Make It Make Sense

Where’s the money, DDA? Turns out, some of it is being spent on closed institutions.

Dear [Legislator],

In today’s edition of ‘What is the State of Maryland thinking?’ I have to wonder why DDA allocated $900,000 in FY2025 to maintain the sites of three closed facilities that used to house people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

(This information comes from the Office of Legislative Audits Report, by the way, so it is easily verifiable.)

Apparently the future of the Community Pathways Waiver rests on cutting services, budgets, and staff, but funding can still be found to maintain defunct facilities with checkered histories. The $900,000 spent in FY2025 could have funded multiple participants in the self-directed program in that same year. 

When the subject of waste, fraud, and abuse comes up in relation to DDA programs, please be sure the department is looking inward as well, and not simply turning its gaze outward at participants.

And again, I beg you to do better.

[Love, Me]