Helping Maryland Families Navigate Community First Choice — Where You Choose Your Own Caregiver
Maryland's Community First Choice program pays for personal assistance at home — and the person receiving care chooses their own caregiver, who can be a trusted family member like an adult child, employed through a licensed agency. There is no waiting list for those who qualify. We help you check if you qualify and match you with a Medicaid-enrolled Maryland agency — free to families.
You are likely eligible if you have Medicaid. Fill out the form to see how fast you can get started.
or call us at (929) 460-3141
Two Ways to Get Started
Under CFC, relatives working for a Medicaid-enrolled agency are treated like any other caregiver — an adult child, sibling, or other trusted relative can be hired, and you keep the right to select, train, schedule, and direct them.
The licensed agencies we match you with employ trained personal assistance workers. Either way, the agency handles payroll, supervision, and support — and you stay in control of who provides your care.
Eligibility
Final eligibility is determined by MDH — we help you check in seconds.
A paid caregiver must be at least 18, legally able to work in the U.S., and employed by a licensed, Medicaid-enrolled personal assistance agency. Relatives working for an agency are treated no differently than other caregivers — but by Maryland rule, the participant's representative cannot be the paid worker, a parent generally cannot be paid for a minor child, and Maryland does not currently pay spouses as caregivers. Eligibility for any caregiver is determined by the program during enrollment.
What's Covered
Why Families Use Us
We're not an agency — we're the free service that gets your family to the right Medicaid-approved agency, faster.
You never pay us a cent. We're paid a flat marketing fee by the partner agency — never by you, and never tied to enrollment.
We connect you with a licensed, Medicaid-approved provider agency that serves your area and handles enrollment and caregiver setup.
Our team helps you check eligibility for Maryland's Community First Choice (CFC) and points you to the right next step — at no cost.
How It Works
Three easy steps to get your family the care they need.
Fill out our free 30-second form or call us to see if you qualify through Maryland's Community First Choice (CFC).
We connect you with a Medicaid-approved home care agency in your area that handles enrollment, paperwork, and caregiver setup.
Once approved, your chosen caregiver is paid through Medicaid — and your loved one gets care at home.
The Program
Funded by Medicaid through MDH — helping families care for loved ones at home.
We help eligible Maryland families connect with a licensed, Medicaid-enrolled personal assistance agency.
Eligible families pay nothing out of pocket for enrollment help.
Approved caregivers — including qualifying family members — are employed by the agency and paid through the Medicaid program.
Source: Maryland Department of Health (Medicaid), Community First Choice (CFC).
Already Enrolled?
If you already have red-and-white Medicaid coverage and are receiving services, call for a free consult to see if switching to a different partner agency is right for you.
Call (929) 460-3141We help Maryland families understand the Community First Choice (CFC), check eligibility, and connect with a Medicaid-approved home care provider agency in their area. The provider agency we match you with handles enrollment paperwork, caregiver onboarding, and ongoing program support.
The Home Care Agency is an enrollment matching service. We are not a Medicaid provider agency. We connect eligible Maryland families with licensed Medicaid-approved provider agencies that deliver care. This service is free to families.
Questions
Program Guide
Community First Choice (CFC) is Maryland Medicaid's home- and community-based personal assistance benefit, administered by the Maryland Department of Health's Office of Long Term Services and Supports. It covers hands-on help with daily activities, supports planning, and related services so people who qualify for institutional care can live at home instead.
Two things set Maryland apart: CFC is an entitlement — the state’s approved plan assures that any individual meeting the eligibility criteria receives services, so there is no waiting list — and the participant controls who provides the care.
CFC has no age limit. The person must live in a community setting in Maryland, have full Maryland Medicaid (the red-and-white card), and need an institutional level of care, confirmed through an in-person assessment by a registered nurse or licensed social worker from the local health department. Medicare alone does not qualify.
For people who need help with at least one daily activity but not a nursing-facility level of care, Maryland’s Community Personal Assistance Services (CPAS) benefit uses the same agency model with a lower threshold. A separate waiver pathway exists for some people above the standard Medicaid financial limits — it maintains a registry rather than serving immediately. Financial eligibility is always determined by the Medicaid program.
Personal assistance under CFC is delivered through licensed Residential Service Agencies enrolled with Maryland Medicaid — and the rules put the participant in charge inside that model: agencies must allow you to select, train, schedule, determine the duties of, and dismiss your personal assistance worker.
Relatives working for an agency are treated no differently than other caregivers, so an adult child, sibling, or other trusted family member can be the paid worker. By rule, the participant's representative cannot be the paid caregiver, a parent generally cannot be paid for a minor child, and Maryland does not currently pay spouses. Caregivers must be at least 18 and legally able to work in the U.S. Eligibility for any caregiver is determined by the program during enrollment.
Maryland runs a no-wrong-door intake: families start with Maryland Access Point, and a local health department nurse or social worker completes the in-home assessment — the state's timeline calls for the assessment and recommended plan within about two weeks of referral. You then choose a supports planner, who builds the plan of service, including who provides the care.
Our free service matches you with a licensed, Medicaid-enrolled personal assistance agency that welcomes family caregivers, helps you through the steps, and supports you after services start. We are a matching service — the agency employs the caregiver and delivers the care.
Program facts on this page last reviewed October 6, 2026. Program rules change — eligibility is always determined by the state program.
Related guide: Can a spouse be paid to be a caregiver? Medicaid rules, state by state
No cost, no obligation — talk to an expert about Maryland's Community First Choice (CFC) today.
Call (929) 460-3141