Maryland's Developmental Disabilities Administration is absorbing $126 million in cuts under the operating budget of more than $70 billion that Gov. Wes Moore signed. Because the state funds are matched by Medicaid, the agency's shortfall totals more than $250 million. Moore has since released a proposed second supplemental budget that includes $36 million to address the cuts. The cuts were meant to take effect July 1, but after pushback the Maryland Department of Health, which oversees the DDA, delayed them until the fall.
In Stockton, Shana Farlow, 48, works as a full-time nurse for her brothers Nathan Holland, 35, and Andrew, 43, both of whom have disabilities. Farlow said state funds allowed her brothers to stay at home instead of in institutions that she says were not able to suit their needs. "I worked hard to put into place staff during the day and the nurses overnight. I mean, all that's in jeopardy," she said. "And it scares families like ours." "I don't want to go back," Holland said. Farlow said she does not know when the cuts will actually take effect: "Are these pay cuts going to go through? Are they not going to go through? It's scary."
Christine Gott, one of two paid caretakers for the brothers and a single mother, said the cuts have forced her to take a second job to keep up with bills. "My mortgage has gone up, my property tax has gone up, my electric is skyrocketing, and now my pay is going to be cut," Gott said. "And it's like kind of a slap in the face because I didn't do anything wrong." She said people hold misconceptions about the work: "We're not glorified babysitters. We do actually care for people."