community Supports Waiver
β Family Supports Waiver
β Community Options Waiver
β Autism Waiver
β Waiver for Individuals with Brain Injury
β Medical Day Care Waiver
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1 Set forth in the Maryland Annotated Code, Health-General Article Β§ 7-717(a) and Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) 10.22.14.05
Please note: This restriction does not apply to applicants enrolled in the Model Waiver program or Medicaidβs Rare & Expensive Case Management (REM) Program at the time of the random selection process. This means you may be able to receive services from the Model Waiver or REM Program.
The applicant may be on the DDAβs Waiting List and ONLY receiving Coordination of Community Services (CCS). However, an applicant is not required to be on the DDA Waiting List or to be receiving CCS services.
3. You were selected through the random selection process.
4. You submitted a complete application by the due date.
5. You did not receive LISS Program funding in Round 1 in the same Fiscal Year.
Please note: If an applicant does not meet any of the above criteria, they are not eligible for LISS Program funding.
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To be approved for funding, the applicantβs provider must meet the following requirements:
If a provider does not meet the requirements, the LISS agency will ask the applicant to acquire a provider that does meet the requirements.
Below is a list of eligible services. For more information on each service please see the Applicant and Family Guide.
What does this service do? These items are things that make life easier. They improve your
daily life and help you where you live, work and play. They can also help you move around.
There are other parts of life they may make better too.
What can you get from this service? Below is a list of examples. There may be others that
are not on this list:
β Things that help you or your child eat, bathe, cook, dress, toilet, clean yourself, and
help with home maintenance.
β Sensory Items.
β Driving aids like hand controls, wheelchair lifts, car seats, strollers and bikes.
β Specialized equipment for medical, recreational or home use.
β Clothes that help you to dress yourself. Clothing that doesnβt have tags or other things
that donβt feel good.
What information do you have to provide (required documents)? If you ask for adaptive
items, you have to provide all the items below:
β An invoice or a copy of an online shopping cart.
β A complete W-9 for the business or people who provide the service or sell the product.
This does NOT need to be completed if the LISS Program Contractor will be buying items online.
What does this service do? This service supports you to maintain or improve your
independent skills. This includes improving interactions, supporting meaningful
relationships, and increasing your ability to live independently and be an active member of
your community.
What can you get from this service? Assistive Technology is a device or piece of equipment
that helps you maintain or improve how you live. Examples include technology that assists
with speech and communication; visual or hearing support; computer and phone devices;
equipment that helps you with independent living in your home; and adapted toys and
specialized equipment. This includes:
β Computers, computer accessories, tablets, headphones, and software.
β Things that let you control household appliances or devices, like automatic switches,
electronic door locks or openers.
β Training, maintenance, repair and protection plans for assistive technology devices.
β Augmentative communication and communication-enhancement devices, like
communication boards, iPads and electronic speech devices.
What information do you have to provide (required documents)?
β An invoice or copy of an online shopping cart.
β A complete W-9 for the business or person selling the product. This does NOT need to
be included if the LISS Program Contractor will be buying these items online.
What does this service do? This service helps you with different kinds of support needs if
you live in your own or your familyβs home and would like help with your independent living
skills.
What can you get with this service? This service includes support for you in your home and
support to participate in community activities. It also includes help with personal
care/assistance. This may include help to eat, bathe, cook, dress, use the bathroom, shop, use
transportation and take medication.
What information do you have to provide (required documents)?
β An invoice, quote or estimate that has the cost of the service AND the State license
number of the person or business. Independent Contractor Estimates can be found here.
β If you provide an invoice AND the person is not registered as a State vendor, you also
need:
β A copy of their driverβs license or other photo ID.
β A complete Independent Contractor Agreement
β A complete W-9 for the business or people who provide the service or sell the product.
β After you get the personal care/assistance, you have to submit an invoice or timesheet
that shows the number of hours the person worked.
Reminder: You must review, approve, sign and date the timesheet. You are then responsible
for sending the completed timesheets to the LISS Program Contractor for payment.
What does this service do? This service provides care or supervision to people under age 19.
What can you get with this service? This service provides child care by a licensed provider
to help you during specific times of the day when your parents or guardian cannot.
What information do you have to provide (required documents)?
β An invoice, quote, or estimate that has the cost of the service and the Maryland State
license number of the child care provider.
β A complete W-9 for the child care provider.
What does this service do? This service lets you do activities such as dance, karate,
swimming, or other recreational and social activities.
What can you get with this service? Below is a list of examples. There may be others that
are not on this list. Remember that LISS funding can only pay for the cost during the current
fiscal year, which is July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025:
β Recreational memberships like to a gym, club, or other place that requires a
membership, for you and one other person. The other person is there to support you.
They may be a parent, guardian, spouse, support person or someone else you are
close to.
β Art, music, karate, or swimming lessons.
β Therapeutic horseback riding (not hippotherapy).
β Bicycles and accessories.
β Driving lessons.
β Mentoring.
β Other things not included here that help you do things in your community.
What information do you have to provide (required documents)?
β An invoice, quote or estimate, or copy of an online shopping cart.
β A complete W-9 for the business or person selling the product. This does NOT need to
be included if you bought something online.
What does this service do? This service provides educational support.
What can you get with this service? It includes things like advocacy training, services to
include training and support for self-advocacy, tutoring, tuition and items to help you learn.
Below is a list of examples. There may be other things too:
β Conference fees. This includes the cost to register, enroll or sign up. It does not include
food, hotel or other travel costs.
β Costs related to preparing for IEP meetings, like the fees of educational advocates.
This does not include the cost of hotels or food.
β Advocacy training for you or your parents.
β The cost of pre-job training, job training and job placement.
β Tuition for post-secondary education and job services. Tuition is money to pay for
classes at a college or university, a technical or trade school or at another agency.
β Tutoring for classes at a college, university or technical or trade school. Tutoring is
someone else helping you study and learn more about the classes you are taking.
β Educational items such as flashcards, books, workbooks, calendars and other things to
help you study topics you learn in school. They cannot be available in the school
system or included in homeschool curriculums.
What information do you have to provide (required documents)?
β An invoice, quote or estimate, or a copy of your online shopping cart. Independent Contractor Estimates can be found here.
β If you provide an invoice, quote, or estimate AND the person is not registered as a
State vendor, you also need:
β A copy of their driverβs license or other photo ID.
β A complete Independent Contractor Agreement.
β A complete W-9 for the business or person selling the
What does this service do? This service provides funding for you to change your home to
increase your independence, privacy or safety. This includes removing things from your home
that make it difficult for you to be independent.
What can you get with this service? If you or your family owns the home, you can get
support to make it more accessible. This includes making changes to make it easier for you to
be independent and safe. It does NOT include major construction like adding rooms or
making the home bigger. Below is a list of examples. There may be other things too:
β Widening of doorways.
β Installing grab bars or railings.
β Specialized plumbing or electrical work.
β Fencing for a yard to increase safety.
β Installing locks or buzzers to notify when doors and windows are opened.
β Modifying bathrooms or kitchens to make them accessible.
β Changing other parts of the home or walkways.
Remember: The work can only be done by someone licensed by the Maryland Department of
Labor.
What information do you have to provide (required documents)?
β Proof that you or your family owns the home. This could be a mortgage statement,
deed, bill of sale or statement from the Maryland Department of Assessments and
Taxation.
β A quote or estimate that has the cost of the change you want to make AND the State
license number of the person or business.
β An invoice that has the cost you are supposed to pay for the change you want to make
AND the State license number of the person or business.
β A complete W-9 for the business or person selling the product.
What does this service do? This service funds different types of identification you may need
to live and work.
What can you get with this service? You can get reimbursed for the cost of a Maryland
Identification Card. You can also get reimbursed for the cost of the fingerprinting you may
need for a job. These funds can also purchase identification bracelets.
What information do you have to provide (required documents)?
An invoice or a copy of your online shopping cart.
What does this service do? This service is short-term support that gives you and your family,
or other primary caregiver, a break from daily routines. It is a one-to-one service.
What can you get with this service? Respite is provided in your home or other places
outside of your home, such as a DDA respite care provider. This does not include fees related
to respite-like membership fees at a recreational facility, community activities or insurance.
What information do you have to provide (required documents)?
β An invoice, quote or estimate that has the cost of the service AND the State license
number of the person or business. Independent Contractor Estimates can be found here.
β If you provide an invoice AND the person is not registered as a State vendor, you also
need:
β A copy of their driverβs license or other photo ID.
β A complete Independent Contractor Agreement
β A complete W-9 for the business or people who provide the service or sell the product.
β After you get the personal care/assistance, you have to submit an invoice or timesheet
that shows the number of hours the person worked.
Reminder: You must review, approve, sign and date the timesheet. You are then responsible
for sending the completed timesheets to the LISS Program Contractor for payment.
What does this service do? This service helps pay for you to have fun and take part in
recreational activities at summer camps and get support at therapeutic summer programs.
Therapeutic summer programs are programs that are operated by licensed medical or
mental health professionals. They are programs supported by clinical staff like doctors,
nurses, social workers and others.
What can you get with this service? You can get funding for one of these things anytime
between July 1, 2024 and August 31, 2025:
β Day camps. This may include camps that take you on trips during the day.
β Overnight camps. This may include camps that are residential or camps where you
travel to different places.
β Therapeutic summer programs.
Note: Day camps and overnight camps must meet one of these requirements. The camp
must be:
β Approved by the Maryland Department of Health, OR
β Accredited by the Maryland State Department of Education, OR
β Accredited by the American Camping Association, OR
β Approved by a state government entity, OR
β Approved by the Developmental Disabilities Administration.
What information do you have to provide (required documents)?
β A quote or estimate that has the cost of the camp or therapeutic summer program
AND the State license number or certificate number of the camp or therapeutic
summer program.
β A complete W-9 for the business.
Note: You can get money for camp even if registration has not opened. If you know what
camp your child will go to, but cannot register them yet, please contact the LISS Program
Contractor.
What does this service do? This service helps you get to community activities
independently. Your community is where you live, work, shop or spend your days.
What can you get with this service? Transportation services can include using mobility and
volunteer transportation services, mileage reimbursement for transportation provided by
another person using their own car, and other things. For example, funding for transportation
can include:
β Metro access, taxi vouchers, and ride-sharing services like Uber or Lyft.
β The cost of hiring a company or person to provide transportation.
What information do you have to provide (required documents)?
β An invoice, quote, receipt or a copy of your online shopping cart. Independent Contractor Estimates can be found here.
β If you provide an invoice AND the person is not registered as a State vendor, you also
need:
β A copy of their driverβs license or other photo ID.
β A complete Independent Contractor Agreement.
β A complete W-9 for the business or person selling the product. This does NOT need to
be included if you bought something online.
β If you need to be reimbursed for mileage for transportation provided by another
person using their own car, you must also include information about the person who
provided the ride, where you were picked up, where you were dropped off AND the
date of the ride.
β If you need to be reimbursed for ride-sharing services like Uber or Lyft, you must also
include a screenshot or receipt of your ride details, including information about where
you were picked up, where you were dropped off AND the date of the ride. This is
accessible in the Uber or Lyft applications.
What does this service do? These services support you if you are experiencing, or are likely
to experience difficulty at home or in the community as a result of behavioral, psychological,
social or emotional changes (behavioral support services). They also help you get other
medical, dental or therapeutic services that health insurance does not pay for (medical and
therapeutic items).
What can you get with this service?
β Behavior support services include behavioral assessment, consultation, development
of a plan, intervention and monitoring provided by a licensed Psychologist or a
Psychology Associate under the supervision of a licensed Psychologist, licensed
Physician, Licensed, Certified Social Worker, or Licensed or Certified Professional
Counselor, who has training and experience in applied behavior analysis. It does not
include Applied Behavior Analysis.
β Medical, Dental or Therapeutic Services including:
β Diet and nutrition counseling.
β Feeding programs.
β Dentist visits and treatments.
β Orthodontist visits and treatments.
β Vision visits, treatment, and glasses.
β Speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, hippotherapy and
applied behavioral analysis (ABA).
β Individual and family therapy and counseling.
β Medical or Therapeutic Items including:
β Protective undergarments like diapers and pads.
β Disposable gloves.
β Other items NOT covered by insurance.
What information do you have to provide (required documents)?
β An invoice, quote or estimate that includes the State license number of the medical
professional or a copy of your online shopping cart.
βA complete W-9 for the business or person selling the product. This does NOT need to
be included if you bought something online.
Questions?
If you have questions/concerns, please reach out to our office:
LISS@Penn-Mar.orgΒ or 877-282-8202
or
We invite you to reach out via the online contact form: